Auto · County · Wisconsin
Auto repair and car care businesses in Vilas County, WI
The auto repair and car care businesses in Vilas County, WI, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 65 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #553 of 2,401 scored counties
#24 of 67 scored counties in Wisconsin
- Listings
- 44
- 10 chain locations (23%)
- Official establishments
- 11
- −50.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $11.8M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,062 a household
- Spending per listing
- $269K
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 39.5
- 11% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 23,761
- +2.9% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in Vilas 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 Vilas 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 44 auto repair and car care businesses in Vilas County. 10 of them (23%) are chain locations, against 24% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 39.5, 11% above the U.S. rate of 35.7.
Households in Vilas County spend about $11.8M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $1,062 per household, 11% above the U.S. average. Spread across 44 auto repair and car care businesses, that is $269K per business, in line with the U.S. figure of $269K.
In 2023, official counts showed 11 businesses with payroll in Vilas County classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers, down 50.0% from 2019. That is one for every 1,013 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Official counts list 29 one-person businesses without payroll.
Population estimates show Vilas County grew 2.9% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). Vilas County scores 65 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses, ranking #553 of 2,401 scored counties and #24 of 67 scored counties in Wisconsin. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Vilas 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 | Vilas County | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 39.5 | 34.5 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $269K | $307K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,013 | 706 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −50.0% | +1.2% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.9% | +1.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,062 | $1,061 | $958 |
| Median household income | $68,431 | $77,485 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 65 | 66 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 22 → 11−50.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 47
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 29Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4410 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 44The 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 Vilas 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 Vilas County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 23,761+2.9% since 2020
- Households
- 11,147
- Median age
- 53.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 84%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 858 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 28
- Median household income
- $68,431+45.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $88,583
- Median home value
- $300,000
- Jobs located here
- 7,876
- Daytime population
- 22,608Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Vilas 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 Vilas 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 Vilas 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 |
| 24Vilas County, WI | 65 | 44 | 39.5 | $269K | +2.9% | #553 of 2,401 |
Other business types in Vilas 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 Vilas County, WI?
Vilas County has 44 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 10 of them (23%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 11 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, down 50.0% from 2019. Official counts also show 29 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Vilas County, WI spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $11.8M a year, or $1,062 per household. That is 11% above the U.S. average (an index of 111, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 44 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $269K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 11,147 households in Vilas County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Vilas County, WI compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
Vilas County has 39.5 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 11% above the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $269K, in line with the U.S. figure of $269K. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,013 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count fell 50.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Vilas County, WI growing?
Population estimates put Vilas County at 23,761 people in 2025, up 2.9% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 11,147 households. Median household income in Vilas County is $68,431, 15% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 45.4%, 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. Vilas County scores 65 for auto repair and car care businesses (upper middle), #553 of 2,401 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Vilas 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 Vilas County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Vilas 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 Vilas 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.