Auto · Metro area · Connecticut
Auto repair and car care businesses in the Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT metro area
How the Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT 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 67 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #71 of 387 scored metro areas
#2 of 5 scored metro areas based in Connecticut
- Listings
- 325
- 96 chain locations (30%)
- Official establishments
- 122
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $102.8M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $888 a household
- Spending per listing
- $316K
- 18% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 28.1
- 21% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 284,015
- +2.0% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in the Norwich-New London-Willimantic 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 Norwich-New London-Willimantic 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 325 auto repair and car care businesses in the Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area. 96 of them (30%) are chain locations, against 24% across the U.S. That comes to 28.1 for every 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 35.7.
Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in the Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area comes to about $102.8M a year: $888 per household, 7% below the U.S. average. That works out to $316K per business, 18% above the U.S. figure of $269K.
In 2023, official counts showed 122 businesses with payroll in the Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers. That is one for every 949 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Another 131 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 10 SBA-backed loans worth $3.2M have gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area grew 2.0%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses in the Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area is 67 (upper middle), #71 of 387 scored metro areas and #2 of 5 scored metro areas based in Connecticut. That puts it in the top quarter of metro areas.
How the Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area compares
The same measures for Connecticut 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 | Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area | Connecticut | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 28.1 | 30.5 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $316K | $296K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 949 | 757 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −1.8% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.0% | +3.0% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $888 | $902 | $958 |
| Median household income | $86,586 | $95,781 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 67 | 65 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 122
- Employees, 2023
- 644
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $31.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 131Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 32596 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 383The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 10
- Amount
- $3.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Norwich-New London-Willimantic 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 Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 284,015+2.0% since 2020
- Households
- 115,768
- Median age
- 42.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 65%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 598 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 468
- Median household income
- $86,586
- Average household income
- $111,769
- Median home value
- $323,400
- Jobs located here
- 118,380
- Daytime population
- 270,328Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Norwich-New London-Willimantic 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 Norwich-New London-Willimantic 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 Connecticut
Every Connecticut market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Connecticut for auto repair and car care businesses, numbered among those based in Connecticut, with the Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Connecticut
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | 70 | 1,007 | 28.4 | $337K | +3.7% | #51 of 387 |
| 2Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT | 67 | 325 | 28.1 | $316K | +2.0% | #71 of 387 |
| 3Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | 59 | 1,417 | 30.5 | $292K | +3.0% | #131 of 387 |
| 4Waterbury-Shelton, CT | 55 | 576 | 32.0 | $276K | +3.2% | #163 of 387 |
| 5New Haven, CT | 38 | 785 | 34.0 | $246K | +2.5% | #288 of 387 |
Other business types in the Norwich-New London-Willimantic 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 care67
- Auto repair shops67
- Collision repair and body shops57
- Car washes and detailing63
- Tire shops61
- Oil change and quick lube37
- Gas stations27
- Insurance agencies69
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 Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT metro area?
The Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area has 325 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 96 of them (30%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 122 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023. Official counts list 131 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT metro area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $102.8M a year, or $888 per household. That is 7% below the U.S. average (an index of 93, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 325 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $316K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 115,768 households in the Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT metro area compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
The Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area has 28.1 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $316K, 18% above the U.S. figure of $269K. At the national ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, the Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area would have about 383, against 325 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 949 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S.
How fast is the Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area at 284,015 people in 2025, up 2.0% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 115,768 households. Median household income in the Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area is $86,586, 7% above the U.S. median of $80,734.
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 Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area scores 67 for auto repair and car care businesses (upper middle), #71 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 Norwich-New London-Willimantic 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 Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Norwich-New London-Willimantic 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 Norwich-New London-Willimantic 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.