Groundwork

Auto · County · Michigan

Auto repair shops in Washtenaw County, MI

How Washtenaw 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 73 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #250 of 2,378 scored counties
#8 of 74 scored counties in Michigan

Listings
186
36 chain locations (19%)
Official establishments
89
−14.4% since 2019
Household spending a year
$154M
On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,023 a household
Spending per listing
$828K
86% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
12.4
42% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
370,214
−0.4% since 2020

See the auto repair shops around any address in Washtenaw 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 Washtenaw 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

Households in Washtenaw County spend about $154M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $1,023 per household, 7% above the U.S. average. That is about $828K of household spending for each shop on map listings, 86% above the U.S. figure of $445K. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops.

There are 186 auto repair shops on map listings in Washtenaw County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 19% of them, against 16% across the U.S. That comes to 12.4 for every 10,000 households, 42% below the U.S. rate of 21.5.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Washtenaw County was 89 in 2023, down 14.4% from 2019. That is one for every 1,692 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Official counts also show 145 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $786K have gone to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Washtenaw County.

Population estimates put the population change in Washtenaw County from 2020 to 2025 at −0.4%, against +3.1% for the U.S. Washtenaw County scores 73 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair shops, ranking #250 of 2,378 scored counties and #8 of 74 scored counties in Michigan. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How Washtenaw 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 Washtenaw County, MI compared with Michigan and the U.S.
MeasureWashtenaw CountyMichiganU.S.
Listings per 10k households12.419.921.5
Spending per listing$828K$512K$445K
Households per official establishment1,692960955
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−14.4%+1.2%+2.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025−0.4%+0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs$1,023$1,022$958
Median household income$89,180$72,875$80,734
Groundwork market score7356

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
104 → 89−14.4% over the period
Employees, 2023
466
Annual payroll, 2023
$29.9M
One-person businesses, 2023
145Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
18636 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
346The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
4
Amount
$786K

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

Population, 2025 estimate
370,214−0.4% since 2020
Households
150,550
Median age
38.4
Homes lived in by their owners
62%
Vehicles per household
1.7
Land area
706 sq. mi.
People per square mile
524
Median household income
$89,180+22.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$124,750
Median home value
$374,100
Jobs located here
186,868
Daytime population
409,361Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Washtenaw 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 Washtenaw 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 Washtenaw 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

Other business types in Washtenaw County

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

Questions

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

As of September 2026, map listings count 186 auto repair shops in Washtenaw County. 36 of them (19%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 89 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023, down 14.4% from 2019. Another 145 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

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

About $154M a year, or $1,023 per household. That is 7% above the U.S. average (an index of 107, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 186 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $828K 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 150,550 households in Washtenaw County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Washtenaw County has 12.4 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 42% below the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $828K, 86% above the U.S. figure of $445K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, Washtenaw County would have about 346, against 186 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,692 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. The official count fell 14.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +2.1% for the U.S.

How fast is Washtenaw County, MI growing?

Population estimates put Washtenaw County at 370,214 people in 2025, down 0.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 150,550 households. Median household income in Washtenaw County is $89,180, 10% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 22.9%, 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. Washtenaw County scores 73 for auto repair shops (upper middle), #250 of 2,378 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Washtenaw 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 Washtenaw 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.