Auto · Small-town market · New York
Auto repair and car care businesses in the Cortland, NY area
The auto repair and car care businesses in the Cortland, NY area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 22 out of 100: Low
Ranked #502 of 538 scored small-town markets
#11 of 14 scored small-town markets based in New York
- Listings
- 73
- 25 chain locations (34%)
- Official establishments
- 41
- −10.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $15.9M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $836 a household
- Spending per listing
- $218K
- 19% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 38.4
- 8% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 45,850
- −1.9% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in the Cortland area
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 the Cortland area. 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 Cortland area scores 22 (low) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses, ranking #502 of 538 scored small-town markets and #11 of 14 scored small-town markets based in New York. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.
As of September 2026, map listings count 73 auto repair and car care businesses in the Cortland area. Of those, 25 are chain locations, or 34%, against 24% across the U.S. That is 38.4 per 10,000 households, 8% above the U.S. rate of 35.7.
Households in the Cortland area spend about $15.9M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $836 per household, 13% below the U.S. average. Spread across 73 auto repair and car care businesses, that is $218K per business, 19% below the U.S. figure of $269K.
Official counts show 41 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Cortland area in 2023, down 10.9% from 2019. That is one for every 463 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Population estimates put the population change in the Cortland area from 2020 to 2025 at −1.9%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Cortland area compares
The same measures for New York 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 | Cortland area | New York | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 38.4 | 24.9 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $218K | $258K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 463 | 765 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −10.9% | −1.7% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.9% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $836 | $642 | $958 |
| Median household income | $70,418 | $85,974 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 22 | 35 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 41−10.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 232
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $11.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 33Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 7325 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 59The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Cortland area, 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 the Cortland area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 45,850−1.9% since 2020
- Households
- 18,999
- Median age
- 39.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 499 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 93
- Median household income
- $70,418+25.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $85,337
- Median home value
- $162,100
- Jobs located here
- 17,001
- Daytime population
- 43,892Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Cortland area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 the Cortland area. 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 York
Every New York market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in New York for auto repair and car care businesses, numbered among those based in New York, with the Cortland area marked.
Top small-town markets in New York
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Monticello, NY | 58 | 101 | 32.1 | $264K | +2.7% | #196 of 538 |
| 2Hudson, NY | 51 | 83 | 31.2 | $284K | −2.1% | #254 of 538 |
| 3Oneonta, NY | 47 | 85 | 36.7 | $226K | +3.8% | #304 of 538 |
| 4Plattsburgh, NY | 42 | 119 | 35.5 | $228K | −2.0% | #350 of 538 |
| 5Massena-Ogdensburg, NY | 38 | 139 | 33.4 | $231K | −2.5% | #394 of 538 |
| 6Olean, NY | 35 | 112 | 35.1 | $219K | −2.1% | #414 of 538 |
| 7Gloversville, NY | 29 | 84 | 36.7 | $212K | −1.6% | #456 of 538 |
| 8Batavia, NY | 26 | 110 | 44.2 | $190K | +0.2% | #482 of 538 |
| 9Seneca Falls, NY | 25 | 61 | 44.8 | $182K | −1.7% | #487 of 538 |
| 10Amsterdam, NY | 23 | 89 | 45.4 | $171K | +1.1% | #498 of 538 |
| 11Cortland, NY | 22 | 73 | 38.4 | $218K | −1.9% | #502 of 538 |
Other business types in the Cortland area
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 care22
- Auto repair shops21
- Collision repair and body shops37
- Car washes and detailing52
- Tire shops20
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations39
- Insurance agencies33
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 the Cortland, NY area?
The Cortland area has 73 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 25 of them (34%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 41 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, down 10.9% from 2019. Official counts list 33 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Cortland, NY area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $15.9M a year, or $836 per household. That is 13% below the U.S. average (an index of 87, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 73 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $218K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 18,999 households in the Cortland area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Cortland, NY area compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
The Cortland area has 38.4 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 8% above the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $218K, 19% below the U.S. figure of $269K. At the national ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, the Cortland area would have about 59, against 73 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 463 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count fell 10.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Cortland, NY area growing?
Population estimates put the Cortland area at 45,850 people in 2025, down 1.9% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 18,999 households. Median household income in the Cortland area is $70,418, 13% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.7%, 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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. The Cortland area scores 22 for auto repair and car care businesses (low), #502 of 538 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Cortland area. 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 the Cortland area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Cortland area?
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 the Cortland area. 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.