Auto · County · Maryland
Auto repair and car care businesses in Howard County, MD
How Howard County, MD 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 75 out of 100: High
Ranked #220 of 2,401 scored counties
#1 of 24 scored counties in Maryland
- Listings
- 285
- 80 chain locations (28%)
- Official establishments
- 133
- −4.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $126.2M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,043 a household
- Spending per listing
- $443K
- 65% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 23.5
- 34% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 339,183
- +1.9% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in Howard 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 Howard 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
Howard County scores 75 (high) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses, ranking #220 of 2,401 scored counties and #1 of 24 scored counties in Maryland. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for auto repair and car care businesses.
At $1,043 per household (9% above the U.S. average), households in Howard County spend about $126.2M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. Spread across 285 auto repair and car care businesses, that is $443K per business, 65% above the U.S. figure of $269K.
Howard County has 285 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 80 of them (28%) are chain locations, against 24% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 23.5, 34% below the U.S. rate of 35.7.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Howard County was 133 in 2023, down 4.3% from 2019. That is one for every 910 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 10 SBA-backed loans worth $4.4M have gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Howard County. Population estimates put the population change in Howard County from 2020 to 2025 at +1.9%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Howard County compares
The same measures for Maryland 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 | Howard County | Maryland | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 23.5 | 31.5 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $443K | $288K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 910 | 734 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −4.3% | +0.8% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.9% | +1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,043 | $908 | $958 |
| Median household income | $149,763 | $103,678 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 75 | 54 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 139 → 133−4.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,265
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $66.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 169Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 28580 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 470The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 10
- Amount
- $4.4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Howard 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 Howard County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 339,183+1.9% since 2020
- Households
- 121,065
- Median age
- 40.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 251 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,340
- Median household income
- $149,763+23.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $184,243
- Median home value
- $597,900
- Jobs located here
- 185,575
- Daytime population
- 363,145Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Howard 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 Howard 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 Maryland
Every Maryland market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Maryland for auto repair and car care businesses, numbered among those based in Maryland, with Howard County marked.
Top counties in Maryland
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Howard County, MD | 75 | 285 | 23.5 | $443K | +1.9% | #220 of 2,401 |
| 2Calvert County, MD | 72 | 119 | 35.6 | $351K | +1.7% | #300 of 2,401 |
| 3Frederick County, MD | 70 | 337 | 32.2 | $333K | +11.0% | #365 of 2,401 |
| 4Worcester County, MD | 68 | 73 | 30.2 | $311K | +3.7% | #436 of 2,401 |
| 5St. Mary’s County, MD | 68 | 152 | 35.8 | $307K | +2.4% | #438 of 2,401 |
| 6Somerset County, MD | 67 | 20 | 24.0 | $367K | +1.7% | #453 of 2,401 |
| 7Montgomery County, MD | 65 | 924 | 23.7 | $382K | +1.3% | #521 of 2,401 |
| 8Charles County, MD | 64 | 235 | 38.6 | $290K | +5.9% | #589 of 2,401 |
| 9Cecil County, MD | 58 | 137 | 33.7 | $301K | +3.2% | #832 of 2,401 |
| 10Harford County, MD | 56 | 338 | 33.2 | $304K | +2.0% | #923 of 2,401 |
Other business types in Howard 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 care75
- Auto repair shops73
- Collision repair and body shops69
- Car washes and detailing79
- Tire shops80
- Oil change and quick lube68
- Gas stations82
- Insurance agencies53
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 Howard County, MD?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 285 auto repair and car care businesses in Howard County. 80 of them (28%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 133 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, down 4.3% from 2019. Official counts also show 169 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Howard County, MD spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $126.2M a year, or $1,043 per household. That is 9% above the U.S. average (an index of 109, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 285 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $443K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 121,065 households in Howard County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Howard County, MD compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
Howard County has 23.5 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 34% below the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $443K, 65% above the U.S. figure of $269K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, Howard County would have about 470, against 285 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 910 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count fell 4.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Howard County, MD growing?
Population estimates put Howard County at 339,183 people in 2025, up 1.9% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 121,065 households. The median household income in Howard County is $149,763 a year, 86% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.6% 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. Howard County scores 75 for auto repair and car care businesses (high), #220 of 2,401 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Howard 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 Howard County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Howard 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 Howard 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.