Groundwork

Auto · County · Wisconsin

Auto repair and car care businesses in Columbia County, WI

How Columbia County, WI compares with other counties 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 57 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #871 of 2,401 scored counties
#42 of 67 scored counties in Wisconsin

Listings
96
23 chain locations (24%)
Official establishments
41
+10.8% since 2019
Household spending a year
$29.5M
On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,219 a household
Spending per listing
$307K
14% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
39.7
11% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
58,132
−0.7% since 2020

See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in Columbia 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 Columbia County. 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

Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in Columbia County comes to about $29.5M a year: $1,219 per household, 27% above the U.S. average. That is about $307K of household spending for each business on map listings, 14% above the U.S. figure of $269K.

There are 96 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings in Columbia County as of September 2026. 23 of them (24%) are chain locations, against 24% across the U.S. That comes to 39.7 for every 10,000 households, 11% above the U.S. rate of 35.7.

Official counts show 41 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Columbia County in 2023, up 10.8% from 2019. That is one for every 589 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Another 70 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $171K has gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Columbia County.

Population estimates show Columbia County declined 0.7% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses in Columbia County is 57 (upper middle), #871 of 2,401 scored counties and #42 of 67 scored counties in Wisconsin.

How Columbia County compares

The same measures for Wisconsin 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 Columbia County, WI compared with Wisconsin and the U.S.
MeasureColumbia CountyWisconsinU.S.
Listings per 10k households39.734.535.7
Spending per listing$307K$307K$269K
Households per official establishment589706681
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+10.8%+1.2%+4.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025−0.7%+1.3%+3.1%
Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs$1,219$1,061$958
Median household income$85,351$77,485$80,734
Groundwork market score5766

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
37 → 41+10.8% over the period
Employees, 2023
233
Annual payroll, 2023
$10.9M
One-person businesses, 2023
70Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
9623 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
110The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$171K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Columbia 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 Columbia County

Population, 2025 estimate
58,132−0.7% since 2020
Households
24,158
Median age
43.7
Homes lived in by their owners
77%
Vehicles per household
2.1
Land area
766 sq. mi.
People per square mile
76
Median household income
$85,351+25.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$102,726
Median home value
$283,200
Jobs located here
21,803
Daytime population
48,504Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Columbia 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 Columbia County. 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 Wisconsin

Every Wisconsin market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Wisconsin for auto repair and car care businesses, numbered among those based in Wisconsin, with Columbia County marked.

Top counties in Wisconsin

Counties in Wisconsin ranked for auto repair and car care businesses by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Bayfield County, WI891621.5$544K+3.4%#24 of 2,401
2Pierce County, WI884629.0$448K+3.1%#31 of 2,401
3Adams County, WI832324.2$460K+5.2%#78 of 2,401
4Oconto County, WI805532.7$385K+2.9%#122 of 2,401
5Iowa County, WI782726.7$443K+1.0%#155 of 2,401
6Door County, WI774530.0$380K+1.6%#185 of 2,401
7Dane County, WI7766326.4$373K+4.9%#186 of 2,401
8Calumet County, WI755425.3$470K+2.9%#218 of 2,401
9Portage County, WI748729.3$388K+2.2%#246 of 2,401
10Walworth County, WI7413531.3$379K+0.8%#248 of 2,401
42Columbia County, WI579639.7$307K−0.7%#871 of 2,401

Other business types in Columbia County

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 Columbia County, WI?

As of September 2026, map listings count 96 auto repair and car care businesses in Columbia County. 23 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 41 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, up 10.8% from 2019. Official counts list 70 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Columbia County, WI spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?

About $29.5M a year, or $1,219 per household. That is 27% above the U.S. average (an index of 127, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 96 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $307K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 24,158 households in Columbia County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Columbia County, WI compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?

Columbia County has 39.7 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 11% above the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $307K, 14% above the U.S. figure of $269K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, Columbia County would have about 110, against 96 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 589 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count rose 10.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.

How fast is Columbia County, WI growing?

Population estimates put Columbia County at 58,132 people in 2025, down 0.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 24,158 households. The median household income in Columbia County is $85,351 a year, 6% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 25.5% from the 2015–2019 survey, 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. Columbia County scores 57 for auto repair and car care businesses (upper middle), #871 of 2,401 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Columbia 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 Columbia County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Columbia 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 Columbia 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.