Groundwork

Auto · County · Minnesota

Auto repair shops in Nobles County, MN

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 31 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,993 of 2,378 scored counties
#61 of 65 scored counties in Minnesota

Listings
27
6 chain locations (22%)
Official establishments
15
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$8.9M
On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,156 a household
Spending per listing
$329K
26% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
35.2
64% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
22,338
+0.6% since 2020

See the auto repair shops around any address in Nobles 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 Nobles 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

Nobles County scores 31 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair shops, ranking #1,993 of 2,378 scored counties and #61 of 65 scored counties in Minnesota. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

Map listings as of September 2026 show 27 auto repair shops in Nobles County. 6 of them (22%) are chain locations, against 16% across the U.S. That comes to 35.2 for every 10,000 households, 64% above the U.S. rate of 21.5.

Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in Nobles County comes to about $8.9M a year: $1,156 per household, 21% above the U.S. average. That works out to $329K per shop, 26% below 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 15 businesses with payroll in Nobles County classed as mechanical, body and glass repair. That is one for every 512 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $356K has gone to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Nobles County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Nobles County grew 0.6%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How Nobles County 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.

Auto repair shops in Nobles County, MN compared with Minnesota and the U.S.
MeasureNobles CountyMinnesotaU.S.
Listings per 10k households35.219.721.5
Spending per listing$329K$561K$445K
Households per official establishment512844955
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+1.7%+2.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+0.6%+2.1%+3.1%
Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs$1,156$1,108$958
Median household income$66,101$89,062$80,734
Groundwork market score3164

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
18 → 15
Employees, 2023
76
Annual payroll, 2023
$4.6M
One-person businesses, 2023
21Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
276 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
20The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$356K

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

Population, 2025 estimate
22,338+0.6% since 2020
Households
7,674
Median age
36.7
Homes lived in by their owners
74%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
715 sq. mi.
People per square mile
31
Median household income
$66,101+19.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$87,038
Median home value
$197,200
Jobs located here
10,543
Daytime population
21,293Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

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

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Auto repair shops across Minnesota

Every Minnesota market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Minnesota for auto repair shops, numbered among those based in Minnesota, with Nobles County marked.

Top counties in Minnesota

Counties in Minnesota ranked for auto repair shops by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Washington County, MN8814113.4$908K+6.9%#33 of 2,378
2Carver County, MN835413.1$993K+6.6%#66 of 2,378
3Pine County, MN802318.7$656K+5.5%#115 of 2,378
4Dakota County, MN7727315.7$728K+3.9%#166 of 2,378
5Pope County, MN76612.1$1M+0.8%#180 of 2,378
6Wright County, MN7511621.5$617K+11.1%#212 of 2,378
7Wabasha County, MN732122.9$543K+0.7%#272 of 2,378
8Isanti County, MN713320.3$637K+7.3%#306 of 2,378
9Scott County, MN7112522.7$578K+5.1%#314 of 2,378
10Cass County, MN712721.0$564K+4.2%#315 of 2,378
61Nobles County, MN312735.2$329K+0.6%#1,993 of 2,378

Other business types in Nobles County

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

Questions

How many auto repair shops are in Nobles County, MN?

There are 27 auto repair shops on map listings in Nobles County as of September 2026. 6 of them (22%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 15 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023. Official counts also show 21 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Nobles County, MN spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?

About $8.9M a year, or $1,156 per household. That is 21% above the U.S. average (an index of 121, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 27 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $329K per shop. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops. It is estimated from the incomes of the 7,674 households in Nobles County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Nobles County, MN compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?

Nobles County has 35.2 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 64% above the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $329K, 26% below the U.S. figure of $445K. At the national ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, Nobles County would have about 20, against 27 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 512 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S.

How fast is Nobles County, MN growing?

Population estimates put Nobles County at 22,338 people in 2025, up 0.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 7,674 households. The median household income in Nobles County is $66,101 a year, 18% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 19.5% 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. Nobles County scores 31 for auto repair shops (lower middle), #1,993 of 2,378 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Nobles 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 Nobles 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.