Auto · County · Maine
Auto repair and car care businesses in Kennebec County, ME
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for auto repair and car care businesses in Kennebec County, ME, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 23 out of 100: Low
Ranked #2,228 of 2,401 scored counties
#13 of 16 scored counties in Maine
- Listings
- 261
- 58 chain locations (22%)
- Official establishments
- 101
- −5.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $45.1M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $831 a household
- Spending per listing
- $173K
- 36% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 48.1
- 35% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 129,067
- +3.5% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in Kennebec 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 Kennebec 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
Kennebec County scores 23 (low) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses, ranking #2,228 of 2,401 scored counties and #13 of 16 scored counties in Maine. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in Kennebec County comes to about $45.1M a year: $831 per household, 13% below the U.S. average. That is about $173K of household spending for each business on map listings, 36% below the U.S. figure of $269K.
There are 261 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings in Kennebec County as of September 2026. Of those, 58 are chain locations, or 22%, against 24% across the U.S. That is 48.1 per 10,000 households, 35% above the U.S. rate of 35.7.
In 2023, official counts showed 101 businesses with payroll in Kennebec County classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers, down 5.6% from 2019. That is one for every 538 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $966K have gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Kennebec County. Population estimates put the population change in Kennebec County from 2020 to 2025 at +3.5%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Kennebec County compares
The same measures for Maine 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 | Kennebec County | Maine | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 48.1 | 42.2 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $173K | $208K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 538 | 556 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −5.6% | −1.5% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.5% | +3.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $831 | $876 | $958 |
| Median household income | $69,077 | $74,733 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 23 | 23 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 107 → 101−5.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 454
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $21.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 187Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 26158 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 168The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 5
- Amount
- $966K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Kennebec 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 Kennebec County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 129,067+3.5% since 2020
- Households
- 54,312
- Median age
- 43.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 74%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 868 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 146
- Median household income
- $69,077+24.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $88,742
- Median home value
- $238,200
- Jobs located here
- 65,677
- Daytime population
- 134,017Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Kennebec 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 Kennebec 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 Maine
Every Maine market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Maine for auto repair and car care businesses, numbered among those based in Maine, with Kennebec County marked.
Top counties in Maine
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1York County, ME | 46 | 341 | 37.3 | $252K | +4.8% | #1,386 of 2,401 |
| 2Sagadahoc County, ME | 45 | 57 | 34.7 | $269K | +3.4% | #1,413 of 2,401 |
| 3Lincoln County, ME | 45 | 65 | 39.2 | $235K | +3.8% | #1,433 of 2,401 |
| 4Cumberland County, ME | 43 | 464 | 35.1 | $249K | +4.5% | #1,509 of 2,401 |
| 5Piscataquis County, ME | 43 | 34 | 40.5 | $218K | +3.5% | #1,525 of 2,401 |
| 6Waldo County, ME | 38 | 68 | 38.9 | $232K | +2.6% | #1,737 of 2,401 |
| 7Washington County, ME | 32 | 59 | 41.6 | $200K | +0.8% | #1,963 of 2,401 |
| 8Hancock County, ME | 31 | 103 | 40.3 | $217K | +3.0% | #1,995 of 2,401 |
| 9Oxford County, ME | 29 | 128 | 53.0 | $167K | +4.2% | #2,073 of 2,401 |
| 10Androscoggin County, ME | 26 | 209 | 44.5 | $184K | +4.8% | #2,154 of 2,401 |
| 13Kennebec County, ME | 23 | 261 | 48.1 | $173K | +3.5% | #2,228 of 2,401 |
Other business types in Kennebec 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 care23
- Auto repair shops21
- Collision repair and body shops48
- Car washes and detailing57
- Tire shops38
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations45
- Insurance agencies48
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 Kennebec County, ME?
As of September 2026, map listings count 261 auto repair and car care businesses in Kennebec County. 58 of them (22%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 101 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, down 5.6% from 2019. Official counts list 187 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Kennebec County, ME spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $45.1M a year, or $831 per household. That is 13% below the U.S. average (an index of 87, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 261 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $173K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 54,312 households in Kennebec County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Kennebec County, ME compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
Kennebec County has 48.1 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 35% above the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $173K, 36% below the U.S. figure of $269K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, Kennebec County would have about 168, against 261 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 538 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count fell 5.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Kennebec County, ME growing?
Population estimates put Kennebec County at 129,067 people in 2025, up 3.5% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 54,312 households. The median household income in Kennebec County is $69,077 a year, 14% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 24.8% 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. Kennebec County scores 23 for auto repair and car care businesses (low), #2,228 of 2,401 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Kennebec 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 Kennebec County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Kennebec 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 Kennebec 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.