Auto · County · Wisconsin
Auto repair and car care businesses in Portage County, WI
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for auto repair and car care businesses in Portage County, WI, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 74 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #246 of 2,401 scored counties
#9 of 67 scored counties in Wisconsin
- Listings
- 87
- 27 chain locations (31%)
- Official establishments
- 40
- +5.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $33.7M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,136 a household
- Spending per listing
- $388K
- 44% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 29.3
- 18% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 71,943
- +2.2% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in Portage 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 Portage 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 87 auto repair and car care businesses in Portage County. Of those, 27 are chain locations, or 31%, against 24% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 29.3, 18% below the U.S. rate of 35.7.
At $1,136 per household (19% above the U.S. average), households in Portage County spend about $33.7M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That works out to $388K per business, 44% above the U.S. figure of $269K.
In 2023, official counts showed 40 businesses with payroll in Portage County classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers, up 5.3% from 2019. That is one for every 742 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Official counts list 62 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $2M has gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Portage County.
Population estimates show Portage County grew 2.2% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Portage County scores 74 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses, ranking #246 of 2,401 scored counties and #9 of 67 scored counties in Wisconsin. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Portage 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.
| Measure | Portage County | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 29.3 | 34.5 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $388K | $307K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 742 | 706 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +5.3% | +1.2% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.2% | +1.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,136 | $1,061 | $958 |
| Median household income | $76,070 | $77,485 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 74 | 66 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 38 → 40+5.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 196
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $9.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 62Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 8727 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 126The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Portage 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 Portage County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 71,943+2.2% since 2020
- Households
- 29,679
- Median age
- 40.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 70%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 801 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 88
- Median household income
- $76,070+29.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $94,142
- Median home value
- $243,100
- Jobs located here
- 33,759
- Daytime population
- 69,944Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Portage 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 Portage 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 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 Portage County marked.
Top counties in Wisconsin
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Bayfield County, WI | 89 | 16 | 21.5 | $544K | +3.4% | #24 of 2,401 |
| 2Pierce County, WI | 88 | 46 | 29.0 | $448K | +3.1% | #31 of 2,401 |
| 3Adams County, WI | 83 | 23 | 24.2 | $460K | +5.2% | #78 of 2,401 |
| 4Oconto County, WI | 80 | 55 | 32.7 | $385K | +2.9% | #122 of 2,401 |
| 5Iowa County, WI | 78 | 27 | 26.7 | $443K | +1.0% | #155 of 2,401 |
| 6Door County, WI | 77 | 45 | 30.0 | $380K | +1.6% | #185 of 2,401 |
| 7Dane County, WI | 77 | 663 | 26.4 | $373K | +4.9% | #186 of 2,401 |
| 8Calumet County, WI | 75 | 54 | 25.3 | $470K | +2.9% | #218 of 2,401 |
| 9Portage County, WI | 74 | 87 | 29.3 | $388K | +2.2% | #246 of 2,401 |
| 10Walworth County, WI | 74 | 135 | 31.3 | $379K | +0.8% | #248 of 2,401 |
Other business types in Portage County
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 care74
- Auto repair shops67
- Collision repair and body shops59
- Car washes and detailing80
- Tire shops82
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations74
- Insurance agencies36
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 Portage County, WI?
There are 87 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings in Portage County as of September 2026. 27 of them (31%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 40 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, up 5.3% from 2019. Official counts also show 62 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Portage County, WI spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $33.7M a year, or $1,136 per household. That is 19% above the U.S. average (an index of 119, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 87 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $388K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 29,679 households in Portage County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Portage County, WI compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
Portage County has 29.3 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 18% below the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $388K, 44% above the U.S. figure of $269K. At the national ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, Portage County would have about 126, against 87 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 742 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Portage County, WI growing?
Population estimates put Portage County at 71,943 people in 2025, up 2.2% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 29,679 households. Median household income in Portage County is $76,070, 6% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.3%, 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. Portage County scores 74 for auto repair and car care businesses (upper middle), #246 of 2,401 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Portage 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 Portage County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Portage 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 Portage 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.