Auto · Small-town market · Minnesota
Auto repair shops in the Fergus Falls, MN area
How the Fergus Falls, MN 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 58 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #186 of 538 scored small-town markets
#8 of 18 scored small-town markets based in Minnesota
- Listings
- 68
- 9 chain locations (13%)
- Official establishments
- 36
- −5.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $30M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,193 a household
- Spending per listing
- $441K
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 27.0
- 26% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 61,041
- +1.6% since 2020
See the auto repair shops around any address in the Fergus Falls 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 Fergus Falls 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 68 auto repair shops in the Fergus Falls area. Of those, 9 are chain locations, or 13%, against 16% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 27.0, 26% above the U.S. rate of 21.5.
At $1,193 per household (25% above the U.S. average), households in the Fergus Falls area spend about $30M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. Spread across 68 auto repair shops, that is $441K per shop, in line with 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 36 businesses with payroll in the Fergus Falls area classed as mechanical, body and glass repair, down 5.3% from 2019. That is one for every 699 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Another 80 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $443K have gone to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the Fergus Falls area.
Population estimates show the Fergus Falls area grew 1.6% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For auto repair shops, the Fergus Falls area has a Groundwork market score of 58 (upper middle): #186 of 538 scored small-town markets and #8 of 18 scored small-town markets based in Minnesota.
How the Fergus Falls area compares
The same measures for Minnesota 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 | Fergus Falls area | Minnesota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 27.0 | 19.7 | 21.5 |
| Spending per listing | $441K | $561K | $445K |
| Households per official establishment | 699 | 844 | 955 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −5.3% | +1.7% | +2.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.6% | +2.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,193 | $1,108 | $958 |
| Median household income | $72,255 | $89,062 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 58 | 64 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 36−5.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 148
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $7.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 80Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 689 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 68The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $443K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the Fergus Falls 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 Fergus Falls area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 61,041+1.6% since 2020
- Households
- 25,157
- Median age
- 45.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 79%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 1,972 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 31
- Median household income
- $72,255+23.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $92,523
- Median home value
- $273,000
- Jobs located here
- 23,068
- Daytime population
- 55,886Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Fergus Falls 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 Fergus Falls 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 Minnesota
Every Minnesota market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Minnesota for auto repair shops, numbered among those based in Minnesota (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Fergus Falls area marked.
Top small-town markets in Minnesota
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Alexandria, MN | 71 | 37 | 21.1 | $550K | +2.6% | #67 of 538 |
| 2Grand Rapids, MN | 66 | 44 | 23.7 | $488K | +0.9% | #104 of 538 |
| 3Brainerd, MN | 65 | 118 | 27.9 | $414K | +4.3% | #117 of 538 |
| 4Austin, MN | 63 | 39 | 24.8 | $457K | +2.3% | #136 of 538 |
| Wahpeton, ND-MN | 62 | 18 | 18.9 | $629K | 0.0% | #139 of 538 |
| 5Owatonna, MN | 62 | 31 | 20.5 | $570K | +0.2% | #140 of 538 |
| 6Faribault-Northfield, MN | 61 | 56 | 23.8 | $481K | +4.2% | #159 of 538 |
| 7Winona, MN | 59 | 48 | 23.7 | $460K | +1.8% | #176 of 538 |
| 8Fergus Falls, MN | 58 | 68 | 27.0 | $441K | +1.6% | #186 of 538 |
| 9Bemidji, MN | 54 | 48 | 26.4 | $428K | +1.8% | #233 of 538 |
Other business types in the Fergus Falls 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 Fergus Falls, MN area?
The Fergus Falls area has 68 auto repair shops on map listings as of September 2026. 9 of them (13%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 36 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023, down 5.3% from 2019. Official counts list 80 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Fergus Falls, MN area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $30M a year, or $1,193 per household. That is 25% above the U.S. average (an index of 125, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 68 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $441K per shop. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops. It is estimated from the incomes of the 25,157 households in the Fergus Falls area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Fergus Falls, MN area compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?
The Fergus Falls area has 27.0 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 26% above the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $441K, in line with the U.S. figure of $445K. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of auto repair shops to household spending. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 699 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. The official count fell 5.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +2.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Fergus Falls, MN area growing?
Population estimates put the Fergus Falls area at 61,041 people in 2025, up 1.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 25,157 households. The median household income in the Fergus Falls area is $72,255 a year, 11% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.1% 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. 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 Fergus Falls area scores 58 for auto repair shops (upper middle), #186 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 Fergus Falls 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 Fergus Falls area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Fergus Falls 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 Fergus Falls 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.