Auto · County · New Hampshire
Auto repair and car care businesses in Merrimack County, NH
The auto repair and car care businesses in Merrimack County, NH, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 30 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #2,032 of 2,401 scored counties
#5 of 10 scored counties in New Hampshire
- Listings
- 306
- 72 chain locations (24%)
- Official establishments
- 137
- +5.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $61M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,002 a household
- Spending per listing
- $199K
- 26% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 50.2
- 41% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 158,078
- +2.6% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in Merrimack 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 Merrimack 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 Merrimack County is 30 (lower middle), #2,032 of 2,401 scored counties and #5 of 10 scored counties in New Hampshire. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 306 auto repair and car care businesses in Merrimack County. 72 of them (24%) are chain locations, against 24% across the U.S. That comes to 50.2 for every 10,000 households, 41% above the U.S. rate of 35.7.
Households in Merrimack County spend about $61M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $1,002 per household, 5% above the U.S. average. Spread across 306 auto repair and car care businesses, that is $199K per business, 26% below the U.S. figure of $269K.
In 2023, official counts showed 137 businesses with payroll in Merrimack County classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers, up 5.4% from 2019. That is one for every 445 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 10 SBA-backed loans worth $2.5M have gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Merrimack County. Population estimates show Merrimack County grew 2.6% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Merrimack County compares
The same measures for New Hampshire 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 | Merrimack County | New Hampshire | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 50.2 | 46.3 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $199K | $210K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 445 | 469 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +5.4% | +4.7% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.6% | +2.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,002 | $974 | $958 |
| Median household income | $97,004 | $99,031 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 30 | 23 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 130 → 137+5.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 632
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $35.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 174Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 30672 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 227The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 10
- Amount
- $2.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Merrimack 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 Merrimack County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 158,078+2.6% since 2020
- Households
- 60,901
- Median age
- 43.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 933 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 167
- Median household income
- $97,004+28.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $123,673
- Median home value
- $367,600
- Jobs located here
- 83,058
- Daytime population
- 159,180Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Merrimack 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 Merrimack 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 New Hampshire
Every New Hampshire market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in New Hampshire for auto repair and car care businesses, numbered among those based in New Hampshire, with Merrimack County marked.
Top counties in New Hampshire
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Hillsborough County, NH | 38 | 667 | 39.5 | $244K | +2.5% | #1,731 of 2,401 |
| 2Strafford County, NH | 36 | 212 | 40.7 | $230K | +3.0% | #1,803 of 2,401 |
| 3Rockingham County, NH | 32 | 655 | 51.3 | $204K | +3.0% | #1,962 of 2,401 |
| 4Carroll County, NH | 31 | 108 | 49.4 | $195K | +5.0% | #2,010 of 2,401 |
| 5Merrimack County, NH | 30 | 306 | 50.2 | $199K | +2.6% | #2,032 of 2,401 |
| 6Grafton County, NH | 29 | 174 | 46.9 | $191K | +2.2% | #2,067 of 2,401 |
| 7Belknap County, NH | 26 | 127 | 48.2 | $201K | +2.1% | #2,148 of 2,401 |
| 8Cheshire County, NH | 25 | 149 | 48.7 | $193K | +2.3% | #2,173 of 2,401 |
| 9Sullivan County, NH | 20 | 95 | 57.2 | $162K | +2.1% | #2,275 of 2,401 |
| 10Coos County, NH | 11 | 78 | 55.7 | $144K | +0.4% | #2,380 of 2,401 |
Other business types in Merrimack 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 care30
- Auto repair shops27
- Collision repair and body shops41
- Car washes and detailing53
- Tire shops71
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations51
- Insurance agencies44
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 Merrimack County, NH?
There are 306 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings in Merrimack County as of September 2026. 72 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 137 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, up 5.4% from 2019. Official counts also show 174 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Merrimack County, NH spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $61M a year, or $1,002 per household. That is 5% above the U.S. average (an index of 105, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 306 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $199K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 60,901 households in Merrimack County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Merrimack County, NH compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
Merrimack County has 50.2 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 41% above the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $199K, 26% below the U.S. figure of $269K. At the national ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, Merrimack County would have about 227, against 306 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 445 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Merrimack County, NH growing?
Population estimates put Merrimack County at 158,078 people in 2025, up 2.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 60,901 households. Median household income in Merrimack County is $97,004, 20% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 28.1%, 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. Merrimack County scores 30 for auto repair and car care businesses (lower middle), #2,032 of 2,401 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Merrimack 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 Merrimack County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Merrimack 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 Merrimack 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.