Market rankings · Auto
Top markets for auto repair and car care businesses
Every U.S. metro area, small-town market and county, ranked by the Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses. The score weighs household spending per business, households per business, population growth and spending power.
- Listings in the U.S.
- 460,791
- 112,157 chain locations (24%)
- Official establishments
- 189,822
- +4.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $123.8B
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs
- Listings per 10k households
- 35.7
- Spending per listing: $269K
A site report maps the auto repair and car care businesses on map listings around the address by name and distance, and the spending within reach.
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 460,791 auto repair and car care businesses in the U.S. Of those, 112,157 are chain locations, or 24%. That is 35.7 per 10,000 households.
At $958 per household, households in the U.S. spend about $123.8B a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That works out to $269K per business.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the U.S. was 189,822 in 2023, up 4.1% from 2019. They employ 1,162,461 people, with $57.8B in annual payroll. Another 373,187 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
The Corvallis, OR metro area has the highest market score for auto repair and car care businesses among 387 scored metro areas, at 86. In the 10 highest-scoring metro areas, the median spending per business is 44% above the U.S. figure, and the median rate of listings per household is 26% below the U.S. rate.
Top markets
These tables (CSV)Ranked by the Groundwork market score, which weighs household spending per competitor, households per business with payroll, population growth and spending power against every other market of the same kind. How the score works.
Top metro areas of 1 million people or more
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4Columbus, OH | 84 | 2,645 | 30.6 | $344K | +4.7% |
| 5Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 82 | 4,082 | 25.4 | $418K | +3.3% |
| 16Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN | 79 | 2,827 | 33.5 | $318K | +5.4% |
| 18Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 78 | 4,270 | 28.9 | $377K | +2.6% |
| 21Kansas City, MO-KS | 77 | 2,918 | 32.6 | $335K | +3.4% |
| 22Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | 76 | 2,808 | 31.0 | $340K | +2.7% |
| 25Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 75 | 5,964 | 25.1 | $359K | +3.3% |
| 34Urban Honolulu, HI | 73 | 807 | 23.8 | $436K | −2.3% |
| 41Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN | 73 | 2,744 | 33.1 | $294K | +8.7% |
| 46Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | 71 | 2,932 | 29.0 | $361K | +1.0% |
| 54Raleigh-Cary, NC | 70 | 1,809 | 31.5 | $308K | +12.6% |
| 56Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | 70 | 3,185 | 32.2 | $284K | +14.0% |
| 57Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 70 | 7,094 | 37.5 | $281K | +7.3% |
| 64San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 68 | 2,208 | 32.5 | $374K | −0.6% |
| 69Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | 68 | 4,322 | 35.4 | $308K | +4.1% |
Top 50 metro areas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Corvallis, OR | 86 | 76 | 19.7 | $530K | +4.4% |
| 2Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA | 85 | 255 | 23.5 | $504K | +2.7% |
| 3Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA | 85 | 311 | 26.2 | $429K | +2.8% |
