Auto · County · North Carolina
Auto repair and car care businesses in Watauga County, NC
The auto repair and car care businesses in Watauga County, NC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 46 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,372 of 2,401 scored counties
#61 of 96 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 72
- 14 chain locations (19%)
- Official establishments
- 31
- 0.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $19.4M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $917 a household
- Spending per listing
- $270K
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 34.0
- 5% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 54,786
- +0.6% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in Watauga 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 Watauga 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 72 auto repair and car care businesses in Watauga County. 14 of them (19%) are chain locations, against 24% across the U.S. That is 34.0 per 10,000 households, 5% below the U.S. rate of 35.7.
Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in Watauga County comes to about $19.4M a year: $917 per household, 4% below the U.S. average. That is about $270K of household spending for each business on map listings, in line with the U.S. figure of $269K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Watauga County was 31 in 2023, unchanged from 2019. That is one for every 684 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Another 47 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Watauga County grew 0.6%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses in Watauga County is 46 (lower middle), #1,372 of 2,401 scored counties and #61 of 96 scored counties in North Carolina.
How Watauga 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 | Watauga County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 34.0 | 36.7 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $270K | $256K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 684 | 702 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | 0.0% | +3.5% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.6% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $917 | $939 | $958 |
| Median household income | $51,693 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 46 | 53 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 31 → 310.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 220
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $9.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 47Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 7214 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 72The 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 Watauga 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 Watauga County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 54,786+0.6% since 2020
- Households
- 21,198
- Median age
- 35.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 62%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 312 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 176
- Median household income
- $51,693+8.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $83,665
- Median home value
- $358,900
- Jobs located here
- 24,062
- Daytime population
- 59,737Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Watauga 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 Watauga 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 Watauga 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 |
| 61Watauga County, NC | 46 | 72 | 34.0 | $270K | +0.6% | #1,372 of 2,401 |
Other business types in Watauga 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 care46
- Auto repair shops58
- Collision repair and body shops
- Car washes and detailing32
- Tire shops27
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations69
- Insurance agencies73
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 Watauga County, NC?
There are 72 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings in Watauga County as of September 2026. 14 of them (19%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 31 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, unchanged from 2019. Official counts list 47 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Watauga County, NC spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $19.4M a year, or $917 per household. That is 4% below the U.S. average (an index of 96, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 72 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $270K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 21,198 households in Watauga County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Watauga County, NC compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
Watauga County has 34.0 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 5% below the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $270K, in line with the U.S. figure of $269K. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 684 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count held level from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Watauga County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Watauga County at 54,786 people in 2025, up 0.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 21,198 households. Median household income in Watauga County is $51,693, 36% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 8.8%, 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. Watauga County scores 46 for auto repair and car care businesses (lower middle), #1,372 of 2,401 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Watauga 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 Watauga County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Watauga 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 Watauga 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.