Auto · County · North Carolina
Auto repair and car care businesses in Durham County, NC
How Durham 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 68 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #432 of 2,401 scored counties
#24 of 96 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 366
- 111 chain locations (30%)
- Official establishments
- 141
- −2.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $116.6M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $822 a household
- Spending per listing
- $319K
- 19% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 25.8
- 28% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 347,240
- +7.7% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in Durham 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 Durham 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
At $822 per household (14% below the U.S. average), households in Durham County spend about $116.6M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That works out to $319K per business, 19% above the U.S. figure of $269K.
Durham County has 366 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 111 are chain locations, or 30%, against 24% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 25.8, 28% below the U.S. rate of 35.7.
In 2023, official counts showed 141 businesses with payroll in Durham County classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers, down 2.8% from 2019. That is one for every 1,006 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Official counts list 223 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $3.2M have gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Durham County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Durham County grew 7.7%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses in Durham County is 68 (upper middle), #432 of 2,401 scored counties and #24 of 96 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Durham 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 | Durham County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 25.8 | 36.7 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $319K | $256K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,006 | 702 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −2.8% | +3.5% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +7.7% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $822 | $939 | $958 |
| Median household income | $82,316 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 68 | 53 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 145 → 141−2.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,010
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $51.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 223Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 366111 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 434The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $3.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Durham 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 Durham County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 347,240+7.7% since 2020
- Households
- 141,847
- Median age
- 38.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 56%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 288 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,156
- Median household income
- $82,316+35.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $114,501
- Median home value
- $389,400
- Jobs located here
- 257,395
- Daytime population
- 437,816Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Durham 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 Durham 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 Durham 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 |
| 24Durham County, NC | 68 | 366 | 25.8 | $319K | +7.7% | #432 of 2,401 |
Other business types in Durham 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 care68
- Auto repair shops66
- Collision repair and body shops67
- Car washes and detailing71
- Tire shops54
- Oil change and quick lube74
- Gas stations73
- Insurance agencies72
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 Durham County, NC?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 366 auto repair and car care businesses in Durham County. 111 of them (30%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 141 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, down 2.8% from 2019. Official counts also show 223 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Durham County, NC spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $116.6M a year, or $822 per household. That is 14% below the U.S. average (an index of 86, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 366 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $319K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 141,847 households in Durham County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Durham County, NC compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
Durham County has 25.8 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 28% below the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $319K, 19% above the U.S. figure of $269K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, Durham County would have about 434, against 366 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,006 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count fell 2.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Durham County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Durham County at 347,240 people in 2025, up 7.7% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 141,847 households. The median household income in Durham County is $82,316 a year, 2% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 35.0% 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. Durham County scores 68 for auto repair and car care businesses (upper middle), #432 of 2,401 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Durham 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 Durham County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Durham 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 Durham 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.