Groundwork

Auto · County · Indiana

Auto repair shops in Wells County, IN

How Wells 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 50 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #1,185 of 2,378 scored counties
#69 of 85 scored counties in Indiana

Listings
29
3 chain locations (10%)
Official establishments
17
−22.7% since 2019
Household spending a year
$13M
On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,129 a household
Spending per listing
$450K
In line with the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
25.1
17% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
28,883
+2.6% since 2020

See the auto repair shops around any address in Wells 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 Wells County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

Households in Wells County spend about $13M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $1,129 per household, 18% above the U.S. average. Spread across 29 auto repair shops, that is $450K per shop, in line with the U.S. figure of $445K. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops.

Wells County has 29 auto repair shops on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 10% of them, against 16% across the U.S. That is 25.1 per 10,000 households, 17% above the U.S. rate of 21.5.

In 2023, official counts showed 17 businesses with payroll in Wells County classed as mechanical, body and glass repair, down 22.7% from 2019. That is one for every 679 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Official counts list 25 one-person businesses without payroll.

Population estimates put the population change in Wells County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.6%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For auto repair shops, Wells County has a Groundwork market score of 50 (upper middle): #1,185 of 2,378 scored counties and #69 of 85 scored counties in Indiana.

How Wells 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 Wells County, IN compared with Indiana and the U.S.
MeasureWells CountyIndianaU.S.
Listings per 10k households25.121.321.5
Spending per listing$450K$504K$445K
Households per official establishment679928955
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−22.7%+0.4%+2.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+2.6%+2.7%+3.1%
Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs$1,129$1,072$958
Median household income$71,957$71,957$80,734
Groundwork market score5064

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
22 → 17−22.7% over the period
Employees, 2023
92
Annual payroll, 2023
$5.8M
One-person businesses, 2023
25Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
293 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
29The 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 mechanical, body and glass repair in Wells 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 Wells County

Population, 2025 estimate
28,883+2.6% since 2020
Households
11,546
Median age
39.9
Homes lived in by their owners
76%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
368 sq. mi.
People per square mile
77
Median household income
$71,957+21.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$88,952
Median home value
$197,600
Jobs located here
11,127
Daytime population
26,173Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Wells 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 Wells County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

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 Wells 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
69Wells County, IN502925.1$450K+2.6%#1,185 of 2,378

Other business types in Wells County

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

Questions

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

Map listings as of September 2026 show 29 auto repair shops in Wells County. 3 of them (10%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 17 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023, down 22.7% from 2019. Official counts also show 25 one-person businesses without payroll.

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

About $13M a year, or $1,129 per household. That is 18% above the U.S. average (an index of 118, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 29 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $450K per shop. That spending covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, which auto repair shops share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 11,546 households in Wells County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Wells County has 25.1 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 17% above the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $450K, in line with the U.S. figure of $445K. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of auto repair shops to household spending. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 679 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. The official count fell 22.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +2.1% for the U.S.

How fast is Wells County, IN growing?

Population estimates put Wells County at 28,883 people in 2025, up 2.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 11,546 households. Median household income in Wells County is $71,957, 11% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 21.5%, 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. Wells County scores 50 for auto repair shops (upper middle), #1,185 of 2,378 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Wells 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 Wells 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.