| 4Columbus, OH | 84 | 2,645 | 30.6 | $344K | +4.7% |
| 5Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 82 | 4,082 | 25.4 | $418K | +3.3% |
| 6Charlottesville, VA | 81 | 210 | 23.2 | $422K | +3.1% |
| 7Madison, WI | 81 | 872 | 28.9 | $353K | +4.1% |
| 8Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC | 81 | 121 | 27.5 | $351K | +10.3% |
| 9Auburn-Opelika, AL | 81 | 205 | 26.7 | $347K | +7.1% |
| 10Warner Robins, GA | 81 | 228 | 30.6 | $321K | +8.2% |
| 11Wildwood-The Villages, FL | 80 | 78 | 11.1 | $647K | +21.1% |
| 12Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | 80 | 619 | 24.9 | $359K | +7.5% |
| 13Bellingham, WA | 79 | 273 | 29.0 | $383K | +3.9% |
| 14Walla Walla, WA | 79 | 68 | 29.0 | $382K | −0.4% |
| 15Las Cruces, NM | 79 | 265 | 31.2 | $324K | +4.1% |
| 16Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN | 79 | 2,827 | 33.5 | $318K | +5.4% |
| 17Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL | 79 | 304 | 30.8 | $314K | +14.8% |
| 18Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 78 | 4,270 | 28.9 | $377K | +2.6% |
| 19Monroe, MI | 78 | 192 | 30.5 | $368K | +0.7% |
| 20Lawrence, KS | 78 | 142 | 28.2 | $367K | +1.8% |
| 21Kansas City, MO-KS | 77 | 2,918 | 32.6 | $335K | +3.4% |
| 22Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | 76 | 2,808 | 31.0 | $340K | +2.7% |
| 23Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA | 76 | 1,040 | 35.3 | $319K | +6.7% |
| 24Ann Arbor, MI | 75 | 342 | 22.7 | $450K | −0.4% |
| 25Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 75 | 5,964 | 25.1 | $359K | +3.3% |
| 26Merced, CA | 75 | 282 | 32.8 | $339K | +5.1% |
| 27Boise City, ID | 75 | 1,069 | 35.1 | $336K | +12.2% |
| 28Columbus, IN | 75 | 123 | 36.9 | $315K | +4.3% |
| 29Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC | 75 | 271 | 28.4 | $313K | +12.0% |
| 30Huntsville, AL | 75 | 675 | 32.8 | $298K | +12.5% |
| 31Bloomington, IN | 74 | 184 | 27.1 | $363K | +2.0% |
| 32Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA | 74 | 171 | 36.0 | $328K | +5.0% |
| 33Iowa City, IA | 74 | 230 | 31.8 | $327K | +4.1% |
| 34Urban Honolulu, HI | 73 | 807 | 23.8 | $436K | −2.3% |
| 35Longview-Kelso, WA | 73 | 146 | 33.2 | $345K | +3.5% |
| 36Salem, OR | 73 | 524 | 32.8 | $331K | +2.7% |
| 37Sioux Falls, SD-MN | 73 | 431 | 35.2 | $326K | +9.5% |
| 38Lexington Park, MD | 73 | 271 | 35.7 | $326K | +2.1% |
| 39Columbia, MO | 73 | 290 | 33.6 | $321K | +3.9% |
| 40Greeley, CO | 73 | 508 | 40.9 | $306K | +14.2% |
| 41Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN | 73 | 2,744 | 33.1 | $294K | +8.7% |
| 42Kennewick-Richland, WA | 72 | 386 | 35.8 | $334K | +6.5% |
| 43Kenosha, WI | 72 | 233 | 33.8 | $324K | −0.4% |
| 44Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT | 72 | 852 | 41.2 | $317K | +14.5% |
| 45Knoxville, TN | 72 | 1,252 | 33.1 | $293K | +6.9% |
| 46Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | 71 | 2,932 | 29.0 | $361K | +1.0% |
| 47Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ | 71 | 163 | 32.0 | $330K | +0.6% |
| 48Albany, OR | 71 | 189 | 37.3 | $307K | +3.0% |
| 49Charleston-North Charleston, SC | 71 | 1,034 | 30.8 | $297K | +10.7% |
| 50Kahului-Wailuku, HI | 70 | 186 | 33.3 | $363K | −2.5% |
Top 25 small-town markets
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Shelton, WA | 96 | 65 | 25.0 | $514K | +7.8% |
| 2Pahrump, NV | 93 | 51 | 23.0 | $488K | +10.3% |
| 3Moscow, ID | 89 | 41 | 25.2 | $432K | +5.6% |
| 4Warrensburg, MO | 89 | 71 | 33.7 | $340K | +4.9% |
