Auto · County · New Jersey
Auto repair and car care businesses in Union County, NJ
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for auto repair and car care businesses in Union County, NJ, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 42 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,543 of 2,401 scored counties
#19 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey
- Listings
- 673
- 118 chain locations (18%)
- Official establishments
- 397
- +4.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $179M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $881 a household
- Spending per listing
- $266K
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 33.1
- 7% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 601,863
- +5.0% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in Union 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 Union 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
Households in Union County spend about $179M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $881 per household, 8% below the U.S. average. That is about $266K of household spending for each business on map listings, in line with the U.S. figure of $269K.
Union County has 673 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 18% of them, against 24% across the U.S. That comes to 33.1 for every 10,000 households, 7% 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 Union County was 397 in 2023, up 4.5% from 2019. That is one for every 512 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Another 551 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 23 SBA-backed loans worth $14.3M have gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Union County.
Population estimates put the population change in Union County from 2020 to 2025 at +5.0%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For auto repair and car care businesses, Union County has a Groundwork market score of 42 (lower middle): #1,543 of 2,401 scored counties and #19 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey.
How Union 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 | Union County | New Jersey | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 33.1 | 28.5 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $266K | $304K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 512 | 692 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +4.5% | +0.4% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +5.0% | +3.0% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $881 | $865 | $958 |
| Median household income | $103,202 | $103,556 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 42 | 58 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 380 → 397+4.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,098
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $111.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 551Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 673118 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 667The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 23
- Amount
- $14.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Union 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 Union County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 601,863+5.0% since 2020
- Households
- 203,277
- Median age
- 39.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 57%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 103 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 5,637
- Median household income
- $103,202+28.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $149,596
- Median home value
- $529,200
- Jobs located here
- 247,379
- Daytime population
- 551,422Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Union 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 Union 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 Union 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 |
| 19Union County, NJ | 42 | 673 | 33.1 | $266K | +5.0% | #1,543 of 2,401 |
Other business types in Union 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 care42
- Auto repair shops36
- Collision repair and body shops32
- Car washes and detailing40
- Tire shops63
- Oil change and quick lube68
- Gas stations57
- Insurance agencies51
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 Union County, NJ?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 673 auto repair and car care businesses in Union County. 118 of them (18%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 397 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, up 4.5% from 2019. Official counts list 551 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Union County, NJ spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $179M a year, or $881 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 673 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $266K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 203,277 households in Union County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Union County, NJ compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
Union County has 33.1 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 7% below the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $266K, in line with the U.S. figure of $269K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, Union County would have about 667, against 673 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 512 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count rose 4.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Union County, NJ growing?
Population estimates put Union County at 601,863 people in 2025, up 5.0% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 203,277 households. The median household income in Union County is $103,202 a year, 28% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 28.7% 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. Union County scores 42 for auto repair and car care businesses (lower middle), #1,543 of 2,401 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Union 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 Union County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Union 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 Union 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.