Auto · County · Connecticut
Auto repair and car care businesses in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region, CT
The auto repair and car care businesses in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region, CT, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 42 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,555 of 2,401 scored counties
#9 of 9 scored counties in Connecticut
- Listings
- 785
- 184 chain locations (23%)
- Official establishments
- 327
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $193M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $837 a household
- Spending per listing
- $246K
- 8% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 34.0
- 5% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 578,741
- +2.5% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region
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 South Central Connecticut Planning Region. 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
Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region comes to about $193M a year: $837 per household, 13% below the U.S. average. That is about $246K of household spending for each business on map listings, 8% below the U.S. figure of $269K.
The South Central Connecticut Planning Region has 785 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 184 of them (23%) are chain locations, against 24% across the U.S. That is 34.0 per 10,000 households, 5% below the U.S. rate of 35.7.
Official counts show 327 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region in 2023. That is one for every 705 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Another 314 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 17 SBA-backed loans worth $5M have gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region.
Population estimates show the South Central Connecticut Planning Region grew 2.5% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The South Central Connecticut Planning Region scores 42 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses, ranking #1,555 of 2,401 scored counties and #9 of 9 scored counties in Connecticut.
How the South Central Connecticut Planning Region 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 | South Central Connecticut Planning Region | Connecticut | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 34.0 | 30.5 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $246K | $296K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 705 | 757 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −1.8% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.5% | +3.0% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $837 | $902 | $958 |
| Median household income | $88,197 | $95,781 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 42 | 65 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 327
- Employees, 2023
- 1,901
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $93.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 314Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 785184 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 719The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 17
- Amount
- $5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region, 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 South Central Connecticut Planning Region
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 578,741+2.5% since 2020
- Households
- 230,673
- Median age
- 41.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 61%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 367 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,554
- Median household income
- $88,197
- Average household income
- $121,518
- Median home value
- $353,100
- Jobs located here
- 298,580
- Daytime population
- 597,614Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region?
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 the South Central Connecticut Planning Region. 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 counties in Connecticut for auto repair and car care businesses, numbered among those based in Connecticut, with the South Central Connecticut Planning Region marked.
Top counties in Connecticut
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Western Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 69 | 661 | 28.1 | $354K | +3.5% | #381 of 2,401 |
| 2Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 67 | 124 | 31.5 | $323K | +3.0% | #463 of 2,401 |
| 3Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT | 65 | 216 | 29.2 | $336K | +2.3% | #527 of 2,401 |
| 4Northwest Hills Planning Region, CT | 63 | 141 | 29.5 | $328K | +2.2% | #618 of 2,401 |
| 5Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 63 | 325 | 28.1 | $316K | +2.0% | #622 of 2,401 |
| 6Greater Bridgeport Planning Region, CT | 58 | 346 | 28.9 | $305K | +4.1% | #831 of 2,401 |
| 7Capitol Planning Region, CT | 55 | 1,201 | 30.7 | $284K | +3.1% | #976 of 2,401 |
| 8Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, CT | 54 | 576 | 32.0 | $276K | +3.2% | #1,036 of 2,401 |
| 9South Central Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 42 | 785 | 34.0 | $246K | +2.5% | #1,555 of 2,401 |
Other business types in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region
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 care42
- Auto repair shops41
- Collision repair and body shops39
- Car washes and detailing39
- Tire shops58
- Oil change and quick lube61
- Gas stations46
- Insurance agencies37
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 South Central Connecticut Planning Region, CT?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 785 auto repair and car care businesses in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region. 184 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 327 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023. Official counts list 314 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region, CT spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $193M a year, or $837 per household. That is 13% below the U.S. average (an index of 87, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 785 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $246K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 230,673 households in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region and national spending patterns by income.
How does the South Central Connecticut Planning Region, CT compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
The South Central Connecticut Planning Region has 34.0 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 5% below the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $246K, 8% below the U.S. figure of $269K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, the South Central Connecticut Planning Region would have about 719, against 785 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 705 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S.
How fast is the South Central Connecticut Planning Region, CT growing?
Population estimates put the South Central Connecticut Planning Region at 578,741 people in 2025, up 2.5% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 230,673 households. The median household income in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region is $88,197 a year, 9% 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 South Central Connecticut Planning Region scores 42 for auto repair and car care businesses (lower middle), #1,555 of 2,401 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region. 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 South Central Connecticut Planning Region
Screening a site or an acquisition in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region?
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 South Central Connecticut Planning Region. 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.