| 5Port Townsend, WA | 88 | 28 | 17.1 | $634K | +2.7% |
| 6Heber, UT | 88 | 93 | 32.5 | $424K | +5.3% |
| 7Ellensburg, WA | 88 | 63 | 31.5 | $377K | +4.2% |
| 8Hilo-Kailua, HI | 88 | 232 | 31.3 | $360K | +4.6% |
| 9Bedford, IN | 86 | 66 | 34.5 | $343K | +1.2% |
| 10Los Alamos, NM | 84 | 20 | 24.3 | $499K | 0.0% |
| 11Española, NM | 83 | 25 | 16.0 | $737K | −1.0% |
| 12Aberdeen, WA | 83 | 84 | 27.4 | $400K | +3.0% |
| 13Shawano, WI | 83 | 62 | 33.2 | $341K | +1.4% |
| 14Seaford, DE | 83 | 311 | 29.2 | $326K | +16.1% |
| 15Nogales, AZ | 82 | 47 | 27.7 | $389K | +4.8% |
| 16Whitewater-Elkhorn, WI | 82 | 135 | 31.3 | $379K | +0.8% |
| 17Winchester, TN | 82 | 57 | 32.7 | $304K | +6.4% |
| 18Athens, TN | 82 | 95 | 35.9 | $287K | +8.2% |
| 19Oak Harbor, WA | 81 | 67 | 18.6 | $630K | −1.5% |
| 20Stevens Point-Plover, WI | 81 | 87 | 29.3 | $388K | +2.2% |
| 21Van Wert, OH | 81 | 38 | 32.9 | $348K | +0.3% |
| 22Taos, NM | 79 | 35 | 22.5 | $486K | +0.3% |
| 23Kapaa, HI | 79 | 73 | 30.9 | $419K | +0.3% |
| 24Brigham City, UT-ID | 79 | 80 | 37.2 | $369K | +12.6% |
| 25Hemlock Farms, PA | 79 | 64 | 26.4 | $358K | +7.2% |
Top 25 counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Douglas County, WA | 96 | 37 | 23.2 | $547K | +8.0% |
| 2Spencer County, KY | 95 | 17 | 23.3 | $563K | +7.7% |
| 3Pike County, GA | 95 | 17 | 25.3 | $490K | +10.5% |
| 4Fluvanna County, VA | 94 | 13 | 12.6 | $999K | +6.2% |
| 5Skamania County, WA | 94 | 9 | 17.9 | $756K | +5.2% |
| 6Pend Oreille County, WA | 94 | 12 | 20.2 | $612K | +7.1% |
| 7Jefferson County, MT | 94 | 13 | 26.0 | $584K | +9.8% |
| 8Harris County, GA | 93 | 13 | 10.0 | $1.2M | +6.8% |
| 9Dallas County, IA | 93 | 117 | 27.5 | $437K | +17.8% |
| 10Klickitat County, WA | 92 | 18 | 18.2 | $673K | +6.6% |
| 11Hamilton County, IN | 92 | 312 | 22.7 | $544K | +10.9% |
| 12Delaware County, OH | 92 | 203 | 24.7 | $516K | +12.5% |
| 13Mason County, WA | 92 | 65 | 25.0 | $514K | +7.8% |
| 14Park County, CO | 91 | 23 | 25.6 | $529K | +5.1% |
| 15Pinal County, AZ | 91 | 402 | 24.8 | $443K | +25.4% |
| 16Lyon County, NV | 91 | 66 | 27.8 | $443K | +9.5% |
| 17Brown County, IN | 90 | 6 | 8.8 | $1.5M | +1.9% |
| 18Banks County, GA | 90 | 12 | 17.5 | $637K | +17.3% |
| 19Sandoval County, NM | 90 | 114 | 20.0 | $584K | +6.9% |
| 20Nye County, NV | 90 | 51 | 23.0 | $488K | +10.3% |
| 21Caroline County, VA | 90 | 29 | 24.2 | $476K | +11.3% |
| 22Pickaway County, OH | 90 | 64 | 29.2 | $401K | +7.4% |
| 23Camden County, NC | 89 | 8 | 19.9 | $553K | +8.8% |
| 24Bayfield County, WI | 89 | 16 | 21.5 | $544K | +3.4% |
| 25San Juan County, WA | 89 | 20 | 22.2 | $526K | +4.2% |
Scored: 387 metro areas, 538 small-town markets and 2,401 counties, each with at least 5 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings (counties: 10,000 people or more). Spending per listing is all household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs over the listings: demand for each competitor, not revenue. Each market has its own page, reached from its state below.
Excel · free with an account
Every market in one Excel file
Auto repair and car care figures for all 387 metro areas, 538 small-town markets, 3,144 counties and 51 states: the Groundwork market score and rank, map listings and chains, household spending, businesses with payroll, employees and payroll, one-person businesses, SBA-backed loans, population, income and home value, each linked to its page. Sorted, filterable and ready to screen.
Auto repair and car care by state
Every market in each state ranked, with the state’s highest-scoring metro area.
