Auto · Small-town market · Wisconsin
Auto repair and car care businesses in the Watertown-Fort Atkinson, WI area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for auto repair and car care businesses in the Watertown-Fort Atkinson, WI area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 69 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #90 of 538 scored small-town markets
#7 of 13 scored small-town markets based in Wisconsin
- Listings
- 142
- 34 chain locations (24%)
- Official establishments
- 46
- −16.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $39.3M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,126 a household
- Spending per listing
- $277K
- 3% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 40.7
- 14% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 86,505
- +0.3% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in the Watertown-Fort Atkinson 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 Watertown-Fort Atkinson 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
Households in the Watertown-Fort Atkinson area spend about $39.3M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $1,126 per household, 18% above the U.S. average. Spread across 142 auto repair and car care businesses, that is $277K per business, 3% above the U.S. figure of $269K.
The Watertown-Fort Atkinson area has 142 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 24% of them, against 24% across the U.S. That is 40.7 per 10,000 households, 14% above the U.S. rate of 35.7.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Watertown-Fort Atkinson area was 46 in 2023, down 16.4% from 2019. That is one for every 758 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Another 85 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $1.5M has gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Watertown-Fort Atkinson area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Watertown-Fort Atkinson area from 2020 to 2025 at +0.3%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses in the Watertown-Fort Atkinson area is 69 (upper middle), #90 of 538 scored small-town markets and #7 of 13 scored small-town markets based in Wisconsin. That puts it in the top quarter of small-town markets.
How the Watertown-Fort Atkinson 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 | Watertown-Fort Atkinson area | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 40.7 | 34.5 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $277K | $307K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 758 | 706 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −16.4% | +1.2% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.3% | +1.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,126 | $1,061 | $958 |
| Median household income | $83,750 | $77,485 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 69 | 66 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 46−16.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 204
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $11M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 85Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 14234 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 146The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $1.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Watertown-Fort Atkinson 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 Watertown-Fort Atkinson area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 86,505+0.3% since 2020
- Households
- 34,873
- Median age
- 42.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 557 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 155
- Median household income
- $83,750+26.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $100,082
- Median home value
- $274,100
- Jobs located here
- 34,853
- Daytime population
- 76,557Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Watertown-Fort Atkinson 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 Watertown-Fort Atkinson 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 Watertown-Fort Atkinson 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 Watertown-Fort Atkinson 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 care69
- Auto repair shops60
- Collision repair and body shops65
- Car washes and detailing76
- Tire shops75
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations65
- Insurance agencies40
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 Watertown-Fort Atkinson, WI area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 142 auto repair and car care businesses in the Watertown-Fort Atkinson area. 34 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 46 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, down 16.4% from 2019. Official counts list 85 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Watertown-Fort Atkinson, WI area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $39.3M a year, or $1,126 per household. That is 18% above the U.S. average (an index of 118, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 142 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $277K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 34,873 households in the Watertown-Fort Atkinson area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Watertown-Fort Atkinson, WI area compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
The Watertown-Fort Atkinson area has 40.7 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 14% above the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $277K, 3% above the U.S. figure of $269K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, the Watertown-Fort Atkinson area would have about 146, against 142 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 758 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count fell 16.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Watertown-Fort Atkinson, WI area growing?
Population estimates put the Watertown-Fort Atkinson area at 86,505 people in 2025, up 0.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 34,873 households. The median household income in the Watertown-Fort Atkinson area is $83,750 a year, 4% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 26.3% 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 Watertown-Fort Atkinson area scores 69 for auto repair and car care businesses (upper middle), #90 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 Watertown-Fort Atkinson 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 Watertown-Fort Atkinson area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Watertown-Fort Atkinson 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 Watertown-Fort Atkinson 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.