Groundwork

Auto · County · Michigan

Auto repair shops in Ionia County, MI

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 39 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,693 of 2,378 scored counties
#61 of 74 scored counties in Michigan

Listings
64
4 chain locations (6%)
Official establishments
35
+16.7% since 2019
Household spending a year
$26.3M
On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,126 a household
Spending per listing
$411K
8% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
27.4
27% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
66,557
−0.5% since 2020

See the auto repair shops around any address in Ionia 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 Ionia 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 64 auto repair shops in Ionia County. 4 of them (6%) are chain locations, against 16% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 27.4, 27% above the U.S. rate of 21.5.

Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in Ionia County comes to about $26.3M a year: $1,126 per household, 18% above the U.S. average. That is about $411K of household spending for each shop on map listings, 8% below 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 35 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Ionia County in 2023, up 16.7% from 2019. That is one for every 667 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Another 56 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $1.2M have gone to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Ionia County.

Population estimates put the population change in Ionia County from 2020 to 2025 at −0.5%, against +3.1% for the U.S. Ionia County scores 39 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair shops, ranking #1,693 of 2,378 scored counties and #61 of 74 scored counties in Michigan.

How Ionia 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 Ionia County, MI compared with Michigan and the U.S.
MeasureIonia CountyMichiganU.S.
Listings per 10k households27.419.921.5
Spending per listing$411K$512K$445K
Households per official establishment667960955
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+16.7%+1.2%+2.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025−0.5%+0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs$1,126$1,022$958
Median household income$75,611$72,875$80,734
Groundwork market score3956

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
30 → 35+16.7% over the period
Employees, 2023
156
Annual payroll, 2023
$7.8M
One-person businesses, 2023
56Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
644 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
59The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
3
Amount
$1.2M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
66,557−0.5% since 2020
Households
23,355
Median age
39.4
Homes lived in by their owners
77%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
571 sq. mi.
People per square mile
117
Median household income
$75,611+32.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$88,563
Median home value
$198,500
Jobs located here
18,430
Daytime population
58,714Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Ionia 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 Ionia 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 Ionia 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
61Ionia County, MI396427.4$411K−0.5%#1,693 of 2,378

Other business types in Ionia County

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

Questions

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

Ionia County has 64 auto repair shops on map listings as of September 2026. 4 of them (6%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 35 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023, up 16.7% from 2019. Official counts list 56 one-person businesses without payroll.

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

About $26.3M a year, or $1,126 per household. That is 18% above the U.S. average (an index of 118, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 64 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $411K per shop. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops. It is estimated from the incomes of the 23,355 households in Ionia County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Ionia County has 27.4 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 27% above the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $411K, 8% below the U.S. figure of $445K. At the national ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, Ionia County would have about 59, against 64 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 667 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. The official count rose 16.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +2.1% for the U.S.

How fast is Ionia County, MI growing?

Population estimates put Ionia County at 66,557 people in 2025, down 0.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 23,355 households. The median household income in Ionia County is $75,611 a year, 6% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 32.6% 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. Ionia County scores 39 for auto repair shops (lower middle), #1,693 of 2,378 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Ionia 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 Ionia 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.