Auto · County · North Carolina
Auto repair and car care businesses in Wake County, NC
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for auto repair and car care businesses in Wake County, NC, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 67 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #465 of 2,401 scored counties
#25 of 96 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 1,363
- 458 chain locations (34%)
- Official establishments
- 656
- +8.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $436.8M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $949 a household
- Spending per listing
- $320K
- 19% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 29.6
- 17% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,257,235
- +11.2% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in Wake 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 Wake 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 1,363 auto repair and car care businesses in Wake County. Of those, 458 are chain locations, or 34%, against 24% across the U.S. That comes to 29.6 for every 10,000 households, 17% below the U.S. rate of 35.7.
Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in Wake County comes to about $436.8M a year: $949 per household, in line with the U.S. average. That works out to $320K per business, 19% above the U.S. figure of $269K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Wake County was 656 in 2023, up 8.4% from 2019. That is one for every 701 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Another 839 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 23 SBA-backed loans worth $15.1M have gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Wake County.
Population estimates put the population change in Wake County from 2020 to 2025 at +11.2%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses in Wake County is 67 (upper middle), #465 of 2,401 scored counties and #25 of 96 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Wake 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 | Wake County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 29.6 | 36.7 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $320K | $256K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 701 | 702 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +8.4% | +3.5% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +11.2% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $949 | $939 | $958 |
| Median household income | $105,768 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 67 | 53 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 605 → 656+8.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 4,941
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $235.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 839Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,363458 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,626The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 23
- Amount
- $15.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Wake 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 Wake County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,257,235+11.2% since 2020
- Households
- 460,175
- Median age
- 38.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 64%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 835 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,412
- Median household income
- $105,768+31.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $139,587
- Median home value
- $461,300
- Jobs located here
- 687,531
- Daytime population
- 1,293,967Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Wake 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 Wake 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 Wake 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 |
| 25Wake County, NC | 67 | 1,363 | 29.6 | $320K | +11.2% | #465 of 2,401 |
Other business types in Wake 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 care67
- Auto repair shops67
- Collision repair and body shops72
- Car washes and detailing63
- Tire shops66
- Oil change and quick lube60
- Gas stations83
- Insurance agencies60
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 Wake County, NC?
Wake County has 1,363 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 458 of them (34%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 656 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, up 8.4% from 2019. Official counts list 839 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Wake County, NC spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $436.8M a year, or $949 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 99, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,363 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $320K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 460,175 households in Wake County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Wake County, NC compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
Wake County has 29.6 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 17% below the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $320K, 19% above the U.S. figure of $269K. At the national ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, Wake County would have about 1,626, against 1,363 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 701 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count rose 8.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Wake County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Wake County at 1,257,235 people in 2025, up 11.2% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 460,175 households. Median household income in Wake County is $105,768, 31% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 31.2%, 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. Wake County scores 67 for auto repair and car care businesses (upper middle), #465 of 2,401 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Wake 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 Wake County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Wake 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 Wake 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.