Auto · County · Michigan
Auto repair shops in Houghton County, MI
How Houghton 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 48 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,269 of 2,378 scored counties
#43 of 74 scored counties in Michigan
- Listings
- 29
- 1 chain location (3%)
- Official establishments
- 22
- −15.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $14.7M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,025 a household
- Spending per listing
- $506K
- 14% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 20.3
- 6% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 37,842
- +1.6% since 2020
See the auto repair shops around any address in Houghton 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 Houghton 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 29 auto repair shops in Houghton County. One of them (3%) is a chain location, against 16% across the U.S. That is 20.3 per 10,000 households, 6% below the U.S. rate of 21.5.
Households in Houghton County spend about $14.7M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $1,025 per household, 7% above the U.S. average. That is about $506K of household spending for each shop on map listings, 14% 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.
Official counts show 22 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Houghton County in 2023, down 15.4% from 2019. That is one for every 650 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Official counts also show 12 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $660K has gone to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Houghton County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Houghton County grew 1.6%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For auto repair shops, Houghton County has a Groundwork market score of 48 (lower middle): #1,269 of 2,378 scored counties and #43 of 74 scored counties in Michigan.
How Houghton 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 | Houghton County | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 20.3 | 19.9 | 21.5 |
| Spending per listing | $506K | $512K | $445K |
| Households per official establishment | 650 | 960 | 955 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −15.4% | +1.2% | +2.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.6% | +0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,025 | $1,022 | $958 |
| Median household income | $58,899 | $72,875 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 48 | 56 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 26 → 22−15.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 89
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $4.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 12Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 291 chain location
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 33The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $660K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Houghton 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 Houghton County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 37,842+1.6% since 2020
- Households
- 14,305
- Median age
- 36.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 1,009 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 37
- Median household income
- $58,899+36.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $80,899
- Median home value
- $159,900
- Jobs located here
- 11,811
- Daytime population
- 36,847Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Houghton 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 Houghton 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 Houghton 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 |
| 43Houghton County, MI | 48 | 29 | 20.3 | $506K | +1.6% | #1,269 of 2,378 |
Other business types in Houghton 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 Houghton County, MI?
There are 29 auto repair shops on map listings in Houghton County as of September 2026. One of them (3%) is a chain location. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 22 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023, down 15.4% from 2019. Another 12 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Houghton County, MI spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $14.7M a year, or $1,025 per household. That is 7% above the U.S. average (an index of 107, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 29 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $506K per shop. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops. It is estimated from the incomes of the 14,305 households in Houghton County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Houghton County, MI compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?
Houghton County has 20.3 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 6% below the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $506K, 14% above the U.S. figure of $445K. At the national ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, Houghton County would have about 33, against 29 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 650 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. The official count fell 15.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +2.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Houghton County, MI growing?
Population estimates put Houghton County at 37,842 people in 2025, up 1.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 14,305 households. The median household income in Houghton County is $58,899 a year, 27% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 36.4% 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. Houghton County scores 48 for auto repair shops (lower middle), #1,269 of 2,378 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Houghton 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 Houghton County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Houghton 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 Houghton 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.