Auto · Small-town market · Ohio
Auto repair and car care businesses in the Defiance, OH area
The auto repair and car care businesses in the Defiance, OH area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 59 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #188 of 538 scored small-town markets
#21 of 29 scored small-town markets based in Ohio
- Listings
- 66
- 16 chain locations (24%)
- Official establishments
- 25
- −13.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $17.5M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,140 a household
- Spending per listing
- $265K
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 43.1
- 21% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 38,292
- +0.1% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in the Defiance area
The site report maps the auto repair and car care businesses on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of the Defiance area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
Map listings as of September 2026 show 66 auto repair and car care businesses in the Defiance area. 16 of them (24%) are chain locations, against 24% across the U.S. That comes to 43.1 for every 10,000 households, 21% above the U.S. rate of 35.7.
Households in the Defiance area spend about $17.5M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $1,140 per household, 19% above the U.S. average. Spread across 66 auto repair and car care businesses, that is $265K per business, in line with the U.S. figure of $269K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Defiance area was 25 in 2023, down 13.8% from 2019. That is one for every 613 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Official counts list 43 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $80K have gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Defiance area.
Population estimates show the Defiance area grew 0.1% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses in the Defiance area is 59 (upper middle), #188 of 538 scored small-town markets and #21 of 29 scored small-town markets based in Ohio.
How the Defiance area compares
The same measures for Ohio and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all vehicle maintenance and repairs by the auto repair and car care businesses counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.
| Measure | Defiance area | Ohio | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 43.1 | 34.5 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $265K | $299K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 613 | 778 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −13.8% | +2.4% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.1% | +0.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,140 | $1,033 | $958 |
| Median household income | $73,064 | $71,389 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 59 | 68 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 25−13.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 74
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 43Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 6616 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 65The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $80K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Defiance area, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3.
Population and households in the Defiance area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 38,292+0.1% since 2020
- Households
- 15,327
- Median age
- 40.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 79%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 411 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 93
- Median household income
- $73,064+21.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $88,073
- Median home value
- $163,200
- Jobs located here
- 14,922
- Daytime population
- 36,059Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Defiance area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the auto repair and car care businesses on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of the Defiance area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardAuto repair and car care across Ohio
Every Ohio market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Ohio for auto repair and car care businesses, numbered among those based in Ohio, with the Defiance area marked.
Top small-town markets in Ohio
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Van Wert, OH | 81 | 38 | 32.9 | $348K | +0.3% | #21 of 538 |
| 2Mount Vernon, OH | 78 | 96 | 40.9 | $280K | +1.9% | #32 of 538 |
| 3Coshocton, OH | 76 | 51 | 34.5 | $305K | +1.6% | #42 of 538 |
| 4Athens, OH | 76 | 81 | 35.2 | $296K | +1.3% | #43 of 538 |
| 5Wilmington, OH | 74 | 74 | 44.2 | $264K | +0.6% | #56 of 538 |
| 6Sidney, OH | 71 | 82 | 43.4 | $278K | −0.2% | #75 of 538 |
| 7Urbana, OH | 70 | 63 | 40.3 | $293K | +0.2% | #83 of 538 |
| 8Wapakoneta, OH | 69 | 73 | 38.5 | $319K | −1.2% | #86 of 538 |
| 9Bellefontaine, OH | 69 | 74 | 37.8 | $295K | +0.4% | #87 of 538 |
| 10Findlay, OH | 67 | 113 | 35.7 | $305K | +0.1% | #105 of 538 |
| 21Defiance, OH | 59 | 66 | 43.1 | $265K | +0.1% | #188 of 538 |
Other business types in the Defiance area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
- Auto repair and car care59
- Auto repair shops55
- Collision repair and body shops51
- Car washes and detailing47
- Tire shops64
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations49
- Insurance agencies35
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many auto repair and car care businesses are in the Defiance, OH area?
There are 66 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings in the Defiance area as of September 2026. 16 of them (24%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 25 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, down 13.8% from 2019. Official counts also show 43 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Defiance, OH area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $17.5M a year, or $1,140 per household. That is 19% above the U.S. average (an index of 119, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 66 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $265K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 15,327 households in the Defiance area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Defiance, OH area compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
The Defiance area has 43.1 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 21% above the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $265K, in line with the U.S. figure of $269K. At the national ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, the Defiance area would have about 65, against 66 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 613 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count fell 13.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Defiance, OH area growing?
Population estimates put the Defiance area at 38,292 people in 2025, up 0.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 15,327 households. Median household income in the Defiance area is $73,064, 10% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 21.9%, before inflation.
What is the Groundwork market score?
The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. The Defiance area scores 59 for auto repair and car care businesses (upper middle), #188 of 538 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Defiance area. It maps the auto repair and car care businesses on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.
How the score works · Top markets for auto repair and car care businesses · All 56 business types in the Defiance area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Defiance area?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
The button opens the report at the center of the Defiance area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.