Auto · Small-town market · North Carolina
Auto repair and car care businesses in the Kinston, NC area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for auto repair and car care businesses in the Kinston, NC area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 23 out of 100: Low
Ranked #497 of 538 scored small-town markets
#22 of 23 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina
- Listings
- 109
- 23 chain locations (21%)
- Official establishments
- 46
- +7.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $19.5M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $834 a household
- Spending per listing
- $179K
- 33% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 46.7
- 31% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 55,837
- +1.4% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in the Kinston 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 Kinston 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
The Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses in the Kinston area is 23 (low), #497 of 538 scored small-town markets and #22 of 23 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.
Households in the Kinston area spend about $19.5M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $834 per household, 13% below the U.S. average. That is about $179K of household spending for each business on map listings, 33% below the U.S. figure of $269K.
There are 109 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings in the Kinston area as of September 2026. 23 of them (21%) are chain locations, against 24% across the U.S. That comes to 46.7 for every 10,000 households, 31% above the U.S. rate of 35.7.
Official counts show 46 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Kinston area in 2023, up 7.0% from 2019. That is one for every 508 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Population estimates show the Kinston area grew 1.4% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Kinston 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 | Kinston area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 46.7 | 36.7 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $179K | $256K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 508 | 702 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +7.0% | +3.5% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.4% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $834 | $939 | $958 |
| Median household income | $45,143 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 23 | 53 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 46+7.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 219
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $8.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 91Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 10923 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 73The 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 the Kinston 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 Kinston area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 55,837+1.4% since 2020
- Households
- 23,351
- Median age
- 41.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 59%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 399 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 138
- Median household income
- $45,143+14.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $65,291
- Median home value
- $120,500
- Jobs located here
- 29,615
- Daytime population
- 59,853Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Kinston 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 Kinston 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 Kinston 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 |
| 22Kinston, NC | 23 | 109 | 46.7 | $179K | +1.4% | #497 of 538 |
Other business types in the Kinston 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 care23
- Auto repair shops25
- Collision repair and body shops39
- Car washes and detailing57
- Tire shops23
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations40
- Insurance agencies59
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 Kinston, NC area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 109 auto repair and car care businesses in the Kinston area. 23 of them (21%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 46 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, up 7.0% from 2019. Official counts also show 91 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Kinston, NC area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $19.5M a year, or $834 per household. That is 13% below the U.S. average (an index of 87, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 109 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $179K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 23,351 households in the Kinston area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Kinston, NC area compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
The Kinston area has 46.7 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 31% above the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $179K, 33% below the U.S. figure of $269K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, the Kinston area would have about 73, against 109 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 508 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count rose 7.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Kinston, NC area growing?
Population estimates put the Kinston area at 55,837 people in 2025, up 1.4% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 23,351 households. The median household income in the Kinston area is $45,143 a year, 44% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 14.6% 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. 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 Kinston area scores 23 for auto repair and car care businesses (low), #497 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 Kinston 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 Kinston area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Kinston 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 Kinston 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.