Groundwork

Auto · County · Wisconsin

Auto repair shops in Dane County, WI

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 75 out of 100: High

Ranked #214 of 2,378 scored counties
#6 of 67 scored counties in Wisconsin

Listings
412
92 chain locations (22%)
Official establishments
187
−7.0% since 2019
Household spending a year
$247.4M
On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $984 a household
Spending per listing
$601K
35% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
16.4
24% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
590,375
+4.9% since 2020

See the auto repair shops around any address in Dane 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 Dane County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

The Groundwork market score for auto repair shops in Dane County is 75 (high), #214 of 2,378 scored counties and #6 of 67 scored counties in Wisconsin. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for auto repair shops.

As of September 2026, map listings count 412 auto repair shops in Dane County. 92 of them (22%) are chain locations, against 16% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 16.4, 24% below the U.S. rate of 21.5.

Households in Dane County spend about $247.4M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $984 per household, 3% above the U.S. average. Spread across 412 auto repair shops, that is $601K per shop, 35% 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.

Official counts show 187 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Dane County in 2023, down 7.0% from 2019. That is one for every 1,345 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 6 SBA-backed loans worth $2.8M have gone to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Dane County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Dane County grew 4.9%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How Dane County compares

The same measures for Wisconsin 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 Dane County, WI compared with Wisconsin and the U.S.
MeasureDane CountyWisconsinU.S.
Listings per 10k households16.420.721.5
Spending per listing$601K$511K$445K
Households per official establishment1,345890955
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−7.0%−1.4%+2.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+4.9%+1.3%+3.1%
Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs$984$1,061$958
Median household income$89,975$77,485$80,734
Groundwork market score7558

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
201 → 187−7.0% over the period
Employees, 2023
1,013
Annual payroll, 2023
$58M
One-person businesses, 2023
197Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
41292 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
556The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
6
Amount
$2.8M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
590,375+4.9% since 2020
Households
251,529
Median age
38.0
Homes lived in by their owners
57%
Vehicles per household
1.7
Land area
1,197 sq. mi.
People per square mile
479
Median household income
$89,975+21.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$119,712
Median home value
$394,800
Jobs located here
369,475
Daytime population
644,560Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

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

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Auto repair shops across Wisconsin

Every Wisconsin market ranked →

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

Top counties in Wisconsin

Counties in Wisconsin ranked for auto repair shops by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Bayfield County, WI8868.1$1.5M+3.4%#32 of 2,378
2Adams County, WI831212.6$881K+5.2%#68 of 2,378
3Pierce County, WI822717.0$764K+3.1%#77 of 2,378
4Calumet County, WI772913.6$876K+2.9%#163 of 2,378
5Oconto County, WI773017.8$706K+2.9%#167 of 2,378
6Dane County, WI7541216.4$601K+4.9%#214 of 2,378
7Walworth County, WI697918.3$648K+0.8%#365 of 2,378
8Shawano County, WI693822.0$517K+1.7%#384 of 2,378
9Iowa County, WI681716.8$703K+1.0%#405 of 2,378
10Monroe County, WI683720.2$545K+0.6%#426 of 2,378

Other business types in Dane County

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

Questions

How many auto repair shops are in Dane County, WI?

Dane County has 412 auto repair shops on map listings as of September 2026. 92 of them (22%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 187 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023, down 7.0% from 2019. Official counts list 197 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Dane County, WI spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?

About $247.4M a year, or $984 per household. That is 3% above the U.S. average (an index of 103, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 412 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $601K per shop. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops. It is estimated from the incomes of the 251,529 households in Dane County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Dane County, WI compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?

Dane County has 16.4 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 24% below the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $601K, 35% above the U.S. figure of $445K. At the national ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, Dane County would have about 556, against 412 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,345 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. The official count fell 7.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +2.1% for the U.S.

How fast is Dane County, WI growing?

Population estimates put Dane County at 590,375 people in 2025, up 4.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 251,529 households. The median household income in Dane County is $89,975 a year, 11% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 21.8% 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. Dane County scores 75 for auto repair shops (high), #214 of 2,378 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Dane 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 Dane 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.