Auto · Small-town market · North Carolina
Auto repair and car care businesses in the Forest City, NC area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for auto repair and car care businesses in the Forest City, NC area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 45 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #329 of 538 scored small-town markets
#17 of 23 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina
- Listings
- 141
- 26 chain locations (18%)
- Official establishments
- 33
- −2.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $25.4M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $954 a household
- Spending per listing
- $180K
- 33% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 52.9
- 48% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 65,745
- +2.1% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in the Forest City area
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 the Forest City area. 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 141 auto repair and car care businesses in the Forest City area. Chain locations make up 18% of them, against 24% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 52.9, 48% above the U.S. rate of 35.7.
Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in the Forest City area comes to about $25.4M a year: $954 per household, in line with the U.S. average. That is about $180K of household spending for each business on map listings, 33% below the U.S. figure of $269K.
In 2023, official counts showed 33 businesses with payroll in the Forest City area classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers, down 2.9% from 2019. That is one for every 807 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Another 144 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $50K has gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Forest City area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Forest City area grew 2.1%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Forest City area scores 45 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses, ranking #329 of 538 scored small-town markets and #17 of 23 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina.
How the Forest City area 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 | Forest City area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 52.9 | 36.7 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $180K | $256K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 807 | 702 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −2.9% | +3.5% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.1% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $954 | $939 | $958 |
| Median household income | $51,410 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 45 | 53 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 33−2.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 163
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $5.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 144Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 14126 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 95The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $50K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Forest City area, 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 the Forest City area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 65,745+2.1% since 2020
- Households
- 26,642
- Median age
- 44.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 74%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 565 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 115
- Median household income
- $51,410+20.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $72,230
- Median home value
- $201,800
- Jobs located here
- 19,241
- Daytime population
- 55,091Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Forest City area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 the Forest City area. 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 small-town markets in North Carolina for auto repair and car care businesses, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with the Forest City area marked.
Top small-town markets in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Brevard, NC | 79 | 39 | 26.7 | $350K | +2.9% | #26 of 538 |
| 2Anderson Creek, NC | 72 | 180 | 36.1 | $281K | +12.3% | #69 of 538 |
| 3Morehead City, NC | 67 | 104 | 32.5 | $288K | +4.1% | #108 of 538 |
| 4Kill Devil Hills, NC | 64 | 63 | 37.4 | $277K | +3.3% | #137 of 538 |
| 5Marion, NC | 62 | 72 | 38.6 | $246K | +1.5% | #165 of 538 |
| 6Lumberton, NC | 59 | 160 | 37.1 | $241K | +3.4% | #190 of 538 |
| 7Waynesville, NC | 57 | 99 | 36.5 | $262K | +1.9% | #205 of 538 |
| 8Boone, NC | 56 | 72 | 34.0 | $270K | +0.6% | #208 of 538 |
| 9Laurinburg, NC | 55 | 40 | 31.8 | $264K | −0.3% | #219 of 538 |
| 10New Bern, NC | 53 | 193 | 36.8 | $243K | +3.6% | #238 of 538 |
| 17Forest City, NC | 45 | 141 | 52.9 | $180K | +2.1% | #329 of 538 |
Other business types in the Forest City area
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 care45
- Auto repair shops47
- Collision repair and body shops53
- Car washes and detailing43
- Tire shops41
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations77
- Insurance agencies89
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 the Forest City, NC area?
The Forest City area has 141 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 26 of them (18%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 33 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, down 2.9% from 2019. Official counts list 144 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Forest City, NC area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $25.4M 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 141 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $180K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 26,642 households in the Forest City area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Forest City, NC area compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
The Forest City area has 52.9 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 48% above the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $180K, 33% below the U.S. figure of $269K. At the national ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, the Forest City area would have about 95, against 141 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 807 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count fell 2.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Forest City, NC area growing?
Population estimates put the Forest City area at 65,745 people in 2025, up 2.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 26,642 households. Median household income in the Forest City area is $51,410, 36% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 20.7%, 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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. The Forest City area scores 45 for auto repair and car care businesses (lower middle), #329 of 538 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Forest City area. 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 the Forest City area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Forest City area?
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 the Forest City area. 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.