Auto · County · Michigan
Auto repair shops in Ottawa County, MI
How Ottawa 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 62 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #656 of 2,378 scored counties
#26 of 74 scored counties in Michigan
- Listings
- 253
- 39 chain locations (15%)
- Official establishments
- 156
- +8.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $131.4M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,180 a household
- Spending per listing
- $519K
- 17% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 22.7
- 6% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 308,459
- +3.9% since 2020
See the auto repair shops around any address in Ottawa 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 Ottawa 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 253 auto repair shops in Ottawa County. Chain locations make up 15% of them, against 16% across the U.S. That is 22.7 per 10,000 households, 6% above the U.S. rate of 21.5.
Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in Ottawa County comes to about $131.4M a year: $1,180 per household, 23% above the U.S. average. That is about $519K of household spending for each shop on map listings, 17% 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.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Ottawa County was 156 in 2023, up 8.3% from 2019. That is one for every 714 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Official counts also show 151 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 10 SBA-backed loans worth $4M have gone to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Ottawa County.
Population estimates show Ottawa County grew 3.9% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for auto repair shops in Ottawa County is 62 (upper middle), #656 of 2,378 scored counties and #26 of 74 scored counties in Michigan.
How Ottawa 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 | Ottawa County | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 22.7 | 19.9 | 21.5 |
| Spending per listing | $519K | $512K | $445K |
| Households per official establishment | 714 | 960 | 955 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +8.3% | +1.2% | +2.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.9% | +0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,180 | $1,022 | $958 |
| Median household income | $90,502 | $72,875 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 62 | 56 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 144 → 156+8.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,018
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $60.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 151Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 25339 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 295The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 10
- Amount
- $4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Ottawa 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 Ottawa County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 308,459+3.9% since 2020
- Households
- 111,322
- Median age
- 38.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 79%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 564 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 535
- Median household income
- $90,502+30.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $115,389
- Median home value
- $323,400
- Jobs located here
- 122,407
- Daytime population
- 286,672Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Ottawa 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 Ottawa 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 Ottawa 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 |
| 26Ottawa County, MI | 62 | 253 | 22.7 | $519K | +3.9% | #656 of 2,378 |
Other business types in Ottawa 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 Ottawa County, MI?
Ottawa County has 253 auto repair shops on map listings as of September 2026. 39 of them (15%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 156 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023, up 8.3% from 2019. Another 151 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Ottawa County, MI spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $131.4M a year, or $1,180 per household. That is 23% above the U.S. average (an index of 123, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 253 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $519K per shop. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops. It is estimated from the incomes of the 111,322 households in Ottawa County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Ottawa County, MI compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?
Ottawa County has 22.7 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 6% above the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $519K, 17% above the U.S. figure of $445K. At the national ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, Ottawa County would have about 295, against 253 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 714 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. The official count rose 8.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +2.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Ottawa County, MI growing?
Population estimates put Ottawa County at 308,459 people in 2025, up 3.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 111,322 households. The median household income in Ottawa County is $90,502 a year, 12% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 30.6% 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. Ottawa County scores 62 for auto repair shops (upper middle), #656 of 2,378 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Ottawa 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 Ottawa County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Ottawa 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 Ottawa 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.