Auto · County · North Carolina
Auto repair and car care businesses in Chatham County, NC
How Chatham 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 78 out of 100: High
Ranked #164 of 2,401 scored counties
#7 of 96 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 93
- 22 chain locations (24%)
- Official establishments
- 45
- −8.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $35.1M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,064 a household
- Spending per listing
- $378K
- 41% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 28.2
- 21% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 85,111
- +11.0% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in Chatham 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 Chatham 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
Chatham County scores 78 (high) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses, ranking #164 of 2,401 scored counties and #7 of 96 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for auto repair and car care businesses.
As of September 2026, map listings count 93 auto repair and car care businesses in Chatham County. Of those, 22 are chain locations, or 24%, against 24% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 28.2, 21% below the U.S. rate of 35.7.
Households in Chatham County spend about $35.1M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $1,064 per household, 11% above the U.S. average. That is about $378K of household spending for each business on map listings, 41% above the U.S. figure of $269K.
Official counts show 45 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Chatham County in 2023, down 8.2% from 2019. That is one for every 733 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $3.3M have gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Chatham County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Chatham County grew 11.0%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Chatham 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 | Chatham County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 28.2 | 36.7 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $378K | $256K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 733 | 702 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −8.2% | +3.5% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +11.0% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,064 | $939 | $958 |
| Median household income | $94,317 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 78 | 53 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 49 → 45−8.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 224
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $10.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 77Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 9322 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 131The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $3.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Chatham 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 Chatham County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 85,111+11.0% since 2020
- Households
- 33,004
- Median age
- 47.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 81%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 682 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 118
- Median household income
- $94,317+40.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $138,537
- Median home value
- $446,200
- Jobs located here
- 20,863
- Daytime population
- 66,832Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Chatham 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 Chatham 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 Chatham 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 |
Other business types in Chatham 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 care78
- Auto repair shops74
- Collision repair and body shops89
- Car washes and detailing71
- Tire shops70
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations77
- Insurance agencies91
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 Chatham County, NC?
Chatham County has 93 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 22 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 45 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, down 8.2% from 2019. Official counts also show 77 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Chatham County, NC spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $35.1M a year, or $1,064 per household. That is 11% above the U.S. average (an index of 111, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 93 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $378K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 33,004 households in Chatham County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Chatham County, NC compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
Chatham County has 28.2 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $378K, 41% above the U.S. figure of $269K. At the national ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, Chatham County would have about 131, against 93 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 733 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count fell 8.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Chatham County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Chatham County at 85,111 people in 2025, up 11.0% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 33,004 households. Median household income in Chatham County is $94,317, 17% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 40.7%, 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. 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. Chatham County scores 78 for auto repair and car care businesses (high), #164 of 2,401 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Chatham 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 Chatham County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Chatham 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 Chatham 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.