Groundwork

Auto · County · Michigan

Auto repair shops in Wayne County, MI

The auto repair shops in Wayne County, MI, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 38 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,726 of 2,378 scored counties
#62 of 74 scored counties in Michigan

Listings
1,417
177 chain locations (12%)
Official establishments
723
−0.8% since 2019
Household spending a year
$615M
On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $878 a household
Spending per listing
$434K
2% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
20.2
6% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
1,769,038
−1.1% since 2020

See the auto repair shops around any address in Wayne 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 Wayne County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

At $878 per household (8% below the U.S. average), households in Wayne County spend about $615M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. Spread across 1,417 auto repair shops, that is $434K per shop, 2% below the U.S. figure of $445K. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops.

Wayne County has 1,417 auto repair shops on map listings as of September 2026. 177 of them (12%) are chain locations, against 16% across the U.S. That comes to 20.2 for every 10,000 households, 6% below the U.S. rate of 21.5.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Wayne County was 723 in 2023, down 0.8% from 2019. That is one for every 969 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Another 1,416 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 36 SBA-backed loans worth $14.3M have gone to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Wayne County.

Population estimates show Wayne County declined 1.1% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for auto repair shops in Wayne County is 38 (lower middle), #1,726 of 2,378 scored counties and #62 of 74 scored counties in Michigan.

How Wayne 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 Wayne County, MI compared with Michigan and the U.S.
MeasureWayne CountyMichiganU.S.
Listings per 10k households20.219.921.5
Spending per listing$434K$512K$445K
Households per official establishment969960955
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−0.8%+1.2%+2.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025−1.1%+0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs$878$1,022$958
Median household income$60,539$72,875$80,734
Groundwork market score3856

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
729 → 723−0.8% over the period
Employees, 2023
2,892
Annual payroll, 2023
$138.7M
One-person businesses, 2023
1,416Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
1,417177 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
1,383The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
36
Amount
$14.3M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
1,769,038−1.1% since 2020
Households
700,591
Median age
38.8
Homes lived in by their owners
65%
Vehicles per household
1.5
Land area
612 sq. mi.
People per square mile
2,897
Median household income
$60,539+28.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$85,609
Median home value
$178,500
Jobs located here
669,243
Daytime population
1,771,020Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Wayne 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 Wayne County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

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 Wayne 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
62Wayne County, MI381,41720.2$434K−1.1%#1,726 of 2,378

Other business types in Wayne County

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

Questions

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

Map listings as of September 2026 show 1,417 auto repair shops in Wayne County. 177 of them (12%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 723 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023, down 0.8% from 2019. Official counts list 1,416 one-person businesses without payroll.

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

About $615M a year, or $878 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,417 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $434K 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 700,591 households in Wayne County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Wayne County has 20.2 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 6% below the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $434K, 2% below the U.S. figure of $445K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, Wayne County would have about 1,383, against 1,417 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 969 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. The official count fell 0.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +2.1% for the U.S.

How fast is Wayne County, MI growing?

Population estimates put Wayne County at 1,769,038 people in 2025, down 1.1% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 700,591 households. Median household income in Wayne County is $60,539, 25% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 28.0%, 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. Wayne County scores 38 for auto repair shops (lower middle), #1,726 of 2,378 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Wayne 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 Wayne 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.