Auto · County · Alabama
Auto repair and car care businesses in Dale County, AL
The auto repair and car care businesses in Dale County, AL, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 52 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #1,151 of 2,401 scored counties
#30 of 63 scored counties in Alabama
- Listings
- 75
- 16 chain locations (21%)
- Official establishments
- 12
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $17.9M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $910 a household
- Spending per listing
- $239K
- 11% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 38.0
- 6% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 49,912
- +1.3% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in Dale County
The site report maps the auto repair and car care businesses 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 Dale County. 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 75 auto repair and car care businesses in Dale County. Of those, 16 are chain locations, or 21%, against 24% across the U.S. That is 38.0 per 10,000 households, 6% above the U.S. rate of 35.7.
At $910 per household (5% below the U.S. average), households in Dale County spend about $17.9M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That works out to $239K per business, 11% below the U.S. figure of $269K.
Official counts show 12 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Dale County in 2023. That is one for every 1,644 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Another 74 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $1.3M has gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Dale County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Dale County grew 1.3%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For auto repair and car care businesses, Dale County has a Groundwork market score of 52 (upper middle): #1,151 of 2,401 scored counties and #30 of 63 scored counties in Alabama.
How Dale County compares
The same measures for Alabama and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all vehicle maintenance and repairs by the auto repair and car care businesses 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 | Dale County | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 38.0 | 36.5 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $239K | $255K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,644 | 754 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +8.1% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.3% | +3.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $910 | $929 | $958 |
| Median household income | $54,963 | $63,999 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 52 | 49 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 10 → 12
- Employees, 2023
- 82
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 74Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 7516 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 67The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $1.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Dale 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 Dale County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 49,912+1.3% since 2020
- Households
- 19,727
- Median age
- 40.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 62%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 561 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 88
- Median household income
- $54,963+16.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $74,266
- Median home value
- $143,500
- Jobs located here
- 15,272
- Daytime population
- 47,928Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Dale 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 and car care businesses on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Dale County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardAuto repair and car care across Alabama
Every Alabama market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Alabama for auto repair and car care businesses, numbered among those based in Alabama, with Dale County marked.
Top counties in Alabama
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Limestone County, AL | 84 | 122 | 29.8 | $356K | +18.0% | #66 of 2,401 |
| 2Henry County, AL | 78 | 15 | 21.2 | $427K | +7.1% | #157 of 2,401 |
| 3Lawrence County, AL | 76 | 43 | 31.6 | $348K | +2.3% | #206 of 2,401 |
| 4Cherokee County, AL | 76 | 30 | 29.4 | $338K | +5.8% | #207 of 2,401 |
| 5Lee County, AL | 75 | 191 | 27.5 | $342K | +8.6% | #233 of 2,401 |
| 6Winston County, AL | 73 | 27 | 28.7 | $368K | +1.4% | #270 of 2,401 |
| 7Baldwin County, AL | 72 | 304 | 30.8 | $314K | +14.8% | #315 of 2,401 |
| 8Elmore County, AL | 69 | 113 | 34.4 | $300K | +4.2% | #395 of 2,401 |
| 9Washington County, AL | 68 | 9 | 15.1 | $732K | −3.3% | #407 of 2,401 |
| 10Shelby County, AL | 67 | 310 | 35.7 | $297K | +6.5% | #472 of 2,401 |
| 30Dale County, AL | 52 | 75 | 38.0 | $239K | +1.3% | #1,151 of 2,401 |
Other business types in Dale County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
- Auto repair and car care52
- Auto repair shops53
- Collision repair and body shops47
- Car washes and detailing31
- Tire shops31
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations39
- Insurance agencies83
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 and car care businesses are in Dale County, AL?
There are 75 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings in Dale County as of September 2026. 16 of them (21%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 12 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023. Official counts list 74 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Dale County, AL spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $17.9M a year, or $910 per household. That is 5% below the U.S. average (an index of 95, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 75 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $239K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 19,727 households in Dale County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Dale County, AL compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
Dale County has 38.0 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 6% above the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $239K, 11% below the U.S. figure of $269K. At the national ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, Dale County would have about 67, against 75 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,644 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S.
How fast is Dale County, AL growing?
Population estimates put Dale County at 49,912 people in 2025, up 1.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 19,727 households. Median household income in Dale County is $54,963, 32% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 16.4%, 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. Dale County scores 52 for auto repair and car care businesses (upper middle), #1,151 of 2,401 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Dale County. 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.
How the score works · Top markets for auto repair and car care businesses · All 56 business types in Dale County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Dale 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 Dale 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.