Auto · Metro area · Montana
Auto repair shops in the Helena, MT metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for auto repair shops in the Helena, MT metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 57 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #142 of 387 scored metro areas
#2 of 5 scored metro areas based in Montana
- Listings
- 98
- 12 chain locations (12%)
- Official establishments
- 63
- +13.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $46.2M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,183 a household
- Spending per listing
- $471K
- 6% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 25.1
- 17% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 97,153
- +7.7% since 2020
See the auto repair shops around any address in the Helena metro 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 Helena metro 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 98 auto repair shops in the Helena metro area. Chain locations make up 12% of them, against 16% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 25.1, 17% above the U.S. rate of 21.5.
Households in the Helena metro area spend about $46.2M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $1,183 per household, 23% above the U.S. average. That is about $471K of household spending for each shop on map listings, 6% above 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 63 businesses with payroll in the Helena metro area classed as mechanical, body and glass repair, up 13.0% from 2019. That is one for every 620 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Official counts also show 83 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $1.8M have gone to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the Helena metro area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Helena metro area grew 7.7%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For auto repair shops, the Helena metro area has a Groundwork market score of 57 (upper middle): #142 of 387 scored metro areas and #2 of 5 scored metro areas based in Montana.
How the Helena metro area compares
The same measures for Montana 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 | Helena metro area | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 25.1 | 26.1 | 21.5 |
| Spending per listing | $471K | $443K | $445K |
| Households per official establishment | 620 | 609 | 955 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +13.0% | +6.7% | +2.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +7.7% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,183 | $1,157 | $958 |
| Median household income | $78,528 | $72,509 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 57 | 49 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 63+13.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 376
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $18M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 83Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 9812 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 104The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $1.8M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the Helena metro 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 Helena metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 97,153+7.7% since 2020
- Households
- 39,033
- Median age
- 42.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 6,308 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 15
- Median household income
- $78,528
- Average household income
- $105,667
- Median home value
- $401,200
- Jobs located here
- 45,504
- Daytime population
- 94,274Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Helena metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 Helena metro 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 Montana
Every Montana market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Montana for auto repair shops, numbered among those based in Montana, with the Helena metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Montana
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Bozeman, MT | 62 | 126 | 24.6 | $498K | +7.7% | #99 of 387 |
| 2Helena, MT | 57 | 98 | 25.1 | $471K | +7.7% | #142 of 387 |
| 3Missoula, MT | 53 | 120 | 21.9 | $488K | +4.7% | #181 of 387 |
| 4Billings, MT | 40 | 243 | 31.0 | $372K | +4.8% | #275 of 387 |
| 5Great Falls, MT | 34 | 96 | 27.0 | $403K | +0.7% | #308 of 387 |
Other business types in the Helena metro 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 Helena, MT metro area?
There are 98 auto repair shops on map listings in the Helena metro area as of September 2026. 12 of them (12%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 63 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023, up 13.0% from 2019. Another 83 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Helena, MT metro area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $46.2M a year, or $1,183 per household. That is 23% above the U.S. average (an index of 123, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 98 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $471K per shop. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops. It is estimated from the incomes of the 39,033 households in the Helena metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Helena, MT metro area compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?
The Helena metro area has 25.1 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 17% above the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $471K, 6% above the U.S. figure of $445K. At the national ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, the Helena metro area would have about 104, against 98 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 620 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. The official count rose 13.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +2.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Helena, MT metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Helena metro area at 97,153 people in 2025, up 7.7% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 39,033 households. The median household income in the Helena metro area is $78,528 a year, 3% below the U.S. median of $80,734.
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. The Helena metro area scores 57 for auto repair shops (upper middle), #142 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Helena metro 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 Helena metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Helena metro 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 Helena metro 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.