Groundwork

Auto · County · Michigan

Auto repair shops in Van Buren County, MI

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for auto repair shops in Van Buren County, MI, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 64 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #572 of 2,378 scored counties
#19 of 74 scored counties in Michigan

Listings
63
6 chain locations (10%)
Official establishments
27
−10.0% since 2019
Household spending a year
$33.2M
On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,084 a household
Spending per listing
$527K
19% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
20.6
4% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
76,071
+0.7% since 2020

See the auto repair shops around any address in Van Buren 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 Van Buren 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

Map listings as of September 2026 show 63 auto repair shops in Van Buren County. Chain locations make up 10% of them, against 16% across the U.S. That is 20.6 per 10,000 households, 4% below the U.S. rate of 21.5.

At $1,084 per household (13% above the U.S. average), households in Van Buren County spend about $33.2M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That is about $527K of household spending for each shop on map listings, 19% 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.

In 2023, official counts showed 27 businesses with payroll in Van Buren County classed as mechanical, body and glass repair, down 10.0% from 2019. That is one for every 1,134 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Official counts also show 49 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $393K have gone to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Van Buren County.

Population estimates show Van Buren County grew 0.7% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For auto repair shops, Van Buren County has a Groundwork market score of 64 (upper middle): #572 of 2,378 scored counties and #19 of 74 scored counties in Michigan. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How Van Buren 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 Van Buren County, MI compared with Michigan and the U.S.
MeasureVan Buren CountyMichiganU.S.
Listings per 10k households20.619.921.5
Spending per listing$527K$512K$445K
Households per official establishment1,134960955
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−10.0%+1.2%+2.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+0.7%+0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs$1,084$1,022$958
Median household income$68,114$72,875$80,734
Groundwork market score6456

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
30 → 27−10.0% over the period
Employees, 2023
90
Annual payroll, 2023
$4M
One-person businesses, 2023
49Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
636 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
75The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
3
Amount
$393K

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

Population, 2025 estimate
76,071+0.7% since 2020
Households
30,622
Median age
42.4
Homes lived in by their owners
81%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
608 sq. mi.
People per square mile
125
Median household income
$68,114+25.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$85,909
Median home value
$206,500
Jobs located here
19,397
Daytime population
64,659Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Van Buren 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 Van Buren 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 Van Buren 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
19Van Buren County, MI646320.6$527K+0.7%#572 of 2,378

Other business types in Van Buren County

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

Questions

How many auto repair shops are in Van Buren County, MI?

There are 63 auto repair shops on map listings in Van Buren County as of September 2026. 6 of them (10%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 27 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023, down 10.0% from 2019. Another 49 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

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

About $33.2M a year, or $1,084 per household. That is 13% above the U.S. average (an index of 113, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 63 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $527K per shop. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops. It is estimated from the incomes of the 30,622 households in Van Buren County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Van Buren County has 20.6 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 4% below the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $527K, 19% above the U.S. figure of $445K. At the national ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, Van Buren County would have about 75, against 63 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,134 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. The official count fell 10.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +2.1% for the U.S.

How fast is Van Buren County, MI growing?

Population estimates put Van Buren County at 76,071 people in 2025, up 0.7% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 30,622 households. The median household income in Van Buren County is $68,114 a year, 16% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 25.0% 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. Van Buren County scores 64 for auto repair shops (upper middle), #572 of 2,378 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Van Buren 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 Van Buren County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Van Buren 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 Van Buren 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.