Auto · County · Florida
Auto repair and car care businesses in Highlands County, FL
The auto repair and car care businesses in Highlands County, FL, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 47 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,346 of 2,401 scored counties
#37 of 64 scored counties in Florida
- Listings
- 161
- 38 chain locations (24%)
- Official establishments
- 55
- +10.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $35.8M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $763 a household
- Spending per listing
- $222K
- 17% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 34.3
- 4% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 111,122
- +9.7% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in Highlands 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 Highlands 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
Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in Highlands County comes to about $35.8M a year: $763 per household, 20% below the U.S. average. That is about $222K of household spending for each business on map listings, 17% below the U.S. figure of $269K.
There are 161 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings in Highlands County as of September 2026. 38 of them (24%) are chain locations, against 24% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 34.3, 4% below the U.S. rate of 35.7.
In 2023, official counts showed 55 businesses with payroll in Highlands County classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers, up 10.0% from 2019. That is one for every 852 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Official counts list 154 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $3M have gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Highlands County.
Population estimates put the population change in Highlands County from 2020 to 2025 at +9.7%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Highlands County scores 47 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses, ranking #1,346 of 2,401 scored counties and #37 of 64 scored counties in Florida.
How Highlands County compares
The same measures for Florida 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 | Highlands County | Florida | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 34.3 | 36.3 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $222K | $230K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 852 | 692 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +10.0% | +8.0% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +9.7% | +8.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $763 | $835 | $958 |
| Median household income | $54,897 | $74,568 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 47 | 39 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 50 → 55+10.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 278
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $12.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 154Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 16138 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 133The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Highlands 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 Highlands County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 111,122+9.7% since 2020
- Households
- 46,879
- Median age
- 52.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 79%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 1,018 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 104
- Median household income
- $54,897+34.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $71,953
- Median home value
- $187,900
- Jobs located here
- 28,038
- Daytime population
- 94,243Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Highlands 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 Highlands 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 Florida
Every Florida market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Florida for auto repair and car care businesses, numbered among those based in Florida, with Highlands County marked.
Top counties in Florida
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1St. Johns County, FL | 84 | 246 | 21.2 | $459K | +25.0% | #62 of 2,401 |
| 2Walton County, FL | 83 | 77 | 22.4 | $423K | +22.9% | #83 of 2,401 |
| 3Santa Rosa County, FL | 81 | 200 | 27.5 | $372K | +11.7% | #106 of 2,401 |
| 4Sumter County, FL | 80 | 78 | 11.1 | $647K | +21.1% | #111 of 2,401 |
| 5Gilchrist County, FL | 79 | 23 | 32.2 | $308K | +14.5% | #151 of 2,401 |
| 6Nassau County, FL | 78 | 114 | 29.0 | $340K | +17.4% | #168 of 2,401 |
| 7Flagler County, FL | 72 | 139 | 26.4 | $331K | +21.0% | #305 of 2,401 |
| 8Union County, FL | 72 | 13 | 30.1 | $317K | +5.2% | #313 of 2,401 |
| 9Wakulla County, FL | 71 | 42 | 33.0 | $309K | +12.3% | #345 of 2,401 |
| 10Gulf County, FL | 70 | 19 | 32.0 | $283K | +11.7% | #372 of 2,401 |
| 37Highlands County, FL | 47 | 161 | 34.3 | $222K | +9.7% | #1,346 of 2,401 |
Other business types in Highlands 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 care47
- Auto repair shops49
- Collision repair and body shops63
- Car washes and detailing52
- Tire shops45
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations60
- Insurance agencies79
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 Highlands County, FL?
As of September 2026, map listings count 161 auto repair and car care businesses in Highlands County. 38 of them (24%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 55 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, up 10.0% from 2019. Official counts also show 154 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Highlands County, FL spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $35.8M a year, or $763 per household. That is 20% below the U.S. average (an index of 80, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 161 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $222K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 46,879 households in Highlands County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Highlands County, FL compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
Highlands County has 34.3 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 4% below the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $222K, 17% below the U.S. figure of $269K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, Highlands County would have about 133, against 161 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 852 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count rose 10.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Highlands County, FL growing?
Population estimates put Highlands County at 111,122 people in 2025, up 9.7% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 46,879 households. The median household income in Highlands County is $54,897 a year, 32% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 34.1% 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. Highlands County scores 47 for auto repair and car care businesses (lower middle), #1,346 of 2,401 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Highlands 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 Highlands County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Highlands 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 Highlands 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.