Auto · County · California
Auto repair and car care businesses in Santa Cruz County, CA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for auto repair and car care businesses in Santa Cruz County, CA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 62 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #646 of 2,401 scored counties
#20 of 55 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 299
- 50 chain locations (17%)
- Official establishments
- 149
- +4.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $119.2M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,230 a household
- Spending per listing
- $399K
- 48% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 30.9
- 13% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 258,852
- −4.7% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz 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
At $1,230 per household (28% above the U.S. average), households in Santa Cruz County spend about $119.2M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That works out to $399K per business, 48% above the U.S. figure of $269K.
There are 299 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings in Santa Cruz County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 17% of them, against 24% across the U.S. That is 30.9 per 10,000 households, 13% below the U.S. rate of 35.7.
Official counts show 149 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Santa Cruz County in 2023, up 4.2% from 2019. That is one for every 650 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Another 182 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 7 SBA-backed loans worth $3.4M have gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Santa Cruz County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Santa Cruz County declined 4.7%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For auto repair and car care businesses, Santa Cruz County has a Groundwork market score of 62 (upper middle): #646 of 2,401 scored counties and #20 of 55 scored counties in California.
How Santa Cruz 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 | Santa Cruz County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 30.9 | 39.1 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $399K | $287K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 650 | 614 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +4.2% | +3.3% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −4.7% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,230 | $1,122 | $958 |
| Median household income | $111,093 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 62 | 46 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 143 → 149+4.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,013
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $56M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 182Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 29950 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 444The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 7
- Amount
- $3.4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 258,852−4.7% since 2020
- Households
- 96,898
- Median age
- 40.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 60%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 445 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 595
- Median household income
- $111,093+35.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $156,435
- Median home value
- $1,027,500
- Jobs located here
- 95,587
- Daytime population
- 247,989Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz 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 |
| 20Santa Cruz County, CA | 62 | 299 | 30.9 | $399K | −4.7% | #646 of 2,401 |
Other business types in Santa Cruz 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 care62
- Auto repair shops58
- Collision repair and body shops53
- Car washes and detailing77
- Tire shops70
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations69
- Insurance agencies43
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 Santa Cruz County, CA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 299 auto repair and car care businesses in Santa Cruz County. 50 of them (17%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 149 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, up 4.2% from 2019. Official counts list 182 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Santa Cruz County, CA spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $119.2M a year, or $1,230 per household. That is 28% above the U.S. average (an index of 128, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 299 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $399K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 96,898 households in Santa Cruz County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Santa Cruz County, CA compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
Santa Cruz County has 30.9 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 13% below the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $399K, 48% above the U.S. figure of $269K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, Santa Cruz County would have about 444, against 299 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 650 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count rose 4.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Santa Cruz County, CA growing?
Population estimates put Santa Cruz County at 258,852 people in 2025, down 4.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 96,898 households. The median household income in Santa Cruz County is $111,093 a year, 38% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 35.1% 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. Santa Cruz County scores 62 for auto repair and car care businesses (upper middle), #646 of 2,401 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz 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.