Auto · Small-town market · Michigan
Auto repair shops in the Sault Ste. Marie, MI area
How the Sault Ste. Marie, MI area compares with other small-town markets and the U.S. for auto repair shops: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 27 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #477 of 538 scored small-town markets
#16 of 18 scored small-town markets based in Michigan
- Listings
- 38
- 4 chain locations (11%)
- Official establishments
- 22
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $13.5M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $960 a household
- Spending per listing
- $356K
- 20% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 27.0
- 26% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 36,081
- −1.9% since 2020
See the auto repair shops around any address in the Sault Ste. Marie 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 Sault Ste. Marie 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
The Sault Ste. Marie area scores 27 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair shops, ranking #477 of 538 scored small-town markets and #16 of 18 scored small-town markets based in Michigan. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.
Households in the Sault Ste. Marie area spend about $13.5M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $960 per household, in line with the U.S. average. That is about $356K of household spending for each shop on map listings, 20% below the U.S. figure of $445K. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops.
The Sault Ste. Marie area has 38 auto repair shops on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 4 are chain locations, or 11%, against 16% across the U.S. That is 27.0 per 10,000 households, 26% above the U.S. rate of 21.5.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the Sault Ste. Marie area was 22 in 2023. That is one for every 640 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $144K has gone to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the Sault Ste. Marie area. Population estimates show the Sault Ste. Marie area declined 1.9% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Sault Ste. Marie 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 | Sault Ste. Marie area | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 27.0 | 19.9 | 21.5 |
| Spending per listing | $356K | $512K | $445K |
| Households per official establishment | 640 | 960 | 955 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +1.2% | +2.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.9% | +0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $960 | $1,022 | $958 |
| Median household income | $62,217 | $72,875 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 27 | 56 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 22
- Employees, 2023
- 66
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 26Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 384 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 30The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $144K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the Sault Ste. Marie 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 Sault Ste. Marie area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 36,081−1.9% since 2020
- Households
- 14,080
- Median age
- 42.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 75%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 1,559 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 23
- Median household income
- $62,217+33.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $76,569
- Median home value
- $161,900
- Jobs located here
- 11,286
- Daytime population
- 35,358Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Sault Ste. Marie 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 Sault Ste. Marie 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 Sault Ste. Marie 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 |
| 16Sault Ste. Marie, MI | 27 | 38 | 27.0 | $356K | −1.9% | #477 of 538 |
Other business types in the Sault Ste. Marie 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 Sault Ste. Marie, MI area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 38 auto repair shops in the Sault Ste. Marie area. 4 of them (11%) are chain locations. 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. Another 26 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Sault Ste. Marie, MI area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $13.5M a year, or $960 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 100, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 38 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $356K 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 14,080 households in the Sault Ste. Marie area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Sault Ste. Marie, MI area compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?
The Sault Ste. Marie area has 27.0 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 26% above the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $356K, 20% below the U.S. figure of $445K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, the Sault Ste. Marie area would have about 30, against 38 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 640 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S.
How fast is the Sault Ste. Marie, MI area growing?
Population estimates put the Sault Ste. Marie area at 36,081 people in 2025, down 1.9% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 14,080 households. Median household income in the Sault Ste. Marie area is $62,217, 23% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 33.8%, 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 Sault Ste. Marie area scores 27 for auto repair shops (lower middle), #477 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 Sault Ste. Marie 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 Sault Ste. Marie area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Sault Ste. Marie 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 Sault Ste. Marie 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.