Groundwork

Auto · Small-town market · Montana

Auto repair shops in the Kalispell, MT area

The auto repair shops in the Kalispell, MT area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 50 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #286 of 538 scored small-town markets
#2 of 2 scored small-town markets based in Montana

Listings
139
23 chain locations (17%)
Official establishments
85
+14.9% since 2019
Household spending a year
$50.9M
On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,152 a household
Spending per listing
$366K
18% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
31.4
46% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
115,429
+10.1% since 2020

See the auto repair shops around any address in the Kalispell 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 Kalispell area. 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

As of September 2026, map listings count 139 auto repair shops in the Kalispell area. Of those, 23 are chain locations, or 17%, against 16% across the U.S. That comes to 31.4 for every 10,000 households, 46% above the U.S. rate of 21.5.

At $1,152 per household (20% above the U.S. average), households in the Kalispell area spend about $50.9M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That is about $366K of household spending for each shop on map listings, 18% 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.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the Kalispell area was 85 in 2023, up 14.9% from 2019. That is one for every 520 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Another 146 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $495K has gone to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the Kalispell area.

Population estimates show the Kalispell area grew 10.1% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For auto repair shops, the Kalispell area has a Groundwork market score of 50 (upper middle): #286 of 538 scored small-town markets and #2 of 2 scored small-town markets based in Montana.

How the Kalispell 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.

Auto repair shops in Kalispell, MT area compared with Montana and the U.S.
MeasureKalispell areaMontanaU.S.
Listings per 10k households31.426.121.5
Spending per listing$366K$443K$445K
Households per official establishment520609955
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+14.9%+6.7%+2.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+10.1%+5.3%+3.1%
Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs$1,152$1,157$958
Median household income$73,925$72,509$80,734
Groundwork market score5049

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
85+14.9% over the period
Employees, 2023
403
Annual payroll, 2023
$23.2M
One-person businesses, 2023
146Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
13923 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
115The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$495K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the Kalispell 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 Kalispell area

Population, 2025 estimate
115,429+10.1% since 2020
Households
44,233
Median age
43.2
Homes lived in by their owners
72%
Vehicles per household
2.1
Land area
5,087 sq. mi.
People per square mile
22
Median household income
$73,925+31.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$99,728
Median home value
$535,500
Jobs located here
49,504
Daytime population
110,772Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Kalispell 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 Kalispell area. 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 Montana

Every Montana market ranked →

The highest-scoring small-town markets in Montana for auto repair shops, numbered among those based in Montana, with the Kalispell area marked.

Top small-town markets in Montana

Small-town markets in Montana ranked for auto repair shops by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Butte-Silver Bow, MT603724.0$428K+2.6%#171 of 538
2Kalispell, MT5013931.4$366K+10.1%#286 of 538

Other business types in the Kalispell area

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

Questions

How many auto repair shops are in the Kalispell, MT area?

The Kalispell area has 139 auto repair shops on map listings as of September 2026. 23 of them (17%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 85 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023, up 14.9% from 2019. Official counts list 146 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in the Kalispell, MT area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?

About $50.9M a year, or $1,152 per household. That is 20% above the U.S. average (an index of 120, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 139 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $366K per shop. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops. It is estimated from the incomes of the 44,233 households in the Kalispell area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the Kalispell, MT area compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?

The Kalispell area has 31.4 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 46% above the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $366K, 18% below the U.S. figure of $445K. At the national ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, the Kalispell area would have about 115, against 139 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 520 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. The official count rose 14.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +2.1% for the U.S.

How fast is the Kalispell, MT area growing?

Population estimates put the Kalispell area at 115,429 people in 2025, up 10.1% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 44,233 households. The median household income in the Kalispell area is $73,925 a year, 8% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.6% 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 Kalispell area scores 50 for auto repair shops (upper middle), #286 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 Kalispell 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 Kalispell area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Kalispell 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 Kalispell 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.