Auto · County · North Carolina
Auto repair and car care businesses in Cleveland County, NC
How Cleveland 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 42 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,566 of 2,401 scored counties
#71 of 96 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 165
- 42 chain locations (25%)
- Official establishments
- 64
- +1.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $37.8M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $974 a household
- Spending per listing
- $229K
- 15% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 42.5
- 19% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 103,325
- +3.4% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in Cleveland 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 Cleveland 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 Cleveland County spend about $37.8M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $974 per household, 2% above the U.S. average. Spread across 165 auto repair and car care businesses, that is $229K per business, 15% below the U.S. figure of $269K.
Cleveland County has 165 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 25% of them, against 24% across the U.S. That is 42.5 per 10,000 households, 19% above the U.S. rate of 35.7.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Cleveland County was 64 in 2023, up 1.6% from 2019. That is one for every 607 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Official counts list 135 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $5,000 has gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Cleveland County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Cleveland County grew 3.4%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). Cleveland County scores 42 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses, ranking #1,566 of 2,401 scored counties and #71 of 96 scored counties in North Carolina.
How Cleveland 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 | Cleveland County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 42.5 | 36.7 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $229K | $256K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 607 | 702 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +1.6% | +3.5% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.4% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $974 | $939 | $958 |
| Median household income | $58,534 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 42 | 53 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 63 → 64+1.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 337
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $13.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 135Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 16542 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 141The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $5,000
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Cleveland 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 Cleveland County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 103,325+3.4% since 2020
- Households
- 38,850
- Median age
- 41.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 464 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 218
- Median household income
- $58,534+38.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $76,018
- Median home value
- $200,000
- Jobs located here
- 34,727
- Daytime population
- 92,263Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Cleveland 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 Cleveland 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 Cleveland 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 |
| 71Cleveland County, NC | 42 | 165 | 42.5 | $229K | +3.4% | #1,566 of 2,401 |
Other business types in Cleveland 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 shops40
- Collision repair and body shops54
- Car washes and detailing69
- Tire shops46
- Oil change and quick lube32
- Gas stations58
- Insurance agencies85
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 Cleveland County, NC?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 165 auto repair and car care businesses in Cleveland County. 42 of them (25%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 64 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, up 1.6% from 2019. Official counts also show 135 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Cleveland County, NC spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $37.8M a year, or $974 per household. That is 2% above the U.S. average (an index of 102, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 165 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $229K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 38,850 households in Cleveland County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Cleveland County, NC compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
Cleveland County has 42.5 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 19% above the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $229K, 15% below the U.S. figure of $269K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, Cleveland County would have about 141, against 165 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 607 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count rose 1.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Cleveland County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Cleveland County at 103,325 people in 2025, up 3.4% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 38,850 households. The median household income in Cleveland County is $58,534 a year, 27% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 38.6% 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. Cleveland County scores 42 for auto repair and car care businesses (lower middle), #1,566 of 2,401 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Cleveland 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 Cleveland County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Cleveland 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 Cleveland 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.