Groundwork

Auto · Metro area · Michigan

Auto repair shops in the Bay City, MI metro area

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for auto repair shops in the Bay City, MI metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 44 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #254 of 387 scored metro areas
#13 of 15 scored metro areas based in Michigan

Listings
100
9 chain locations (9%)
Official establishments
45
−15.1% since 2019
Household spending a year
$45M
On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $998 a household
Spending per listing
$450K
In line with the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
22.2
3% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
102,123
−1.6% since 2020

See the auto repair shops around any address in the Bay City metro area

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 the Bay City metro area. 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

Map listings as of September 2026 show 100 auto repair shops in the Bay City metro area. Chain locations make up 9% of them, against 16% across the U.S. That comes to 22.2 for every 10,000 households, 3% above the U.S. rate of 21.5.

Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in the Bay City metro area comes to about $45M a year: $998 per household, 4% above the U.S. average. That works out to $450K per shop, in line with 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 the Bay City metro area was 45 in 2023, down 15.1% from 2019. That is one for every 1,002 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Official counts list 66 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $812K have gone to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the Bay City metro area.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Bay City metro area declined 1.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For auto repair shops, the Bay City metro area has a Groundwork market score of 44 (lower middle): #254 of 387 scored metro areas and #13 of 15 scored metro areas based in Michigan.

How the Bay City metro area compares

The same measures for Michigan 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 Bay City, MI metro area compared with Michigan and the U.S.
MeasureBay City metro areaMichiganU.S.
Listings per 10k households22.219.921.5
Spending per listing$450K$512K$445K
Households per official establishment1,002960955
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−15.1%+1.2%+2.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025−1.6%+0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs$998$1,022$958
Median household income$61,763$72,875$80,734
Groundwork market score4456

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
45−15.1% over the period
Employees, 2023
172
Annual payroll, 2023
$7.8M
One-person businesses, 2023
66Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
1009 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
101The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
4
Amount
$812K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the Bay City metro 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 Bay City metro area

Population, 2025 estimate
102,123−1.6% since 2020
Households
45,103
Median age
45.0
Homes lived in by their owners
77%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
442 sq. mi.
People per square mile
233
Median household income
$61,763+26.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$79,153
Median home value
$152,200
Jobs located here
31,089
Daytime population
93,442Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Bay City metro area?

These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 the Bay City metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Auto repair shops across Michigan

Every Michigan market ranked →

The highest-scoring metro areas in Michigan for auto repair shops, numbered among those based in Michigan (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Bay City metro area marked.

Top metro areas in Michigan

Metro areas in Michigan ranked for auto repair shops by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Monroe, MI789715.4$729K+0.7%#17 of 387
2Ann Arbor, MI7518612.4$828K−0.4%#30 of 387
3Midland, MI735916.9$652K+0.3%#40 of 387
4Lansing-East Lansing, MI7333917.5$575K+1.4%#42 of 387
5Jackson, MI6911818.9$541K−0.4%#59 of 387
6Kalamazoo-Portage, MI6719017.7$573K+0.8%#69 of 387
South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI5925319.7$511K+0.1%#115 of 387
7Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI573,38719.1$519K+0.1%#137 of 387
8Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI5794821.5$510K+2.8%#140 of 387
9Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI5514421.3$475K+1.8%#157 of 387
13Bay City, MI4410022.2$450K−1.6%#254 of 387

Other business types in the Bay City metro area

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

Questions

How many auto repair shops are in the Bay City, MI metro area?

There are 100 auto repair shops on map listings in the Bay City metro area as of September 2026. 9 of them (9%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 45 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023, down 15.1% from 2019. Official counts also show 66 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in the Bay City, MI metro area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?

About $45M a year, or $998 per household. That is 4% above the U.S. average (an index of 104, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 100 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $450K per shop. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops. It is estimated from the incomes of the 45,103 households in the Bay City metro area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the Bay City, MI metro area compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?

The Bay City metro area has 22.2 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 3% above the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $450K, in line with the U.S. figure of $445K. At the national ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, the Bay City metro area would have about 101, against 100 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,002 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. The official count fell 15.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +2.1% for the U.S.

How fast is the Bay City, MI metro area growing?

Population estimates put the Bay City metro area at 102,123 people in 2025, down 1.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 45,103 households. The median household income in the Bay City metro area is $61,763 a year, 23% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 26.5% 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. The Bay City metro area scores 44 for auto repair shops (lower middle), #254 of 387 scored metro areas.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Bay City metro area. 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 the Bay City metro area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Bay City metro 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 Bay City metro 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.