Groundwork

Auto · County · Michigan

Auto repair shops in Eaton County, MI

The auto repair shops in Eaton County, MI, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 68 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #417 of 2,378 scored counties
#15 of 74 scored counties in Michigan

Listings
80
15 chain locations (19%)
Official establishments
38
−2.6% since 2019
Household spending a year
$48.5M
On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,067 a household
Spending per listing
$606K
36% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
17.6
18% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
109,581
+0.4% since 2020

See the auto repair shops around any address in Eaton 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 Eaton 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 80 auto repair shops in Eaton County. 15 of them (19%) are chain locations, against 16% across the U.S. That is 17.6 per 10,000 households, 18% below the U.S. rate of 21.5.

Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in Eaton County comes to about $48.5M a year: $1,067 per household, 11% above the U.S. average. That works out to $606K per shop, 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.

In 2023, official counts showed 38 businesses with payroll in Eaton County classed as mechanical, body and glass repair, down 2.6% from 2019. That is one for every 1,195 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Official counts also show 82 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $1.8M has gone to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Eaton County.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Eaton County grew 0.4%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for auto repair shops in Eaton County is 68 (upper middle), #417 of 2,378 scored counties and #15 of 74 scored counties in Michigan. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How Eaton 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.

Auto repair shops in Eaton County, MI compared with Michigan and the U.S.
MeasureEaton CountyMichiganU.S.
Listings per 10k households17.619.921.5
Spending per listing$606K$512K$445K
Households per official establishment1,195960955
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−2.6%+1.2%+2.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+0.4%+0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs$1,067$1,022$958
Median household income$79,597$72,875$80,734
Groundwork market score6856

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
39 → 38−2.6% over the period
Employees, 2023
134
Annual payroll, 2023
$7.6M
One-person businesses, 2023
82Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
8015 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
109The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$1.8M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
109,581+0.4% since 2020
Households
45,428
Median age
42.3
Homes lived in by their owners
74%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
575 sq. mi.
People per square mile
190
Median household income
$79,597+23.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$96,970
Median home value
$216,900
Jobs located here
46,164
Daytime population
108,771Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Eaton 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 Eaton County. 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 counties in Michigan for auto repair shops, numbered among those based in Michigan, with Eaton County marked.

Top counties in Michigan

Counties in Michigan ranked for auto repair shops by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Leelanau County, MI901111.4$1.1M+3.0%#18 of 2,378
2Lake County, MI8259.6$971K+9.1%#75 of 2,378
3Benzie County, MI821519.5$587K+3.1%#89 of 2,378
4Alcona County, MI7859.4$1.1M+3.7%#140 of 2,378
5Livingston County, MI7812516.4$766K+1.7%#148 of 2,378
6Cass County, MI753516.5$694K+0.2%#205 of 2,378
7Monroe County, MI749715.4$729K+0.7%#224 of 2,378
8Washtenaw County, MI7318612.4$828K−0.4%#250 of 2,378
9Clinton County, MI725918.6$643K+1.6%#286 of 2,378
10Crawford County, MI711016.0$595K+5.7%#311 of 2,378
15Eaton County, MI688017.6$606K+0.4%#417 of 2,378

Other business types in Eaton County

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

Questions

How many auto repair shops are in Eaton County, MI?

Eaton County has 80 auto repair shops on map listings as of September 2026. 15 of them (19%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 38 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023, down 2.6% from 2019. Another 82 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in Eaton County, MI spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?

About $48.5M a year, or $1,067 per household. That is 11% above the U.S. average (an index of 111, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 80 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $606K per shop. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops. It is estimated from the incomes of the 45,428 households in Eaton County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Eaton County, MI compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?

Eaton County has 17.6 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 18% below the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $606K, 36% above the U.S. figure of $445K. At the national ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, Eaton County would have about 109, against 80 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,195 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. The official count fell 2.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +2.1% for the U.S.

How fast is Eaton County, MI growing?

Population estimates put Eaton County at 109,581 people in 2025, up 0.4% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 45,428 households. The median household income in Eaton County is $79,597 a year, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.7% 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. Eaton County scores 68 for auto repair shops (upper middle), #417 of 2,378 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Eaton 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 Eaton 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.