Groundwork

Auto · County · North Carolina

Auto repair and car care businesses in Wayne County, NC

How Wayne County, NC compares with other counties and the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 40 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,680 of 2,401 scored counties
#77 of 96 scored counties in North Carolina

Listings
211
46 chain locations (22%)
Official establishments
74
+4.2% since 2019
Household spending a year
$44.8M
On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $943 a household
Spending per listing
$212K
21% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
44.4
24% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
122,278
+3.8% since 2020

See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in Wayne 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 Wayne County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

At $943 per household (2% below the U.S. average), households in Wayne County spend about $44.8M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That works out to $212K per business, 21% below the U.S. figure of $269K.

There are 211 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings in Wayne County as of September 2026. Of those, 46 are chain locations, or 22%, against 24% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 44.4, 24% above the U.S. rate of 35.7.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Wayne County was 74 in 2023, up 4.2% from 2019. That is one for every 642 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Another 178 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

Population estimates show Wayne County grew 3.8% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For auto repair and car care businesses, Wayne County has a Groundwork market score of 40 (lower middle): #1,680 of 2,401 scored counties and #77 of 96 scored counties in North Carolina.

How Wayne 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.

Auto repair and car care in Wayne County, NC compared with North Carolina and the U.S.
MeasureWayne CountyNorth CarolinaU.S.
Listings per 10k households44.436.735.7
Spending per listing$212K$256K$269K
Households per official establishment642702681
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+4.2%+3.5%+4.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+3.8%+7.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs$943$939$958
Median household income$59,733$72,388$80,734
Groundwork market score4053

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
71 → 74+4.2% over the period
Employees, 2023
458
Annual payroll, 2023
$15.7M
One-person businesses, 2023
178Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
21146 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
167The 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 Wayne 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 Wayne County

Population, 2025 estimate
122,278+3.8% since 2020
Households
47,507
Median age
38.3
Homes lived in by their owners
61%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
554 sq. mi.
People per square mile
214
Median household income
$59,733+34.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$79,980
Median home value
$178,700
Jobs located here
40,987
Daytime population
111,023Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Wayne 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 Wayne County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Auto 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 Wayne County marked.

Top counties in North Carolina

Counties in North Carolina ranked for auto repair and car care businesses by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Camden County, NC89819.9$553K+8.8%#23 of 2,401
2Hoke County, NC853920.3$481K+9.0%#50 of 2,401
3Brunswick County, NC8317625.5$377K+26.5%#88 of 2,401
4Madison County, NC822327.6$367K+5.9%#93 of 2,401
5Orange County, NC7910017.4$538K+6.1%#136 of 2,401
6Perquimans County, NC791119.6$484K+3.6%#139 of 2,401
7Chatham County, NC789328.2$378K+11.0%#164 of 2,401
8Caswell County, NC772427.2$391K+0.4%#182 of 2,401
9Pender County, NC767429.3$352K+19.0%#204 of 2,401
10Polk County, NC762629.0$336K+6.0%#208 of 2,401
77Wayne County, NC4021144.4$212K+3.8%#1,680 of 2,401

Other business types in Wayne County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many auto repair and car care businesses are in Wayne County, NC?

As of September 2026, map listings count 211 auto repair and car care businesses in Wayne County. 46 of them (22%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 74 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, up 4.2% from 2019. Official counts list 178 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Wayne County, NC spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?

About $44.8M a year, or $943 per household. That is 2% below the U.S. average (an index of 98, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 211 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $212K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 47,507 households in Wayne County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Wayne County, NC compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?

Wayne County has 44.4 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 24% above the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $212K, 21% below the U.S. figure of $269K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, Wayne County would have about 167, against 211 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 642 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count rose 4.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.

How fast is Wayne County, NC growing?

Population estimates put Wayne County at 122,278 people in 2025, up 3.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 47,507 households. The median household income in Wayne County is $59,733 a year, 26% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 34.5% 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. 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. Wayne County scores 40 for auto repair and car care businesses (lower middle), #1,680 of 2,401 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Wayne 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 Wayne County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Wayne 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 Wayne 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.