Auto · County · California
Auto repair and car care businesses in Kern County, CA
The auto repair and car care businesses in Kern County, CA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 45 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,431 of 2,401 scored counties
#44 of 55 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 1,283
- 301 chain locations (23%)
- Official establishments
- 493
- +10.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $306.2M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,075 a household
- Spending per listing
- $239K
- 11% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 45.0
- 26% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 927,068
- +2.3% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in Kern 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 Kern 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
Households in Kern County spend about $306.2M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $1,075 per household, 12% above the U.S. average. That works out to $239K per business, 11% below the U.S. figure of $269K.
There are 1,283 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings in Kern County as of September 2026. 301 of them (23%) are chain locations, against 24% across the U.S. That comes to 45.0 for every 10,000 households, 26% above the U.S. rate of 35.7.
In 2023, official counts showed 493 businesses with payroll in Kern County classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers, up 10.3% from 2019. That is one for every 578 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Official counts also show 1,226 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 19 SBA-backed loans worth $9.7M have gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Kern County.
Population estimates show Kern County grew 2.3% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Kern County scores 45 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses, ranking #1,431 of 2,401 scored counties and #44 of 55 scored counties in California.
How Kern County 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 | Kern County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 45.0 | 39.1 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $239K | $287K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 578 | 614 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +10.3% | +3.3% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.3% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,075 | $1,122 | $958 |
| Median household income | $70,210 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 45 | 46 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 447 → 493+10.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,870
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $128.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 1,226Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,283301 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,140The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 19
- Amount
- $9.7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Kern 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 Kern County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 927,068+2.3% since 2020
- Households
- 284,931
- Median age
- 33.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 60%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 8,135 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 112
- Median household income
- $70,210+31.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $93,147
- Median home value
- $338,300
- Jobs located here
- 302,967
- Daytime population
- 882,683Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Kern 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 Kern 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 California
Every California market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in California for auto repair and car care businesses, numbered among those based in California, with Kern County marked.
Top counties in California
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Yuba County, CA | 87 | 71 | 24.8 | $460K | +8.2% | #35 of 2,401 |
| 2Calaveras County, CA | 86 | 48 | 26.0 | $503K | +2.8% | #43 of 2,401 |
| 3Mariposa County, CA | 79 | 11 | 14.7 | $784K | −1.2% | #133 of 2,401 |
| 4Placer County, CA | 79 | 527 | 33.4 | $362K | +8.9% | #147 of 2,401 |
| 5San Benito County, CA | 77 | 74 | 36.0 | $402K | +8.6% | #181 of 2,401 |
| 6Contra Costa County, CA | 74 | 1,156 | 27.9 | $438K | +0.3% | #242 of 2,401 |
| 7Trinity County, CA | 71 | 9 | 16.1 | $642K | −2.3% | #328 of 2,401 |
| 8El Dorado County, CA | 71 | 214 | 28.1 | $457K | +0.6% | #329 of 2,401 |
| 9Merced County, CA | 71 | 282 | 32.8 | $339K | +5.1% | #339 of 2,401 |
| 10Mono County, CA | 68 | 12 | 20.9 | $557K | −5.4% | #408 of 2,401 |
| 44Kern County, CA | 45 | 1,283 | 45.0 | $239K | +2.3% | #1,431 of 2,401 |
Other business types in Kern 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 care45
- Auto repair shops47
- Collision repair and body shops62
- Car washes and detailing60
- Tire shops41
- Oil change and quick lube56
- Gas stations54
- Insurance agencies55
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 Kern County, CA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 1,283 auto repair and car care businesses in Kern County. 301 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 493 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, up 10.3% from 2019. Another 1,226 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Kern County, CA spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $306.2M a year, or $1,075 per household. That is 12% above the U.S. average (an index of 112, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,283 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $239K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 284,931 households in Kern County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Kern County, CA compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
Kern County has 45.0 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 26% above the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $239K, 11% below the U.S. figure of $269K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, Kern County would have about 1,140, against 1,283 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 578 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count rose 10.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Kern County, CA growing?
Population estimates put Kern County at 927,068 people in 2025, up 2.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 284,931 households. The median household income in Kern County is $70,210 a year, 13% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.6% 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. Kern County scores 45 for auto repair and car care businesses (lower middle), #1,431 of 2,401 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Kern 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 Kern County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Kern 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 Kern 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.