Auto · County · New Jersey
Auto repair and car care businesses in Essex County, NJ
The auto repair and car care businesses in Essex County, NJ, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 45 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,415 of 2,401 scored counties
#17 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey
- Listings
- 802
- 114 chain locations (14%)
- Official establishments
- 483
- +0.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $214.4M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $670 a household
- Spending per listing
- $267K
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 25.1
- 30% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 896,379
- +4.2% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in Essex 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 Essex 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
At $670 per household (30% below the U.S. average), households in Essex County spend about $214.4M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That is about $267K of household spending for each business on map listings, in line with the U.S. figure of $269K.
Essex County has 802 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 114 of them (14%) are chain locations, against 24% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 25.1, 30% below the U.S. rate of 35.7.
Official counts show 483 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Essex County in 2023, up 0.2% from 2019. That is one for every 662 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Another 644 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 23 SBA-backed loans worth $7.3M have gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Essex County.
Population estimates show Essex County grew 4.2% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses in Essex County is 45 (lower middle), #1,415 of 2,401 scored counties and #17 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey.
How Essex County compares
The same measures for New Jersey 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 | Essex County | New Jersey | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 25.1 | 28.5 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $267K | $304K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 662 | 692 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +0.2% | +0.4% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.2% | +3.0% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $670 | $865 | $958 |
| Median household income | $80,789 | $103,556 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 45 | 58 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 482 → 483+0.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 3,608
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $191.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 644Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 802114 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 798The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 23
- Amount
- $7.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Essex 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 Essex County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 896,379+4.2% since 2020
- Households
- 319,788
- Median age
- 38.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 45%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.3
- Land area
- 126 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 6,845
- Median household income
- $80,789+31.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $131,554
- Median home value
- $524,100
- Jobs located here
- 362,597
- Daytime population
- 843,719Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Essex 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 Essex 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 Jersey
Every New Jersey market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in New Jersey for auto repair and car care businesses, numbered among those based in New Jersey, with Essex County marked.
Top counties in New Jersey
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Somerset County, NJ | 77 | 276 | 21.1 | $487K | +3.5% | #175 of 2,401 |
| 2Burlington County, NJ | 70 | 501 | 28.3 | $348K | +4.3% | #359 of 2,401 |
| 3Ocean County, NJ | 68 | 671 | 27.5 | $329K | +5.6% | #428 of 2,401 |
| 4Gloucester County, NJ | 63 | 349 | 31.0 | $323K | +3.3% | #620 of 2,401 |
| 5Monmouth County, NJ | 62 | 716 | 28.4 | $350K | +1.4% | #653 of 2,401 |
| 6Mercer County, NJ | 62 | 374 | 26.0 | $328K | +3.3% | #657 of 2,401 |
| 7Sussex County, NJ | 60 | 189 | 32.7 | $328K | +2.9% | #728 of 2,401 |
| 8Hudson County, NJ | 60 | 459 | 15.3 | $324K | +1.8% | #730 of 2,401 |
| 9Hunterdon County, NJ | 59 | 194 | 38.1 | $291K | +2.3% | #793 of 2,401 |
| 10Morris County, NJ | 58 | 616 | 31.9 | $322K | +3.2% | #824 of 2,401 |
| 17Essex County, NJ | 45 | 802 | 25.1 | $267K | +4.2% | #1,415 of 2,401 |
Other business types in Essex 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 care45
- Auto repair shops36
- Collision repair and body shops30
- Car washes and detailing55
- Tire shops52
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations64
- 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 Essex County, NJ?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 802 auto repair and car care businesses in Essex County. 114 of them (14%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 483 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, up 0.2% from 2019. Official counts list 644 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Essex County, NJ spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $214.4M a year, or $670 per household. That is 30% below the U.S. average (an index of 70, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 802 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $267K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 319,788 households in Essex County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Essex County, NJ compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
Essex County has 25.1 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 30% below the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $267K, in line with the U.S. figure of $269K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, Essex County would have about 798, against 802 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 662 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count rose 0.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Essex County, NJ growing?
Population estimates put Essex County at 896,379 people in 2025, up 4.2% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 319,788 households. The median household income in Essex County is $80,789 a year, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.3% 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. Essex County scores 45 for auto repair and car care businesses (lower middle), #1,415 of 2,401 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Essex 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 Essex County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Essex 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 Essex 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.