Auto · Small-town market · Michigan
Auto repair shops in the Escanaba, MI area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for auto repair shops in the Escanaba, MI area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 41 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #362 of 538 scored small-town markets
#14 of 18 scored small-town markets based in Michigan
- Listings
- 33
- 5 chain locations (15%)
- Official establishments
- 31
- +3.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $15.5M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $971 a household
- Spending per listing
- $470K
- 6% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 20.7
- 4% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 36,582
- −0.8% since 2020
See the auto repair shops around any address in the Escanaba 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 Escanaba 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 33 auto repair shops in the Escanaba area. 5 of them (15%) are chain locations, against 16% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 20.7, 4% below the U.S. rate of 21.5.
Households in the Escanaba area spend about $15.5M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $971 per household, in line with the U.S. average. Spread across 33 auto repair shops, that is $470K per shop, 6% 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 31 businesses with payroll in the Escanaba area classed as mechanical, body and glass repair, up 3.3% from 2019. That is one for every 515 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Another 24 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
Population estimates show the Escanaba area declined 0.8% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for auto repair shops in the Escanaba area is 41 (lower middle), #362 of 538 scored small-town markets and #14 of 18 scored small-town markets based in Michigan.
How the Escanaba 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 | Escanaba area | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 20.7 | 19.9 | 21.5 |
| Spending per listing | $470K | $512K | $445K |
| Households per official establishment | 515 | 960 | 955 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +3.3% | +1.2% | +2.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.8% | +0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $971 | $1,022 | $958 |
| Median household income | $57,809 | $72,875 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 41 | 56 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 31+3.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 169
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $8.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 24Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 335 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 35The 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 Escanaba 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 Escanaba area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 36,582−0.8% since 2020
- Households
- 15,971
- Median age
- 48.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 82%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 1,171 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 31
- Median household income
- $57,809+21.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $81,442
- Median home value
- $157,100
- Jobs located here
- 12,720
- Daytime population
- 35,893Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Escanaba 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 Escanaba 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 Escanaba 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 |
| 14Escanaba, MI | 41 | 33 | 20.7 | $470K | −0.8% | #362 of 538 |
Other business types in the Escanaba 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 Escanaba, MI area?
The Escanaba area has 33 auto repair shops on map listings as of September 2026. 5 of them (15%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 31 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023, up 3.3% from 2019. Official counts list 24 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Escanaba, MI area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $15.5M a year, or $971 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 101, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 33 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $470K per shop. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops. It is estimated from the incomes of the 15,971 households in the Escanaba area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Escanaba, MI area compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?
The Escanaba area has 20.7 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 4% below the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $470K, 6% above the U.S. figure of $445K. At the national ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, the Escanaba area would have about 35, against 33 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 515 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. The official count rose 3.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +2.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Escanaba, MI area growing?
Population estimates put the Escanaba area at 36,582 people in 2025, down 0.8% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 15,971 households. The median household income in the Escanaba area is $57,809 a year, 28% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 21.9% 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. 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 Escanaba area scores 41 for auto repair shops (lower middle), #362 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 Escanaba 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 Escanaba area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Escanaba 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 Escanaba 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.