Auto · Small-town market · Ohio
Auto repair and car care businesses in the Athens, OH area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for auto repair and car care businesses in the Athens, OH area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 76 out of 100: High
Ranked #43 of 538 scored small-town markets
#4 of 29 scored small-town markets based in Ohio
- Listings
- 81
- 18 chain locations (22%)
- Official establishments
- 20
- −9.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $24M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,042 a household
- Spending per listing
- $296K
- 10% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 35.2
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 63,197
- +1.3% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in the Athens 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 Athens 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 Athens area scores 76 (high) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses, ranking #43 of 538 scored small-town markets and #4 of 29 scored small-town markets based in Ohio. That puts it in the top 10% of small-town markets for auto repair and car care businesses.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 81 auto repair and car care businesses in the Athens area. Chain locations make up 22% of them, against 24% across the U.S. That is 35.2 per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 35.7.
At $1,042 per household (9% above the U.S. average), households in the Athens area spend about $24M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That works out to $296K per business, 10% above the U.S. figure of $269K.
Official counts show 20 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Athens area in 2023, down 9.1% from 2019. That is one for every 1,151 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $150K has gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Athens area. Population estimates show the Athens area grew 1.3% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Athens area compares
The same measures for Ohio 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 | Athens area | Ohio | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 35.2 | 34.5 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $296K | $299K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,151 | 778 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −9.1% | +2.4% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.3% | +0.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,042 | $1,033 | $958 |
| Median household income | $56,001 | $71,389 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 76 | 68 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 20−9.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 52
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 55Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 8118 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 89The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $150K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Athens 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 Athens area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 63,197+1.3% since 2020
- Households
- 23,014
- Median age
- 37.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 60%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 504 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 122
- Median household income
- $56,001+36.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $77,858
- Median home value
- $185,000
- Jobs located here
- 18,702
- Daytime population
- 59,780Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Athens 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 Athens 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 Ohio
Every Ohio market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Ohio for auto repair and car care businesses, numbered among those based in Ohio, with the Athens area marked.
Top small-town markets in Ohio
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Van Wert, OH | 81 | 38 | 32.9 | $348K | +0.3% | #21 of 538 |
| 2Mount Vernon, OH | 78 | 96 | 40.9 | $280K | +1.9% | #32 of 538 |
| 3Coshocton, OH | 76 | 51 | 34.5 | $305K | +1.6% | #42 of 538 |
| 4Athens, OH | 76 | 81 | 35.2 | $296K | +1.3% | #43 of 538 |
| 5Wilmington, OH | 74 | 74 | 44.2 | $264K | +0.6% | #56 of 538 |
| 6Sidney, OH | 71 | 82 | 43.4 | $278K | −0.2% | #75 of 538 |
| 7Urbana, OH | 70 | 63 | 40.3 | $293K | +0.2% | #83 of 538 |
| 8Wapakoneta, OH | 69 | 73 | 38.5 | $319K | −1.2% | #86 of 538 |
| 9Bellefontaine, OH | 69 | 74 | 37.8 | $295K | +0.4% | #87 of 538 |
| 10Findlay, OH | 67 | 113 | 35.7 | $305K | +0.1% | #105 of 538 |
Other business types in the Athens 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 care76
- Auto repair shops76
- Collision repair and body shops
- Car washes and detailing62
- Tire shops64
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations54
- Insurance agencies48
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 Athens, OH area?
There are 81 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings in the Athens area as of September 2026. 18 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 20 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, down 9.1% from 2019. Another 55 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Athens, OH area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $24M a year, or $1,042 per household. That is 9% above the U.S. average (an index of 109, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 81 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $296K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 23,014 households in the Athens area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Athens, OH area compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
The Athens area has 35.2 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $296K, 10% above the U.S. figure of $269K. At the national ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, the Athens area would have about 89, against 81 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,151 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count fell 9.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Athens, OH area growing?
Population estimates put the Athens area at 63,197 people in 2025, up 1.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 23,014 households. Median household income in the Athens area is $56,001, 31% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 36.9%, 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 Athens area scores 76 for auto repair and car care businesses (high), #43 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 Athens 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 Athens area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Athens 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 Athens 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.