Auto · County · Georgia
Auto repair and car care businesses in Columbia County, GA
How Columbia County, GA 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 67 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #457 of 2,401 scored counties
#28 of 124 scored counties in Georgia
- Listings
- 167
- 78 chain locations (47%)
- Official establishments
- 90
- +18.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $56.6M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,027 a household
- Spending per listing
- $339K
- 26% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 30.3
- 15% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 169,189
- +7.9% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in Columbia 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 Columbia 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 167 auto repair and car care businesses in Columbia County. Chain locations make up 47% of them, against 24% across the U.S. That is 30.3 per 10,000 households, 15% below the U.S. rate of 35.7.
Households in Columbia County spend about $56.6M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $1,027 per household, 7% above the U.S. average. That works out to $339K per business, 26% above the U.S. figure of $269K.
Official counts show 90 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Columbia County in 2023, up 18.4% from 2019. That is one for every 613 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Another 152 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $1.5M have gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Columbia County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Columbia County grew 7.9%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For auto repair and car care businesses, Columbia County has a Groundwork market score of 67 (upper middle): #457 of 2,401 scored counties and #28 of 124 scored counties in Georgia. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Columbia County compares
The same measures for Georgia 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 | Columbia County | Georgia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 30.3 | 39.0 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $339K | $237K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 613 | 711 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +18.4% | +6.4% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +7.9% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,027 | $923 | $958 |
| Median household income | $95,592 | $77,353 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 67 | 48 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 76 → 90+18.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 779
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $38.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 152Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 16778 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 211The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $1.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Columbia 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 Columbia County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 169,189+7.9% since 2020
- Households
- 55,149
- Median age
- 38.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 78%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 290 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 560
- Median household income
- $95,592+16.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $119,651
- Median home value
- $305,300
- Jobs located here
- 38,609
- Daytime population
- 137,846Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Columbia 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 Columbia 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 Georgia
Every Georgia market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Georgia for auto repair and car care businesses, numbered among those based in Georgia, with Columbia County marked.
Top counties in Georgia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Pike County, GA | 95 | 17 | 25.3 | $490K | +10.5% | #3 of 2,401 |
| 2Harris County, GA | 93 | 13 | 10.0 | $1.2M | +6.8% | #8 of 2,401 |
| 3Banks County, GA | 90 | 12 | 17.5 | $637K | +17.3% | #18 of 2,401 |
| 4Bryan County, GA | 87 | 42 | 25.3 | $441K | +15.6% | #36 of 2,401 |
| 5Jasper County, GA | 87 | 15 | 25.1 | $417K | +20.2% | #38 of 2,401 |
| 6Greene County, GA | 86 | 23 | 28.1 | $380K | +12.3% | #46 of 2,401 |
| 7Oconee County, GA | 85 | 30 | 20.0 | $652K | +6.9% | #47 of 2,401 |
| 8Effingham County, GA | 83 | 58 | 23.9 | $446K | +14.1% | #79 of 2,401 |
| 9Long County, GA | 83 | 15 | 24.3 | $385K | +32.6% | #87 of 2,401 |
| 10Murray County, GA | 82 | 44 | 28.9 | $366K | +4.0% | #94 of 2,401 |
| 28Columbia County, GA | 67 | 167 | 30.3 | $339K | +7.9% | #457 of 2,401 |
Other business types in Columbia 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 care67
- Auto repair shops72
- Collision repair and body shops65
- Car washes and detailing55
- Tire shops61
- Oil change and quick lube34
- Gas stations87
- Insurance agencies78
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 Columbia County, GA?
There are 167 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings in Columbia County as of September 2026. 78 of them (47%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 90 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, up 18.4% from 2019. Official counts list 152 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Columbia County, GA spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $56.6M a year, or $1,027 per household. That is 7% above the U.S. average (an index of 107, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 167 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $339K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 55,149 households in Columbia County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Columbia County, GA compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
Columbia County has 30.3 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 15% below the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $339K, 26% above the U.S. figure of $269K. At the national ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, Columbia County would have about 211, against 167 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 613 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count rose 18.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Columbia County, GA growing?
Population estimates put Columbia County at 169,189 people in 2025, up 7.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 55,149 households. Median household income in Columbia County is $95,592, 18% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 16.1%, 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. Columbia County scores 67 for auto repair and car care businesses (upper middle), #457 of 2,401 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Columbia 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 Columbia County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Columbia 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 Columbia 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.