Auto · County · South Dakota
Auto repair and car care businesses in Lake County, SD
The auto repair and car care businesses in Lake County, SD, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 73 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #284 of 2,401 scored counties
#3 of 17 scored counties in South Dakota
- Listings
- 20
- 5 chain locations (25%)
- Official establishments
- 4
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $6.1M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,289 a household
- Spending per listing
- $304K
- 13% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 42.4
- 19% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 10,993
- −0.2% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in Lake County
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 Lake County. 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 20 auto repair and car care businesses in Lake County. Chain locations make up 25% of them, against 24% across the U.S. That is 42.4 per 10,000 households, 19% above the U.S. rate of 35.7.
Households in Lake County spend about $6.1M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $1,289 per household, 35% above the U.S. average. That works out to $304K per business, 13% above the U.S. figure of $269K.
Official counts show 4 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Lake County in 2023. That is one for every 1,179 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Another 17 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
Population estimates put the population change in Lake County from 2020 to 2025 at −0.2%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For auto repair and car care businesses, Lake County has a Groundwork market score of 73 (upper middle): #284 of 2,401 scored counties and #3 of 17 scored counties in South Dakota. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Lake County compares
The same measures for South Dakota 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 | Lake County | South Dakota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 42.4 | 42.6 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $304K | $279K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,179 | 436 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +9.0% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.2% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,289 | $1,189 | $958 |
| Median household income | $76,808 | $75,081 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 73 | 52 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 8 → 4
- Employees, 2023
- 19
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $999K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 17Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 205 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 23The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Lake County, 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 Lake County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 10,993−0.2% since 2020
- Households
- 4,716
- Median age
- 44.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 74%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.3
- Land area
- 563 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 19
- Median household income
- $76,808+24.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $104,754
- Median home value
- $247,600
- Jobs located here
- 5,183
- Daytime population
- 10,346Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Lake County?
These figures cover the whole county. 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 Lake County. 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 South Dakota
Every South Dakota market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in South Dakota for auto repair and car care businesses, numbered among those based in South Dakota, with Lake County marked.
Top counties in South Dakota
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Union County, SD | 79 | 18 | 24.6 | $537K | +3.3% | #137 of 2,401 |
| 2Lincoln County, SD | 78 | 105 | 37.7 | $332K | +17.5% | #169 of 2,401 |
| 3Lake County, SD | 73 | 20 | 42.4 | $304K | −0.2% | #284 of 2,401 |
| 4Brookings County, SD | 72 | 49 | 35.5 | $330K | +9.6% | #306 of 2,401 |
| 5Roberts County, SD | 70 | 15 | 41.4 | $301K | −0.1% | #368 of 2,401 |
| 6Minnehaha County, SD | 67 | 287 | 33.8 | $322K | +7.6% | #464 of 2,401 |
| 7Clay County, SD | 64 | 20 | 36.1 | $296K | +0.2% | #586 of 2,401 |
| 8Meade County, SD | 59 | 52 | 43.4 | $304K | +2.7% | #785 of 2,401 |
| 9Lawrence County, SD | 50 | 57 | 47.3 | $246K | +14.0% | #1,248 of 2,401 |
| 10Butte County, SD | 45 | 26 | 60.4 | $222K | +5.5% | #1,439 of 2,401 |
Other business types in Lake County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
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 Lake County, SD?
There are 20 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings in Lake County as of September 2026. 5 of them (25%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 4 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023. Official counts list 17 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Lake County, SD spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $6.1M a year, or $1,289 per household. That is 35% above the U.S. average (an index of 135, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 20 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $304K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 4,716 households in Lake County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Lake County, SD compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
Lake County has 42.4 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 19% above the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $304K, 13% above the U.S. figure of $269K. At the national ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, Lake County would have about 23, against 20 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,179 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S.
How fast is Lake County, SD growing?
Population estimates put Lake County at 10,993 people in 2025, down 0.2% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 4,716 households. Median household income in Lake County is $76,808, 5% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 24.2%, 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. 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. Lake County scores 73 for auto repair and car care businesses (upper middle), #284 of 2,401 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Lake County. 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 Lake County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Lake County?
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 Lake County. 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.