Auto · County · North Carolina
Auto repair and car care businesses in Columbus County, NC
The auto repair and car care businesses in Columbus County, NC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 36 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,824 of 2,401 scored counties
#81 of 96 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 103
- 20 chain locations (19%)
- Official establishments
- 24
- −11.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $19.1M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $954 a household
- Spending per listing
- $186K
- 31% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 51.4
- 44% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 50,487
- 0.0% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in Columbus 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 Columbus 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
Columbus County scores 36 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses, ranking #1,824 of 2,401 scored counties and #81 of 96 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
At $954 per household (in line with the U.S. average), households in Columbus County spend about $19.1M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That works out to $186K per business, 31% below the U.S. figure of $269K.
There are 103 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings in Columbus County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 19% of them, against 24% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 51.4, 44% above the U.S. rate of 35.7.
Official counts show 24 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Columbus County in 2023, down 11.1% from 2019. That is one for every 835 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Columbus County held about level, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Columbus 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 | Columbus County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 51.4 | 36.7 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $186K | $256K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 835 | 702 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −11.1% | +3.5% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | 0.0% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $954 | $939 | $958 |
| Median household income | $49,442 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 36 | 53 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 27 → 24−11.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 267
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $17.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 94Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 10320 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 71The 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 Columbus 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 Columbus County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 50,4870.0% since 2020
- Households
- 20,048
- Median age
- 43.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 938 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 53
- Median household income
- $49,442+31.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $67,260
- Median home value
- $146,000
- Jobs located here
- 15,101
- Daytime population
- 42,846Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Columbus 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 Columbus 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 Columbus 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 |
| 81Columbus County, NC | 36 | 103 | 51.4 | $186K | 0.0% | #1,824 of 2,401 |
Other business types in Columbus 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 care36
- Auto repair shops34
- Collision repair and body shops36
- Car washes and detailing45
- Tire shops23
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations39
- Insurance agencies70
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 Columbus County, NC?
As of September 2026, map listings count 103 auto repair and car care businesses in Columbus County. 20 of them (19%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 24 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, down 11.1% from 2019. Another 94 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Columbus County, NC spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $19.1M a year, or $954 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 100, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 103 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $186K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 20,048 households in Columbus County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Columbus County, NC compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
Columbus County has 51.4 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 44% above the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $186K, 31% below the U.S. figure of $269K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, Columbus County would have about 71, against 103 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 835 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count fell 11.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Columbus County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Columbus County at 50,487 people in 2025, unchanged since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 20,048 households. The median household income in Columbus County is $49,442 a year, 39% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.4% 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. Columbus County scores 36 for auto repair and car care businesses (lower middle), #1,824 of 2,401 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Columbus 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 Columbus County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Columbus 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 Columbus 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.