Auto · County · North Carolina
Auto repair and car care businesses in Gaston County, NC
The auto repair and car care businesses in Gaston County, NC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 51 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #1,198 of 2,401 scored counties
#52 of 96 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 354
- 94 chain locations (27%)
- Official establishments
- 141
- +4.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $87.5M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $935 a household
- Spending per listing
- $247K
- 8% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 37.8
- 6% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 246,558
- +7.8% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in Gaston 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 Gaston 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 354 auto repair and car care businesses in Gaston County. Chain locations make up 27% of them, against 24% across the U.S. That comes to 37.8 for every 10,000 households, 6% above the U.S. rate of 35.7.
Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in Gaston County comes to about $87.5M a year: $935 per household, 2% below the U.S. average. That is about $247K of household spending for each business on map listings, 8% below the U.S. figure of $269K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Gaston County was 141 in 2023, up 4.4% from 2019. That is one for every 664 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Official counts also show 304 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 7 SBA-backed loans worth $4.3M have gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Gaston County.
Population estimates show Gaston County grew 7.8% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Gaston County scores 51 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses, ranking #1,198 of 2,401 scored counties and #52 of 96 scored counties in North Carolina.
How Gaston 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 | Gaston County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 37.8 | 36.7 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $247K | $256K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 664 | 702 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +4.4% | +3.5% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +7.8% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $935 | $939 | $958 |
| Median household income | $67,478 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 51 | 53 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 135 → 141+4.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 952
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $47.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 304Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 35494 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 326The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 7
- Amount
- $4.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Gaston 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 Gaston County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 246,558+7.8% since 2020
- Households
- 93,576
- Median age
- 40.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 356 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 660
- Median household income
- $67,478+27.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $91,074
- Median home value
- $266,000
- Jobs located here
- 82,464
- Daytime population
- 195,265Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Gaston 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 Gaston 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 Gaston 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 |
| 52Gaston County, NC | 51 | 354 | 37.8 | $247K | +7.8% | #1,198 of 2,401 |
Other business types in Gaston 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 care51
- Auto repair shops49
- Collision repair and body shops58
- Car washes and detailing55
- Tire shops49
- Oil change and quick lube65
- Gas stations72
- Insurance agencies81
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 Gaston County, NC?
There are 354 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings in Gaston County as of September 2026. 94 of them (27%) 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, up 4.4% from 2019. Another 304 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Gaston County, NC spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $87.5M a year, or $935 per household. That is 2% below the U.S. average (an index of 98, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 354 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $247K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 93,576 households in Gaston County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Gaston County, NC compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
Gaston County has 37.8 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 6% above the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $247K, 8% below the U.S. figure of $269K. At the national ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, Gaston County would have about 326, against 354 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 664 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count rose 4.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Gaston County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Gaston County at 246,558 people in 2025, up 7.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 93,576 households. Median household income in Gaston County is $67,478, 16% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 27.7%, 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. Gaston County scores 51 for auto repair and car care businesses (upper middle), #1,198 of 2,401 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Gaston 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 Gaston County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Gaston 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 Gaston 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.