- AlabamaTop metro area: Auburn-Opelika metro area · 81
- AlaskaTop metro area: Anchorage metro area · 61
- ArizonaTop metro area: Sierra Vista-Douglas metro area · 71
- ArkansasTop metro area: Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers metro area · 70
- CaliforniaTop metro area: Merced metro area · 75
- ColoradoTop metro area: Greeley metro area · 73
- ConnecticutTop metro area: Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury metro area · 70
- DelawareTop metro area: Dover metro area · 65
- District of ColumbiaTop metro area: Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area · 75
- FloridaTop metro area: Wildwood-The Villages metro area · 80
- GeorgiaTop metro area: Warner Robins metro area · 81
- HawaiiTop metro area: Urban Honolulu metro area · 73
- IdahoTop metro area: Boise City metro area · 75
- IllinoisTop metro area: Bloomington metro area · 66
- IndianaTop metro area: Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood metro area · 79
- IowaTop metro area: Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area · 76
- KansasTop metro area: Lawrence metro area · 78
- KentuckyTop metro area: Bowling Green metro area · 57
- LouisianaTop metro area: Slidell-Mandeville-Covington metro area · 51
- MaineTop metro area: Portland-South Portland metro area · 40
- MarylandTop metro area: Lexington Park metro area · 73
- MassachusettsTop metro area: Amherst Town-Northampton metro area · 69
- MichiganTop metro area: Monroe metro area · 78
- MinnesotaTop metro area: Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington metro area · 78
- MississippiTop metro area: Gulfport-Biloxi metro area · 45
- MissouriTop metro area: Kansas City metro area · 77
- MontanaTop metro area: Helena metro area · 61
- NebraskaTop metro area: Omaha metro area · 70
- NevadaTop metro area: Reno metro area · 68
- New HampshireTop metro area: Manchester-Nashua metro area · 34
- New JerseyTop metro area: Trenton-Princeton metro area · 67
- New MexicoTop metro area: Las Cruces metro area · 79
- New YorkTop metro area: Ithaca metro area · 60
- North CarolinaTop metro area: Pinehurst-Southern Pines metro area · 81
- North DakotaTop metro area: Fargo metro area · 66
- OhioTop metro area: Columbus metro area · 84
- OklahomaTop metro area: Oklahoma City metro area · 44
- OregonTop metro area: Corvallis metro area · 86
- PennsylvaniaTop metro area: State College metro area · 55
- Rhode IslandTop metro area: Providence-Warwick metro area · 39
- South CarolinaTop metro area: Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal metro area · 75
- South DakotaTop metro area: Sioux Falls metro area · 73
- TennesseeTop metro area: Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin metro area · 73
- TexasTop metro area: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos metro area · 70
- UtahTop metro area: Provo-Orem-Lehi metro area · 72
- VermontTop metro area: Burlington-South Burlington metro area · 20
- VirginiaTop metro area: Charlottesville metro area · 81
- WashingtonTop metro area: Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard metro area · 85
- West VirginiaTop metro area: Weirton-Steubenville metro area · 54
- WisconsinTop metro area: Madison metro area · 81
- WyomingTop metro area: Cheyenne metro area · 68
Related business types
- Auto repair shops278,355 listings
- Collision repair and body shops40,150 listings
- Car washes and detailing49,135 listings
- Tire shops49,435 listings
- Oil change and quick lube9,009 listings
- Gas stations140,612 listings
- Insurance agencies201,378 listings
Questions
Which metro areas have the highest market score for auto repair and car care businesses?
The top 5 are Corvallis, OR (86); Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA (85); Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA (85); Columbus, OH (84); and Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA (82). The score compares each of 387 scored metro areas with the others for auto repair and car care businesses.
How many auto repair and car care businesses are in the U.S.?
There are 460,791 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings in the U.S. as of September 2026. 112,157 of them (24%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 189,822 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, up 4.1% from 2019. Official counts list 373,187 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do U.S. households spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $123.8B a year, or $958 per household. Spread across the 460,791 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $269K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 129,209,336 households in the U.S. and national spending patterns by income.
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. Markets with fewer than 5 map listings of the type, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored, since a few businesses can swing their figures.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address anywhere in the U.S. It maps the auto repair and car care businesses 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.
All business types and every U.S. market · How we measure
Screening a site or an acquisition?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
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.