Auto · County · Michigan
Auto repair shops in Bay County, MI
How Bay County, MI 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 46 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,384 of 2,378 scored counties
#48 of 74 scored counties 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 Bay 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 Bay County. 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
Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in Bay County 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. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops.
Bay County has 100 auto repair shops on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 9 are chain locations, or 9%, against 16% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 22.2, 3% above the U.S. rate of 21.5.
In 2023, official counts showed 45 businesses with payroll in Bay County classed as mechanical, body and glass repair, down 15.1% from 2019. That is one for every 1,002 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Official counts also show 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 Bay County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Bay County declined 1.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for auto repair shops in Bay County is 46 (lower middle), #1,384 of 2,378 scored counties and #48 of 74 scored counties in Michigan.
How Bay County 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.
| Measure | Bay County | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 22.2 | 19.9 | 21.5 |
| Spending per listing | $450K | $512K | $445K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,002 | 960 | 955 |
| 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 score | 46 | 56 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 53 → 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 Bay 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 Bay County
- 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 Bay 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 Bay County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardAuto repair shops across Michigan
Every Michigan market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Michigan for auto repair shops, numbered among those based in Michigan, with Bay County marked.
Top counties in Michigan
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Leelanau County, MI | 90 | 11 | 11.4 | $1.1M | +3.0% | #18 of 2,378 |
| 2Lake County, MI | 82 | 5 | 9.6 | $971K | +9.1% | #75 of 2,378 |
| 3Benzie County, MI | 82 | 15 | 19.5 | $587K | +3.1% | #89 of 2,378 |
| 4Alcona County, MI | 78 | 5 | 9.4 | $1.1M | +3.7% | #140 of 2,378 |
| 5Livingston County, MI | 78 | 125 | 16.4 | $766K | +1.7% | #148 of 2,378 |
| 6Cass County, MI | 75 | 35 | 16.5 | $694K | +0.2% | #205 of 2,378 |
| 7Monroe County, MI | 74 | 97 | 15.4 | $729K | +0.7% | #224 of 2,378 |
| 8Washtenaw County, MI | 73 | 186 | 12.4 | $828K | −0.4% | #250 of 2,378 |
| 9Clinton County, MI | 72 | 59 | 18.6 | $643K | +1.6% | #286 of 2,378 |
| 10Crawford County, MI | 71 | 10 | 16.0 | $595K | +5.7% | #311 of 2,378 |
| 48Bay County, MI | 46 | 100 | 22.2 | $450K | −1.6% | #1,384 of 2,378 |
Other business types in Bay County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
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 shops are in Bay County, MI?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 100 auto repair shops in Bay County. 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. Another 66 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Bay County, MI 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. 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 45,103 households in Bay County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Bay County, MI compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?
Bay County 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 U.S. ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, Bay County 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 Bay County, MI growing?
Population estimates put Bay County at 102,123 people in 2025, down 1.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 45,103 households. Median household income in Bay County is $61,763, 23% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 26.5%, 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. Bay County scores 46 for auto repair shops (lower middle), #1,384 of 2,378 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Bay 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 Bay County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Bay 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 Bay 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.