Auto · Small-town market · Wisconsin
Auto repair and car care businesses in the Manitowoc, WI area
The auto repair and car care businesses in the Manitowoc, WI area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 70 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #81 of 538 scored small-town markets
#6 of 13 scored small-town markets based in Wisconsin
- Listings
- 121
- 26 chain locations (21%)
- Official establishments
- 50
- −2.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $38.2M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,086 a household
- Spending per listing
- $316K
- 18% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 34.4
- 4% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 81,710
- +0.4% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in the Manitowoc 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 Manitowoc 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
At $1,086 per household (13% above the U.S. average), households in the Manitowoc area spend about $38.2M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That is about $316K of household spending for each business on map listings, 18% above the U.S. figure of $269K.
The Manitowoc area has 121 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 26 of them (21%) are chain locations, against 24% across the U.S. That comes to 34.4 for every 10,000 households, 4% below the U.S. rate of 35.7.
In 2023, official counts showed 50 businesses with payroll in the Manitowoc area classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers, down 2.0% from 2019. That is one for every 704 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Another 82 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $59K have gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Manitowoc area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Manitowoc area from 2020 to 2025 at +0.4%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Manitowoc area scores 70 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses, ranking #81 of 538 scored small-town markets and #6 of 13 scored small-town markets based in Wisconsin. That puts it in the top quarter of small-town markets.
How the Manitowoc area 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.
| Measure | Manitowoc area | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 34.4 | 34.5 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $316K | $307K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 704 | 706 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −2.0% | +1.2% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.4% | +1.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,086 | $1,061 | $958 |
| Median household income | $69,148 | $77,485 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 70 | 66 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 50−2.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 194
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $8.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 82Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 12126 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 142The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $59K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Manitowoc 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 Manitowoc area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 81,710+0.4% since 2020
- Households
- 35,188
- Median age
- 45.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 77%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 589 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 138
- Median household income
- $69,148+22.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $87,528
- Median home value
- $186,900
- Jobs located here
- 33,176
- Daytime population
- 74,436Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Manitowoc 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 Manitowoc 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 Wisconsin
Every Wisconsin market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Wisconsin for auto repair and car care businesses, numbered among those based in Wisconsin, with the Manitowoc area marked.
Top small-town markets in Wisconsin
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Shawano, WI | 83 | 62 | 33.2 | $341K | +1.4% | #13 of 538 |
| 2Whitewater-Elkhorn, WI | 82 | 135 | 31.3 | $379K | +0.8% | #16 of 538 |
| 3Stevens Point-Plover, WI | 81 | 87 | 29.3 | $388K | +2.2% | #20 of 538 |
| 4Menomonie, WI | 77 | 65 | 37.3 | $316K | +1.7% | #34 of 538 |
| 5Sparta, WI | 76 | 66 | 36.1 | $305K | +0.6% | #41 of 538 |
| 6Manitowoc, WI | 70 | 121 | 34.4 | $316K | +0.4% | #81 of 538 |
| 7Watertown-Fort Atkinson, WI | 69 | 142 | 40.7 | $277K | +0.3% | #90 of 538 |
| 8Baraboo, WI | 69 | 116 | 41.4 | $273K | +1.3% | #91 of 538 |
| 9Beaver Dam, WI | 68 | 140 | 39.0 | $288K | −0.3% | #100 of 538 |
| 10Marinette, WI-MI | 62 | 113 | 38.4 | $278K | +0.3% | #161 of 538 |
Other business types in the Manitowoc 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 care70
- Auto repair shops63
- Collision repair and body shops74
- Car washes and detailing79
- Tire shops81
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations62
- Insurance agencies42
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 Manitowoc, WI area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 121 auto repair and car care businesses in the Manitowoc area. 26 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 50 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, down 2.0% from 2019. Official counts list 82 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Manitowoc, WI area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $38.2M a year, or $1,086 per household. That is 13% above the U.S. average (an index of 113, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 121 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $316K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 35,188 households in the Manitowoc area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Manitowoc, WI area compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
The Manitowoc area has 34.4 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 4% below the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $316K, 18% above the U.S. figure of $269K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, the Manitowoc area would have about 142, against 121 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 704 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count fell 2.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Manitowoc, WI area growing?
Population estimates put the Manitowoc area at 81,710 people in 2025, up 0.4% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 35,188 households. The median household income in the Manitowoc area is $69,148 a year, 14% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 22.1% 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. 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 Manitowoc area scores 70 for auto repair and car care businesses (upper middle), #81 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 Manitowoc 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 Manitowoc area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Manitowoc 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 Manitowoc 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.