Auto · Metro area · New York
Auto repair and car care businesses in the Rochester, NY metro area
How the Rochester, NY metro area compares with other metro areas 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 30 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #327 of 387 scored metro areas
#8 of 13 scored metro areas based in New York
- Listings
- 1,502
- 428 chain locations (28%)
- Official establishments
- 612
- −3.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $354.4M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $795 a household
- Spending per listing
- $236K
- 12% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 33.7
- 6% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,056,149
- −0.7% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in the Rochester metro 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 Rochester metro 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 Rochester metro area scores 30 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses, ranking #327 of 387 scored metro areas and #8 of 13 scored metro areas based in New York. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 1,502 auto repair and car care businesses in the Rochester metro area. 428 of them (28%) are chain locations, against 24% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 33.7, 6% below the U.S. rate of 35.7.
At $795 per household (17% below the U.S. average), households in the Rochester metro area spend about $354.4M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That works out to $236K per business, 12% below the U.S. figure of $269K.
Official counts show 612 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Rochester metro area in 2023, down 3.3% from 2019. That is one for every 728 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 37 SBA-backed loans worth $9.7M have gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Rochester metro area. Population estimates put the population change in the Rochester metro area from 2020 to 2025 at −0.7%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Rochester metro 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 | Rochester metro area | New York | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 33.7 | 24.9 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $236K | $258K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 728 | 765 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −3.3% | −1.7% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.7% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $795 | $642 | $958 |
| Median household income | $76,284 | $85,974 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 30 | 35 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 612−3.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 3,889
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $193M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 596Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,502428 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,319The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 37
- Amount
- $9.7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Rochester metro 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 Rochester metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,056,149−0.7% since 2020
- Households
- 445,836
- Median age
- 42.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 2,928 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 362
- Median household income
- $76,284
- Average household income
- $100,943
- Median home value
- $204,600
- Jobs located here
- 501,944
- Daytime population
- 1,064,689Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Rochester metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 Rochester metro 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 metro areas in New York for auto repair and car care businesses, numbered among those based in New York, with the Rochester metro area marked.
Top metro areas in New York
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Ithaca, NY | 60 | 95 | 22.0 | $352K | −1.4% | #120 of 387 |
| 2Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY | 50 | 1,073 | 28.0 | $292K | +1.9% | #204 of 387 |
| 3New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 47 | 16,730 | 22.6 | $288K | +0.6% | #224 of 387 |
| 4Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY | 36 | 891 | 35.0 | $259K | +3.0% | #296 of 387 |
| 5Glens Falls, NY | 36 | 179 | 32.8 | $258K | −1.9% | #297 of 387 |
| 6Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY | 36 | 1,495 | 29.8 | $255K | −0.8% | #298 of 387 |
| 7Kingston, NY | 35 | 241 | 32.4 | $270K | +1.1% | #303 of 387 |
| 8Rochester, NY | 30 | 1,502 | 33.7 | $236K | −0.7% | #327 of 387 |
| 9Syracuse, NY | 24 | 917 | 33.8 | $232K | −1.3% | #351 of 387 |
| 10Watertown-Fort Drum, NY | 21 | 176 | 37.0 | $210K | −3.9% | #361 of 387 |
Other business types in the Rochester metro 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 care30
- Auto repair shops24
- Collision repair and body shops35
- Car washes and detailing32
- Tire shops40
- Oil change and quick lube57
- Gas stations38
- Insurance agencies37
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 Rochester, NY metro area?
There are 1,502 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings in the Rochester metro area as of September 2026. 428 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 612 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, down 3.3% from 2019. Official counts list 596 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Rochester, NY metro area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $354.4M a year, or $795 per household. That is 17% below the U.S. average (an index of 83, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,502 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $236K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 445,836 households in the Rochester metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Rochester, NY metro area compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
The Rochester metro area has 33.7 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 6% below the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $236K, 12% below the U.S. figure of $269K. At the national ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, the Rochester metro area would have about 1,319, against 1,502 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 728 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count fell 3.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Rochester, NY metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Rochester metro area at 1,056,149 people in 2025, down 0.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 445,836 households. Median household income in the Rochester metro area is $76,284, 6% below the U.S. median of $80,734.
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. The Rochester metro area scores 30 for auto repair and car care businesses (lower middle), #327 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Rochester metro 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 Rochester metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Rochester metro 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 Rochester metro 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.