Groundwork

Auto · County · Indiana

Auto repair shops in Elkhart County, IN

The auto repair shops in Elkhart County, IN, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 27 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #2,112 of 2,378 scored counties
#85 of 85 scored counties in Indiana

Listings
226
43 chain locations (19%)
Official establishments
147
−0.7% since 2019
Household spending a year
$75.5M
On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,044 a household
Spending per listing
$334K
25% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
31.3
46% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
208,774
+0.9% since 2020

See the auto repair shops around any address in Elkhart County

The site report maps the auto repair shops 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 Elkhart 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

The Groundwork market score for auto repair shops in Elkhart County is 27 (lower middle), #2,112 of 2,378 scored counties and #85 of 85 scored counties in Indiana. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

As of September 2026, map listings count 226 auto repair shops in Elkhart County. 43 of them (19%) are chain locations, against 16% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 31.3, 46% above the U.S. rate of 21.5.

Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in Elkhart County comes to about $75.5M a year: $1,044 per household, 9% above the U.S. average. That works out to $334K per shop, 25% below the U.S. figure of $445K. That spending covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, which auto repair shops share with other businesses in the trade.

In 2023, official counts showed 147 businesses with payroll in Elkhart County classed as mechanical, body and glass repair, down 0.7% from 2019. That is one for every 492 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $1.1M have gone to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Elkhart County. Population estimates put the population change in Elkhart County from 2020 to 2025 at +0.9%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How Elkhart County compares

The same measures for Indiana and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all vehicle maintenance and repairs by the auto repair shops 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 shops in Elkhart County, IN compared with Indiana and the U.S.
MeasureElkhart CountyIndianaU.S.
Listings per 10k households31.321.321.5
Spending per listing$334K$504K$445K
Households per official establishment492928955
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−0.7%+0.4%+2.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+0.9%+2.7%+3.1%
Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs$1,044$1,072$958
Median household income$68,561$71,957$80,734
Groundwork market score2764

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
148 → 147−0.7% over the period
Employees, 2023
1,262
Annual payroll, 2023
$71.7M
One-person businesses, 2023
165Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
22643 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
170The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
5
Amount
$1.1M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Elkhart 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 Elkhart County

Population, 2025 estimate
208,774+0.9% since 2020
Households
72,309
Median age
36.7
Homes lived in by their owners
72%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
463 sq. mi.
People per square mile
447
Median household income
$68,561+20.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$89,471
Median home value
$210,400
Jobs located here
133,676
Daytime population
244,683Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Elkhart 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 shops on map listings by name and distance.

Or open the report at the center of Elkhart County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Auto repair shops across Indiana

Every Indiana market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Indiana for auto repair shops, numbered among those based in Indiana, with Elkhart County marked.

Top counties in Indiana

Counties in Indiana ranked for auto repair shops by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Hamilton County, IN9415611.4$1.1M+10.9%#7 of 2,378
2Newton County, IN86712.2$971K+2.9%#38 of 2,378
3Hancock County, IN865215.5$799K+13.5%#41 of 2,378
4Spencer County, IN861417.3$756K+1.2%#42 of 2,378
5Parke County, IN82711.4$941K+3.0%#76 of 2,378
6Washington County, IN821916.9$746K+0.5%#79 of 2,378
7Boone County, IN806422.3$555K+13.5%#125 of 2,378
8Jennings County, IN791311.9$1M+0.1%#127 of 2,378
9Harrison County, IN793019.4$662K+1.9%#132 of 2,378
10Warrick County, IN784718.7$658K+4.4%#152 of 2,378
85Elkhart County, IN2722631.3$334K+0.9%#2,112 of 2,378

Other business types in Elkhart County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many auto repair shops are in Elkhart County, IN?

Elkhart County has 226 auto repair shops on map listings as of September 2026. 43 of them (19%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 147 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023, down 0.7% from 2019. Another 165 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in Elkhart County, IN spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?

About $75.5M a year, or $1,044 per household. That is 9% above the U.S. average (an index of 109, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 226 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $334K per shop. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops. It is estimated from the incomes of the 72,309 households in Elkhart County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Elkhart County, IN compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?

Elkhart County has 31.3 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 46% above the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $334K, 25% below the U.S. figure of $445K. At the national ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, Elkhart County would have about 170, against 226 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 492 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. The official count fell 0.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +2.1% for the U.S.

How fast is Elkhart County, IN growing?

Population estimates put Elkhart County at 208,774 people in 2025, up 0.9% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 72,309 households. The median household income in Elkhart County is $68,561 a year, 15% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 20.2% 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. Elkhart County scores 27 for auto repair shops (lower middle), #2,112 of 2,378 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Elkhart County. It maps the auto repair shops 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 shops · All 56 business types in Elkhart County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Elkhart 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 Elkhart 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.