Auto · County · Delaware
Auto repair and car care businesses in Sussex County, DE
How Sussex County, DE compares with other counties 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 77 out of 100: High
Ranked #192 of 2,401 scored counties
#1 of 3 scored counties in Delaware
- Listings
- 311
- 71 chain locations (23%)
- Official establishments
- 95
- −3.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $101.3M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $952 a household
- Spending per listing
- $326K
- 21% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 29.2
- 18% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 277,140
- +16.1% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in Sussex 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 Sussex 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
The Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses in Sussex County is 77 (high), #192 of 2,401 scored counties and #1 of 3 scored counties in Delaware. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for auto repair and car care businesses.
As of September 2026, map listings count 311 auto repair and car care businesses in Sussex County. Of those, 71 are chain locations, or 23%, against 24% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 29.2, 18% below the U.S. rate of 35.7.
Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in Sussex County comes to about $101.3M a year: $952 per household, in line with the U.S. average. Spread across 311 auto repair and car care businesses, that is $326K per business, 21% above the U.S. figure of $269K.
Official counts show 95 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Sussex County in 2023, down 3.1% from 2019. That is one for every 1,120 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 13 SBA-backed loans worth $6.3M have gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Sussex County. Population estimates put the population change in Sussex County from 2020 to 2025 at +16.1%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Sussex County compares
The same measures for Delaware 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 | Sussex County | Delaware | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 29.2 | 31.4 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $326K | $287K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,120 | 834 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −3.1% | +7.1% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +16.1% | +6.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $952 | $902 | $958 |
| Median household income | $81,497 | $84,954 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 77 | 70 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 98 → 95−3.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 477
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $25.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 262Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 31171 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 377The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 13
- Amount
- $6.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Sussex 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 Sussex County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 277,140+16.1% since 2020
- Households
- 106,441
- Median age
- 49.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 82%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 936 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 273
- Median household income
- $81,497+29.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $109,287
- Median home value
- $382,600
- Jobs located here
- 85,870
- Daytime population
- 239,628Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Sussex 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 Sussex 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 Delaware
Every Delaware market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Delaware for auto repair and car care businesses, numbered among those based in Delaware, with Sussex County marked.
Top counties in Delaware
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Sussex County, DE | 77 | 311 | 29.2 | $326K | +16.1% | #192 of 2,401 |
| 2Kent County, DE | 61 | 224 | 31.4 | $290K | +6.8% | #705 of 2,401 |
| 3New Castle County, DE | 52 | 726 | 32.4 | $270K | +3.0% | #1,133 of 2,401 |
Other business types in Sussex 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 care77
- Auto repair shops77
- Collision repair and body shops86
- Car washes and detailing77
- Tire shops82
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations88
- Insurance agencies91
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 Sussex County, DE?
Sussex County has 311 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 71 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 95 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, down 3.1% from 2019. Official counts list 262 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Sussex County, DE spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $101.3M a year, or $952 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 99, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 311 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $326K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 106,441 households in Sussex County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Sussex County, DE compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
Sussex County has 29.2 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 18% below the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $326K, 21% above the U.S. figure of $269K. At the national ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, Sussex County would have about 377, against 311 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,120 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count fell 3.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Sussex County, DE growing?
Population estimates put Sussex County at 277,140 people in 2025, up 16.1% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 106,441 households. Median household income in Sussex County is $81,497, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.0%, 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. Sussex County scores 77 for auto repair and car care businesses (high), #192 of 2,401 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Sussex 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 Sussex County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Sussex 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 Sussex 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.