Groundwork

Auto · Small-town market · Ohio

Auto repair and car care businesses in the Norwalk, OH area

How the Norwalk, OH area compares with other small-town markets and the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 58 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #198 of 538 scored small-town markets
#22 of 29 scored small-town markets based in Ohio

Listings
103
22 chain locations (21%)
Official establishments
33
−8.3% since 2019
Household spending a year
$26M
On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,106 a household
Spending per listing
$252K
6% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
43.8
23% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
58,250
−0.4% since 2020

See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in the Norwalk 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 Norwalk area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

As of September 2026, map listings count 103 auto repair and car care businesses in the Norwalk area. 22 of them (21%) are chain locations, against 24% across the U.S. That comes to 43.8 for every 10,000 households, 23% above the U.S. rate of 35.7.

Households in the Norwalk area spend about $26M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $1,106 per household, 15% above the U.S. average. That is about $252K of household spending for each business on map listings, 6% below the U.S. figure of $269K.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Norwalk area was 33 in 2023, down 8.3% from 2019. That is one for every 712 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Official counts also show 98 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $430K have gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Norwalk area.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Norwalk area declined 0.4%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Norwalk area scores 58 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses, ranking #198 of 538 scored small-town markets and #22 of 29 scored small-town markets based in Ohio.

How the Norwalk 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.

Auto repair and car care in Norwalk, OH area compared with Ohio and the U.S.
MeasureNorwalk areaOhioU.S.
Listings per 10k households43.834.535.7
Spending per listing$252K$299K$269K
Households per official establishment712778681
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−8.3%+2.4%+4.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025−0.4%+0.9%+3.1%
Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs$1,106$1,033$958
Median household income$67,878$71,389$80,734
Groundwork market score5868

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
33−8.3% over the period
Employees, 2023
161
Annual payroll, 2023
$7.5M
One-person businesses, 2023
98Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
10322 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
97The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
3
Amount
$430K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Norwalk 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 Norwalk area

Population, 2025 estimate
58,250−0.4% since 2020
Households
23,490
Median age
40.8
Homes lived in by their owners
74%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
492 sq. mi.
People per square mile
118
Median household income
$67,878+29.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$81,729
Median home value
$166,000
Jobs located here
21,670
Daytime population
52,948Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Norwalk 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 Norwalk area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Auto 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 Norwalk area marked.

Top small-town markets in Ohio

Small-town markets in Ohio ranked for auto repair and car care businesses by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Van Wert, OH813832.9$348K+0.3%#21 of 538
2Mount Vernon, OH789640.9$280K+1.9%#32 of 538
3Coshocton, OH765134.5$305K+1.6%#42 of 538
4Athens, OH768135.2$296K+1.3%#43 of 538
5Wilmington, OH747444.2$264K+0.6%#56 of 538
6Sidney, OH718243.4$278K−0.2%#75 of 538
7Urbana, OH706340.3$293K+0.2%#83 of 538
8Wapakoneta, OH697338.5$319K−1.2%#86 of 538
9Bellefontaine, OH697437.8$295K+0.4%#87 of 538
10Findlay, OH6711335.7$305K+0.1%#105 of 538
22Norwalk, OH5810343.8$252K−0.4%#198 of 538

Other business types in the Norwalk area

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many auto repair and car care businesses are in the Norwalk, OH area?

The Norwalk area has 103 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 22 of them (21%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 33 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, down 8.3% from 2019. Another 98 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in the Norwalk, OH area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?

About $26M a year, or $1,106 per household. That is 15% above the U.S. average (an index of 115, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 103 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $252K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 23,490 households in the Norwalk area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the Norwalk, OH area compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?

The Norwalk area has 43.8 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 23% above the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $252K, 6% below the U.S. figure of $269K. At the national ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, the Norwalk area would have about 97, against 103 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 712 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count fell 8.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.

How fast is the Norwalk, OH area growing?

Population estimates put the Norwalk area at 58,250 people in 2025, down 0.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 23,490 households. Median household income in the Norwalk area is $67,878, 16% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.1%, 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 Norwalk area scores 58 for auto repair and car care businesses (upper middle), #198 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 Norwalk 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 Norwalk area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Norwalk 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 Norwalk 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.