Auto · Metro area · California
Auto repair and car care businesses in the Chico, CA metro area
The auto repair and car care businesses in the Chico, CA metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 39 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #280 of 387 scored metro areas
#22 of 25 scored metro areas based in California
- Listings
- 342
- 77 chain locations (23%)
- Official establishments
- 133
- −7.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $86.6M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,039 a household
- Spending per listing
- $253K
- 6% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 41.1
- 15% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 209,211
- −0.5% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in the Chico metro area
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 the Chico metro 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
Households in the Chico metro area spend about $86.6M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $1,039 per household, 8% above the U.S. average. That works out to $253K per business, 6% below the U.S. figure of $269K.
The Chico metro area has 342 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 77 are chain locations, or 23%, against 24% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 41.1, 15% above the U.S. rate of 35.7.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Chico metro area was 133 in 2023, down 7.0% from 2019. That is one for every 626 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Official counts list 147 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 11 SBA-backed loans worth $8.4M have gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Chico metro area.
Population estimates show the Chico metro area declined 0.5% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses in the Chico metro area is 39 (lower middle), #280 of 387 scored metro areas and #22 of 25 scored metro areas based in California.
How the Chico metro area compares
The same measures for California 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 | Chico metro area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 41.1 | 39.1 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $253K | $287K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 626 | 614 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −7.0% | +3.3% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.5% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,039 | $1,122 | $958 |
| Median household income | $67,928 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 39 | 46 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 133−7.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 907
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $50.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 147Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 34277 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 322The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 11
- Amount
- $8.4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Chico metro 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 Chico metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 209,211−0.5% since 2020
- Households
- 83,312
- Median age
- 38.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 57%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 1,637 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 127
- Median household income
- $67,928+29.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $95,439
- Median home value
- $424,700
- Jobs located here
- 75,172
- Daytime population
- 203,711Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Chico metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 the Chico metro area. 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 California
Every California market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in California for auto repair and car care businesses, numbered among those based in California, with the Chico metro area marked.
Top metro areas in California
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Merced, CA | 75 | 282 | 32.8 | $339K | +5.1% | #26 of 387 |
| 2Napa, CA | 69 | 134 | 26.9 | $449K | −3.3% | #58 of 387 |
| 3San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 68 | 2,208 | 32.5 | $374K | −0.6% | #64 of 387 |
| 4Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | 64 | 299 | 30.9 | $399K | −4.7% | #85 of 387 |
| 5Vallejo, CA | 64 | 575 | 36.5 | $338K | +0.6% | #88 of 387 |
| 6San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | 64 | 394 | 36.0 | $333K | 0.0% | #89 of 387 |
| 7Stockton-Lodi, CA | 64 | 1,006 | 41.0 | $298K | +5.5% | #91 of 387 |
| 8San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 61 | 5,173 | 29.7 | $351K | −2.4% | #109 of 387 |
| 9Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | 61 | 3,281 | 37.2 | $302K | +3.2% | #114 of 387 |
| 10Yuba City, CA | 60 | 242 | 39.1 | $298K | +3.3% | #122 of 387 |
| 22Chico, CA | 39 | 342 | 41.1 | $253K | −0.5% | #280 of 387 |
Other business types in the Chico metro area
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 care39
- Auto repair shops34
- Collision repair and body shops62
- Car washes and detailing69
- Tire shops43
- Oil change and quick lube43
- Gas stations48
- Insurance agencies39
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 the Chico, CA metro area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 342 auto repair and car care businesses in the Chico metro area. 77 of them (23%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 133 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, down 7.0% from 2019. Official counts also show 147 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Chico, CA metro area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $86.6M a year, or $1,039 per household. That is 8% above the U.S. average (an index of 108, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 342 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $253K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 83,312 households in the Chico metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Chico, CA metro area compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
The Chico metro area has 41.1 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 15% above the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $253K, 6% below the U.S. figure of $269K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, the Chico metro area would have about 322, against 342 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 626 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count fell 7.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Chico, CA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Chico metro area at 209,211 people in 2025, down 0.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 83,312 households. The median household income in the Chico metro area is $67,928 a year, 16% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 29.3% 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. The Chico metro area scores 39 for auto repair and car care businesses (lower middle), #280 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Chico metro area. 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 the Chico metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Chico metro 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 Chico metro 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.