Auto · Small-town market · Michigan
Auto repair shops in the Coldwater, MI area
How the Coldwater, MI area compares with other small-town markets and the U.S. for auto repair shops: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 61 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #157 of 538 scored small-town markets
#7 of 18 scored small-town markets based in Michigan
- Listings
- 35
- 3 chain locations (9%)
- Official establishments
- 21
- −12.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $17.3M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,023 a household
- Spending per listing
- $494K
- 11% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 20.7
- 4% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 45,993
- +2.5% since 2020
See the auto repair shops around any address in the Coldwater 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 Coldwater area. 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
Households in the Coldwater area spend about $17.3M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $1,023 per household, 7% above the U.S. average. That works out to $494K per shop, 11% above the U.S. figure of $445K. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops.
There are 35 auto repair shops on map listings in the Coldwater area as of September 2026. Of those, 3 are chain locations, or 9%, against 16% across the U.S. That comes to 20.7 for every 10,000 households, 4% below the U.S. rate of 21.5.
In 2023, official counts showed 21 businesses with payroll in the Coldwater area classed as mechanical, body and glass repair, down 12.5% from 2019. That is one for every 805 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Another 38 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
Population estimates put the population change in the Coldwater area from 2020 to 2025 at +2.5%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For auto repair shops, the Coldwater area has a Groundwork market score of 61 (upper middle): #157 of 538 scored small-town markets and #7 of 18 scored small-town markets based in Michigan.
How the Coldwater 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.
| Measure | Coldwater area | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 20.7 | 19.9 | 21.5 |
| Spending per listing | $494K | $512K | $445K |
| Households per official establishment | 805 | 960 | 955 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −12.5% | +1.2% | +2.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.5% | +0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,023 | $1,022 | $958 |
| Median household income | $63,724 | $72,875 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 61 | 56 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 21−12.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 132
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $6.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 38Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 353 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 39The 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 the Coldwater 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 Coldwater area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 45,993+2.5% since 2020
- Households
- 16,906
- Median age
- 41.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 78%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 506 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 89
- Median household income
- $63,724+22.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $79,966
- Median home value
- $162,500
- Jobs located here
- 14,063
- Daytime population
- 41,389Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Coldwater area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 Coldwater area. 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 small-town markets 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 Coldwater area marked.
Top small-town markets in Michigan
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Big Rapids, MI | 71 | 34 | 20.3 | $516K | +4.7% | #69 of 538 |
| 2Holland, MI | 67 | 94 | 20.6 | $580K | +2.1% | #91 of 538 |
| 3Owosso, MI | 67 | 59 | 21.0 | $525K | −0.4% | #93 of 538 |
| Marinette, WI-MI | 65 | 58 | 19.7 | $542K | +0.3% | #107 of 538 |
| 4Hillsdale, MI | 65 | 43 | 24.1 | $452K | 0.0% | #112 of 538 |
| 5Marquette, MI | 64 | 60 | 21.2 | $482K | +2.3% | #121 of 538 |
| 6Adrian, MI | 62 | 84 | 21.6 | $507K | −1.6% | #144 of 538 |
| 7Coldwater, MI | 61 | 35 | 20.7 | $494K | +2.5% | #157 of 538 |
| 8Houghton, MI | 57 | 31 | 20.1 | $508K | +1.8% | #191 of 538 |
| 9Alma, MI | 54 | 40 | 27.1 | $399K | −1.1% | #235 of 538 |
Other business types in the Coldwater area
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 the Coldwater, MI area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 35 auto repair shops in the Coldwater area. 3 of them (9%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 21 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023, down 12.5% from 2019. Official counts list 38 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Coldwater, MI area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $17.3M a year, or $1,023 per household. That is 7% above the U.S. average (an index of 107, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 35 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $494K 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 16,906 households in the Coldwater area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Coldwater, MI area compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?
The Coldwater area has 20.7 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 4% below the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $494K, 11% above the U.S. figure of $445K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, the Coldwater area would have about 39, against 35 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 805 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. The official count fell 12.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +2.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Coldwater, MI area growing?
Population estimates put the Coldwater area at 45,993 people in 2025, up 2.5% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 16,906 households. Median household income in the Coldwater area is $63,724, 21% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 22.7%, 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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 Coldwater area scores 61 for auto repair shops (upper middle), #157 of 538 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Coldwater 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 Coldwater area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Coldwater 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 Coldwater 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.