Auto · County · Minnesota
Auto repair shops in Wadena County, MN
The auto repair shops in Wadena County, MN, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 46 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,388 of 2,378 scored counties
#49 of 65 scored counties in Minnesota
- Listings
- 16
- 2 chain locations (13%)
- Official establishments
- 11
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $7M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,157 a household
- Spending per listing
- $440K
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 26.3
- 22% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 14,388
- +1.9% since 2020
See the auto repair shops around any address in Wadena 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 Wadena County. 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
At $1,157 per household (21% above the U.S. average), households in Wadena County spend about $7M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That is about $440K of household spending for each shop on map listings, in line with the U.S. figure of $445K. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops.
Wadena County has 16 auto repair shops on map listings as of September 2026. 2 of them (13%) are chain locations, against 16% across the U.S. That is 26.3 per 10,000 households, 22% above the U.S. rate of 21.5.
Official counts show 11 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Wadena County in 2023. That is one for every 553 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Official counts also show 21 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $95K have gone to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Wadena County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Wadena County grew 1.9%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For auto repair shops, Wadena County has a Groundwork market score of 46 (lower middle): #1,388 of 2,378 scored counties and #49 of 65 scored counties in Minnesota.
How Wadena 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.
| Measure | Wadena County | Minnesota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 26.3 | 19.7 | 21.5 |
| Spending per listing | $440K | $561K | $445K |
| Households per official establishment | 553 | 844 | 955 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +1.7% | +2.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.9% | +2.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,157 | $1,108 | $958 |
| Median household income | $61,467 | $89,062 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 46 | 64 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 13 → 11
- Employees, 2023
- 51
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 21Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 162 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 16The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $95K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Wadena 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 Wadena County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 14,388+1.9% since 2020
- Households
- 6,081
- Median age
- 41.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 74%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 536 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 27
- Median household income
- $61,467+31.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $77,288
- Median home value
- $173,000
- Jobs located here
- 5,599
- Daytime population
- 13,890Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Wadena 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 Wadena County. 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 counties in Minnesota for auto repair shops, numbered among those based in Minnesota, with Wadena County marked.
Top counties in Minnesota
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Washington County, MN | 88 | 141 | 13.4 | $908K | +6.9% | #33 of 2,378 |
| 2Carver County, MN | 83 | 54 | 13.1 | $993K | +6.6% | #66 of 2,378 |
| 3Pine County, MN | 80 | 23 | 18.7 | $656K | +5.5% | #115 of 2,378 |
| 4Dakota County, MN | 77 | 273 | 15.7 | $728K | +3.9% | #166 of 2,378 |
| 5Pope County, MN | 76 | 6 | 12.1 | $1M | +0.8% | #180 of 2,378 |
| 6Wright County, MN | 75 | 116 | 21.5 | $617K | +11.1% | #212 of 2,378 |
| 7Wabasha County, MN | 73 | 21 | 22.9 | $543K | +0.7% | #272 of 2,378 |
| 8Isanti County, MN | 71 | 33 | 20.3 | $637K | +7.3% | #306 of 2,378 |
| 9Scott County, MN | 71 | 125 | 22.7 | $578K | +5.1% | #314 of 2,378 |
| 10Cass County, MN | 71 | 27 | 21.0 | $564K | +4.2% | #315 of 2,378 |
| 49Wadena County, MN | 46 | 16 | 26.3 | $440K | +1.9% | #1,388 of 2,378 |
Other business types in Wadena County
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 Wadena County, MN?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 16 auto repair shops in Wadena County. 2 of them (13%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 11 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023. Another 21 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Wadena County, MN spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $7M a year, or $1,157 per household. That is 21% above the U.S. average (an index of 121, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 16 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $440K 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 6,081 households in Wadena County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Wadena County, MN compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?
Wadena County has 26.3 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 22% above the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $440K, 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 553 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S.
How fast is Wadena County, MN growing?
Population estimates put Wadena County at 14,388 people in 2025, up 1.9% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 6,081 households. Median household income in Wadena County is $61,467, 24% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 31.9%, 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. Wadena County scores 46 for auto repair shops (lower middle), #1,388 of 2,378 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Wadena 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 Wadena County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Wadena 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 Wadena 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.