Groundwork

Auto · County · Indiana

Auto repair shops in Porter County, IN

How Porter County, IN compares with other counties and the U.S. for auto repair shops: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 69 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #369 of 2,378 scored counties
#24 of 85 scored counties in Indiana

Listings
128
28 chain locations (22%)
Official establishments
68
−2.9% since 2019
Household spending a year
$77.6M
On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,131 a household
Spending per listing
$607K
36% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
18.6
13% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
176,049
+1.6% since 2020

See the auto repair shops around any address in Porter 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 Porter 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

As of September 2026, map listings count 128 auto repair shops in Porter County. 28 of them (22%) are chain locations, against 16% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 18.6, 13% below the U.S. rate of 21.5.

Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in Porter County comes to about $77.6M a year: $1,131 per household, 18% above the U.S. average. That is about $607K of household spending for each shop on map listings, 36% above 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.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Porter County was 68 in 2023, down 2.9% from 2019. That is one for every 1,009 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Official counts also show 79 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $851K have gone to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Porter County.

Population estimates put the population change in Porter County from 2020 to 2025 at +1.6%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for auto repair shops in Porter County is 69 (upper middle), #369 of 2,378 scored counties and #24 of 85 scored counties in Indiana. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How Porter 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 Porter County, IN compared with Indiana and the U.S.
MeasurePorter CountyIndianaU.S.
Listings per 10k households18.621.321.5
Spending per listing$607K$504K$445K
Households per official establishment1,009928955
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−2.9%+0.4%+2.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+1.6%+2.7%+3.1%
Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs$1,131$1,072$958
Median household income$87,972$71,957$80,734
Groundwork market score6964

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
70 → 68−2.9% over the period
Employees, 2023
379
Annual payroll, 2023
$21.9M
One-person businesses, 2023
79Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
12828 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
175The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
4
Amount
$851K

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

Population, 2025 estimate
176,049+1.6% since 2020
Households
68,639
Median age
41.5
Homes lived in by their owners
78%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
418 sq. mi.
People per square mile
418
Median household income
$87,972+23.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$110,512
Median home value
$281,500
Jobs located here
65,198
Daytime population
160,058Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Porter 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 Porter 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 Porter 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
24Porter County, IN6912818.6$607K+1.6%#369 of 2,378

Other business types in Porter County

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

Questions

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

Porter County has 128 auto repair shops on map listings as of September 2026. 28 of them (22%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 68 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023, down 2.9% from 2019. Another 79 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

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

About $77.6M a year, or $1,131 per household. That is 18% above the U.S. average (an index of 118, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 128 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $607K per shop. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops. It is estimated from the incomes of the 68,639 households in Porter County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Porter County has 18.6 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 13% below the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $607K, 36% above the U.S. figure of $445K. At the national ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, Porter County would have about 175, against 128 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,009 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. The official count fell 2.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +2.1% for the U.S.

How fast is Porter County, IN growing?

Population estimates put Porter County at 176,049 people in 2025, up 1.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 68,639 households. The median household income in Porter County is $87,972 a year, 9% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.6% 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. Porter County scores 69 for auto repair shops (upper middle), #369 of 2,378 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Porter 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 Porter County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Porter 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 Porter 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.