Groundwork

Auto · County · Michigan

Auto repair shops in St. Clair County, MI

How St. Clair 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 64 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #565 of 2,378 scored counties
#17 of 74 scored counties in Michigan

Listings
132
17 chain locations (13%)
Official establishments
59
+1.7% since 2019
Household spending a year
$72.6M
On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,071 a household
Spending per listing
$550K
24% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
19.5
9% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
160,486
+0.1% since 2020

See the auto repair shops around any address in St. Clair 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 St. Clair 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

Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in St. Clair County comes to about $72.6M a year: $1,071 per household, 12% above the U.S. average. That works out to $550K per shop, 24% above the U.S. figure of $445K. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops.

There are 132 auto repair shops on map listings in St. Clair County as of September 2026. 17 of them (13%) are chain locations, against 16% across the U.S. That is 19.5 per 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 21.5.

Official counts show 59 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in St. Clair County in 2023, up 1.7% from 2019. That is one for every 1,149 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Official counts list 167 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $1.6M have gone to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in St. Clair County.

Population estimates show St. Clair County grew 0.1% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For auto repair shops, St. Clair County has a Groundwork market score of 64 (upper middle): #565 of 2,378 scored counties and #17 of 74 scored counties in Michigan. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How St. Clair 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 St. Clair County, MI compared with Michigan and the U.S.
MeasureSt. Clair CountyMichiganU.S.
Listings per 10k households19.519.921.5
Spending per listing$550K$512K$445K
Households per official establishment1,149960955
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+1.7%+1.2%+2.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+0.1%+0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs$1,071$1,022$958
Median household income$71,270$72,875$80,734
Groundwork market score6456

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
58 → 59+1.7% over the period
Employees, 2023
246
Annual payroll, 2023
$13.2M
One-person businesses, 2023
167Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
13217 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
163The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
4
Amount
$1.6M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
160,486+0.1% since 2020
Households
67,816
Median age
44.6
Homes lived in by their owners
81%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
722 sq. mi.
People per square mile
222
Median household income
$71,270+25.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$90,621
Median home value
$224,600
Jobs located here
41,623
Daytime population
129,372Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in St. Clair 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 St. Clair 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 St. Clair 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
17St. Clair County, MI6413219.5$550K+0.1%#565 of 2,378

Other business types in St. Clair County

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

Questions

How many auto repair shops are in St. Clair County, MI?

As of September 2026, map listings count 132 auto repair shops in St. Clair County. 17 of them (13%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 59 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023, up 1.7% from 2019. Official counts also show 167 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in St. Clair County, MI spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?

About $72.6M a year, or $1,071 per household. That is 12% above the U.S. average (an index of 112, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 132 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $550K 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 67,816 households in St. Clair County and national spending patterns by income.

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

St. Clair County has 19.5 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $550K, 24% above the U.S. figure of $445K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, St. Clair County would have about 163, against 132 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,149 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. The official count rose 1.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +2.1% for the U.S.

How fast is St. Clair County, MI growing?

Population estimates put St. Clair County at 160,486 people in 2025, up 0.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 67,816 households. Median household income in St. Clair County is $71,270, 12% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.1%, 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. St. Clair County scores 64 for auto repair shops (upper middle), #565 of 2,378 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in St. Clair 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 St. Clair County

Screening a site or an acquisition in St. Clair 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 St. Clair 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.