Auto · Metro area · Colorado
Auto repair and car care businesses in the Boulder, CO metro area
How the Boulder, CO metro area compares with other metro areas and the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 68 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #65 of 387 scored metro areas
#2 of 7 scored metro areas based in Colorado
- Listings
- 402
- 116 chain locations (29%)
- Official establishments
- 188
- −4.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $147.2M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,074 a household
- Spending per listing
- $366K
- 36% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 29.3
- 18% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 328,560
- −0.7% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in the Boulder 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 Boulder 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 Boulder metro area spend about $147.2M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $1,074 per household, 12% above the U.S. average. Spread across 402 auto repair and car care businesses, that is $366K per business, 36% above the U.S. figure of $269K.
There are 402 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings in the Boulder metro area as of September 2026. Of those, 116 are chain locations, or 29%, against 24% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 29.3, 18% below the U.S. rate of 35.7.
In 2023, official counts showed 188 businesses with payroll in the Boulder metro area classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers, down 4.6% from 2019. That is one for every 729 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Official counts list 170 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 12 SBA-backed loans worth $6.5M have gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Boulder metro area.
Population estimates show the Boulder metro area declined 0.7% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. For auto repair and car care businesses, the Boulder metro area has a Groundwork market score of 68 (upper middle): #65 of 387 scored metro areas and #2 of 7 scored metro areas based in Colorado. That puts it in the top quarter of metro areas.
How the Boulder metro area compares
The same measures for Colorado 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 | Boulder metro area | Colorado | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 29.3 | 37.6 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $366K | $296K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 729 | 620 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −4.6% | +3.6% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.7% | +3.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,074 | $1,112 | $958 |
| Median household income | $103,994 | $95,470 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 68 | 66 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 188−4.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,467
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $82.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 170Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 402116 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 548The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 12
- Amount
- $6.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Boulder 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 Boulder metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 328,560−0.7% since 2020
- Households
- 137,008
- Median age
- 39.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 62%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 726 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 453
- Median household income
- $103,994+25.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $148,846
- Median home value
- $756,300
- Jobs located here
- 190,563
- Daytime population
- 376,803Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Boulder 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 Boulder 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 Colorado
Every Colorado market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Colorado for auto repair and car care businesses, numbered among those based in Colorado, with the Boulder metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Colorado
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Greeley, CO | 73 | 508 | 40.9 | $306K | +14.2% | #40 of 387 |
| 2Boulder, CO | 68 | 402 | 29.3 | $366K | −0.7% | #65 of 387 |
| 3Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | 68 | 4,322 | 35.4 | $308K | +4.1% | #69 of 387 |
| 4Fort Collins-Loveland, CO | 60 | 606 | 39.3 | $291K | +4.8% | #123 of 387 |
| 5Colorado Springs, CO | 53 | 1,239 | 41.0 | $275K | +3.1% | #183 of 387 |
| 6Pueblo, CO | 47 | 253 | 36.9 | $278K | +0.6% | #227 of 387 |
| 7Grand Junction, CO | 45 | 287 | 43.6 | $251K | +4.4% | #241 of 387 |
Other business types in the Boulder 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 care68
- Auto repair shops64
- Collision repair and body shops68
- Car washes and detailing72
- Tire shops69
- Oil change and quick lube53
- Gas stations64
- Insurance agencies23
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 Boulder, CO metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 402 auto repair and car care businesses in the Boulder metro area. 116 of them (29%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 188 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, down 4.6% from 2019. Official counts also show 170 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Boulder, CO metro area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $147.2M a year, or $1,074 per household. That is 12% above the U.S. average (an index of 112, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 402 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $366K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 137,008 households in the Boulder metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Boulder, CO metro area compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
The Boulder metro area has 29.3 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 18% below the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $366K, 36% above the U.S. figure of $269K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, the Boulder metro area would have about 548, against 402 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 729 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count fell 4.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Boulder, CO metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Boulder metro area at 328,560 people in 2025, down 0.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 137,008 households. The median household income in the Boulder metro area is $103,994 a year, 29% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 25.3% 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 Boulder metro area scores 68 for auto repair and car care businesses (upper middle), #65 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 Boulder 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 Boulder metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Boulder 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 Boulder 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.