Auto · County · North Carolina
Auto repair and car care businesses in Caldwell County, NC
How Caldwell County, NC compares with other counties 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 40 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,651 of 2,401 scored counties
#76 of 96 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 118
- 28 chain locations (24%)
- Official establishments
- 57
- +9.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $31M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $942 a household
- Spending per listing
- $263K
- 2% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 35.8
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 81,105
- +0.7% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in Caldwell 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 Caldwell 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 Caldwell County spend about $31M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $942 per household, 2% below the U.S. average. That is about $263K of household spending for each business on map listings, 2% below the U.S. figure of $269K.
Caldwell County has 118 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 28 of them (24%) are chain locations, against 24% across the U.S. That is 35.8 per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 35.7.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Caldwell County was 57 in 2023, up 9.6% from 2019. That is one for every 578 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Official counts also show 135 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $922K have gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Caldwell County.
Population estimates show Caldwell County grew 0.7% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Caldwell County scores 40 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses, ranking #1,651 of 2,401 scored counties and #76 of 96 scored counties in North Carolina.
How Caldwell County compares
The same measures for North Carolina 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 | Caldwell County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 35.8 | 36.7 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $263K | $256K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 578 | 702 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +9.6% | +3.5% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.7% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $942 | $939 | $958 |
| Median household income | $56,425 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 40 | 53 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 52 → 57+9.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 284
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $9.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 135Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 11828 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 116The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $922K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Caldwell 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 Caldwell County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 81,105+0.7% since 2020
- Households
- 32,919
- Median age
- 44.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 74%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 472 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 171
- Median household income
- $56,425+26.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $75,197
- Median home value
- $192,200
- Jobs located here
- 26,485
- Daytime population
- 70,763Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Caldwell 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 Caldwell 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 North Carolina
Every North Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in North Carolina for auto repair and car care businesses, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with Caldwell County marked.
Top counties in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Camden County, NC | 89 | 8 | 19.9 | $553K | +8.8% | #23 of 2,401 |
| 2Hoke County, NC | 85 | 39 | 20.3 | $481K | +9.0% | #50 of 2,401 |
| 3Brunswick County, NC | 83 | 176 | 25.5 | $377K | +26.5% | #88 of 2,401 |
| 4Madison County, NC | 82 | 23 | 27.6 | $367K | +5.9% | #93 of 2,401 |
| 5Orange County, NC | 79 | 100 | 17.4 | $538K | +6.1% | #136 of 2,401 |
| 6Perquimans County, NC | 79 | 11 | 19.6 | $484K | +3.6% | #139 of 2,401 |
| 7Chatham County, NC | 78 | 93 | 28.2 | $378K | +11.0% | #164 of 2,401 |
| 8Caswell County, NC | 77 | 24 | 27.2 | $391K | +0.4% | #182 of 2,401 |
| 9Pender County, NC | 76 | 74 | 29.3 | $352K | +19.0% | #204 of 2,401 |
| 10Polk County, NC | 76 | 26 | 29.0 | $336K | +6.0% | #208 of 2,401 |
| 76Caldwell County, NC | 40 | 118 | 35.8 | $263K | +0.7% | #1,651 of 2,401 |
Other business types in Caldwell 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 care40
- Auto repair shops42
- Collision repair and body shops56
- Car washes and detailing37
- Tire shops35
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations55
- Insurance agencies59
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 Caldwell County, NC?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 118 auto repair and car care businesses in Caldwell County. 28 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 57 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, up 9.6% from 2019. Another 135 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Caldwell County, NC spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $31M a year, or $942 per household. That is 2% below the U.S. average (an index of 98, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 118 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $263K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 32,919 households in Caldwell County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Caldwell County, NC compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
Caldwell County has 35.8 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $263K, 2% below the U.S. figure of $269K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, Caldwell County would have about 116, against 118 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 578 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count rose 9.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Caldwell County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Caldwell County at 81,105 people in 2025, up 0.7% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 32,919 households. The median household income in Caldwell County is $56,425 a year, 30% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 26.8% 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. Caldwell County scores 40 for auto repair and car care businesses (lower middle), #1,651 of 2,401 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Caldwell 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 Caldwell County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Caldwell 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 Caldwell 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.