Auto · Small-town market · Wisconsin
Auto repair shops in the Rice Lake, WI area
The auto repair shops in the Rice Lake, WI area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 34 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #431 of 538 scored small-town markets
#13 of 13 scored small-town markets based in Wisconsin
- Listings
- 68
- 7 chain locations (10%)
- Official establishments
- 34
- +13.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $22.9M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,146 a household
- Spending per listing
- $336K
- 24% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 34.1
- 59% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 46,484
- −0.5% since 2020
See the auto repair shops around any address in the Rice Lake 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 Rice Lake 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
The Groundwork market score for auto repair shops in the Rice Lake area is 34 (lower middle), #431 of 538 scored small-town markets and #13 of 13 scored small-town markets based in Wisconsin. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.
At $1,146 per household (20% above the U.S. average), households in the Rice Lake area spend about $22.9M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. Spread across 68 auto repair shops, that is $336K per shop, 24% below the U.S. figure of $445K. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops.
There are 68 auto repair shops on map listings in the Rice Lake area as of September 2026. Of those, 7 are chain locations, or 10%, against 16% across the U.S. That is 34.1 per 10,000 households, 59% above the U.S. rate of 21.5.
In 2023, official counts showed 34 businesses with payroll in the Rice Lake area classed as mechanical, body and glass repair, up 13.3% from 2019. That is one for every 587 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $1M have gone to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the Rice Lake area. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Rice Lake area declined 0.5%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Rice Lake area 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.
| Measure | Rice Lake area | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 34.1 | 20.7 | 21.5 |
| Spending per listing | $336K | $511K | $445K |
| Households per official establishment | 587 | 890 | 955 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +13.3% | −1.4% | +2.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.5% | +1.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,146 | $1,061 | $958 |
| Median household income | $65,933 | $77,485 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 34 | 58 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 34+13.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 122
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $5.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 58Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 687 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 51The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the Rice Lake 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 Rice Lake area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 46,484−0.5% since 2020
- Households
- 19,955
- Median age
- 45.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 77%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 863 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 54
- Median household income
- $65,933
- Average household income
- $87,099
- Median home value
- $216,600
- Jobs located here
- 20,886
- Daytime population
- 44,130Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Rice Lake 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 Rice Lake 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 Wisconsin
Every Wisconsin market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Wisconsin for auto repair shops, numbered among those based in Wisconsin, with the Rice Lake area marked.
Top small-town markets in Wisconsin
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Shawano, WI | 80 | 38 | 20.4 | $557K | +1.4% | #23 of 538 |
| 2Whitewater-Elkhorn, WI | 77 | 79 | 18.3 | $648K | +0.8% | #29 of 538 |
| 3Sparta, WI | 76 | 37 | 20.2 | $545K | +0.6% | #34 of 538 |
| 4Stevens Point-Plover, WI | 75 | 57 | 19.2 | $591K | +2.2% | #43 of 538 |
| 5Marinette, WI-MI | 65 | 58 | 19.7 | $542K | +0.3% | #107 of 538 |
| 6Manitowoc, WI | 63 | 75 | 21.3 | $510K | +0.4% | #131 of 538 |
| 7Menomonie, WI | 63 | 43 | 24.7 | $478K | +1.7% | #134 of 538 |
| 8Baraboo, WI | 62 | 65 | 23.2 | $488K | +1.3% | #147 of 538 |
| 9Watertown-Fort Atkinson, WI | 60 | 84 | 24.1 | $468K | +0.3% | #168 of 538 |
| 10Beaver Dam, WI | 57 | 92 | 25.6 | $439K | −0.3% | #198 of 538 |
| 13Rice Lake, WI | 34 | 68 | 34.1 | $336K | −0.5% | #431 of 538 |
Other business types in the Rice Lake 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 Rice Lake, WI area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 68 auto repair shops in the Rice Lake area. 7 of them (10%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 34 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023, up 13.3% from 2019. Another 58 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Rice Lake, WI area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $22.9M a year, or $1,146 per household. That is 20% above the U.S. average (an index of 120, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 68 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $336K 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 19,955 households in the Rice Lake area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Rice Lake, WI area compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?
The Rice Lake area has 34.1 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 59% above the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $336K, 24% below the U.S. figure of $445K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, the Rice Lake area would have about 51, against 68 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 587 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. The official count rose 13.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +2.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Rice Lake, WI area growing?
Population estimates put the Rice Lake area at 46,484 people in 2025, down 0.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 19,955 households. Median household income in the Rice Lake area is $65,933, 18% 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. 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 Rice Lake area scores 34 for auto repair shops (lower middle), #431 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 Rice Lake 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 Rice Lake area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Rice Lake 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 Rice Lake 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.