Groundwork

Auto · County · Michigan

Auto repair shops in Oakland County, MI

How Oakland 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 69 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #367 of 2,378 scored counties
#14 of 74 scored counties in Michigan

Listings
903
175 chain locations (19%)
Official establishments
473
+5.6% since 2019
Household spending a year
$567.7M
On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,070 a household
Spending per listing
$629K
41% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
17.0
21% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
1,288,337
+1.2% since 2020

See the auto repair shops around any address in Oakland 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 Oakland County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in Oakland County comes to about $567.7M a year: $1,070 per household, 12% above the U.S. average. That works out to $629K per shop, 41% above the U.S. figure of $445K. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops.

There are 903 auto repair shops on map listings in Oakland County as of September 2026. 175 of them (19%) are chain locations, against 16% across the U.S. That comes to 17.0 for every 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 21.5.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Oakland County was 473 in 2023, up 5.6% from 2019. That is one for every 1,121 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Official counts also show 538 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 34 SBA-backed loans worth $17.9M have gone to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Oakland County.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Oakland County grew 1.2%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Oakland County scores 69 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair shops, ranking #367 of 2,378 scored counties and #14 of 74 scored counties in Michigan. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How Oakland 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 Oakland County, MI compared with Michigan and the U.S.
MeasureOakland CountyMichiganU.S.
Listings per 10k households17.019.921.5
Spending per listing$629K$512K$445K
Households per official establishment1,121960955
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+5.6%+1.2%+2.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+1.2%+0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs$1,070$1,022$958
Median household income$97,760$72,875$80,734
Groundwork market score6956

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
448 → 473+5.6% over the period
Employees, 2023
3,139
Annual payroll, 2023
$174.4M
One-person businesses, 2023
538Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
903175 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
1,277The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
34
Amount
$17.9M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
1,288,337+1.2% since 2020
Households
530,460
Median age
42.5
Homes lived in by their owners
73%
Vehicles per household
1.7
Land area
867 sq. mi.
People per square mile
1,475
Median household income
$97,760+22.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$134,121
Median home value
$343,600
Jobs located here
726,660
Daytime population
1,442,622Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Oakland 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 Oakland County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

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 Oakland 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
14Oakland County, MI6990317.0$629K+1.2%#367 of 2,378

Other business types in Oakland County

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

Questions

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

As of September 2026, map listings count 903 auto repair shops in Oakland County. 175 of them (19%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 473 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023, up 5.6% from 2019. Another 538 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

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

About $567.7M a year, or $1,070 per household. That is 12% above the U.S. average (an index of 112, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 903 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $629K 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 530,460 households in Oakland County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Oakland County has 17.0 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $629K, 41% above the U.S. figure of $445K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, Oakland County would have about 1,277, against 903 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,121 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +2.1% for the U.S.

How fast is Oakland County, MI growing?

Population estimates put Oakland County at 1,288,337 people in 2025, up 1.2% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 530,460 households. Median household income in Oakland County is $97,760, 21% above 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. 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. Oakland County scores 69 for auto repair shops (upper middle), #367 of 2,378 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Oakland 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 Oakland 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.