Auto · County · Ohio
Auto repair and car care businesses in Athens County, OH
How Athens County, OH 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 67 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #474 of 2,401 scored counties
#28 of 88 scored counties 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 Athens 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 Athens 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
At $1,042 per household (9% above the U.S. average), households in Athens County spend about $24M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That is about $296K of household spending for each business on map listings, 10% above the U.S. figure of $269K.
There are 81 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings in Athens County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 22% of them, against 24% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 35.2, in line with the U.S. rate of 35.7.
In 2023, official counts showed 20 businesses with payroll in Athens County classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers, down 9.1% from 2019. That is one for every 1,151 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Official counts list 55 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $150K has gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Athens County.
Population estimates put the population change in Athens County from 2020 to 2025 at +1.3%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses in Athens County is 67 (upper middle), #474 of 2,401 scored counties and #28 of 88 scored counties in Ohio. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Athens County 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 County | 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 | 67 | 68 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 22 → 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 Athens 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 Athens County
- 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 Athens 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 Athens 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 Ohio
Every Ohio market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Ohio for auto repair and car care businesses, numbered among those based in Ohio, with Athens County marked.
Top counties in Ohio
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Delaware County, OH | 92 | 203 | 24.7 | $516K | +12.5% | #12 of 2,401 |
| 2Pickaway County, OH | 90 | 64 | 29.2 | $401K | +7.4% | #22 of 2,401 |
| 3Warren County, OH | 89 | 226 | 24.6 | $521K | +5.7% | #26 of 2,401 |
| 4Fairfield County, OH | 86 | 166 | 27.5 | $441K | +6.5% | #45 of 2,401 |
| 5Perry County, OH | 84 | 38 | 28.2 | $433K | +1.3% | #64 of 2,401 |
| 6Morrow County, OH | 84 | 53 | 39.4 | $335K | +3.7% | #69 of 2,401 |
| 7Greene County, OH | 81 | 191 | 28.0 | $406K | +3.7% | #104 of 2,401 |
| 8Vinton County, OH | 80 | 13 | 24.4 | $483K | −1.2% | #116 of 2,401 |
| 9Brown County, OH | 80 | 62 | 36.2 | $354K | +1.6% | #127 of 2,401 |
| 10Henry County, OH | 77 | 38 | 33.2 | $370K | −0.2% | #187 of 2,401 |
| 28Athens County, OH | 67 | 81 | 35.2 | $296K | +1.3% | #474 of 2,401 |
Other business types in Athens 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 shops69
- Collision repair and body shops
- Car washes and detailing57
- Tire shops58
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations45
- Insurance agencies44
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 Athens County, OH?
As of September 2026, map listings count 81 auto repair and car care businesses in Athens County. 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. Official counts also show 55 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Athens County, OH 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 Athens County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Athens County, OH compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
Athens County 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 U.S. ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, Athens County 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 Athens County, OH growing?
Population estimates put Athens County at 63,197 people in 2025, up 1.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 23,014 households. The median household income in Athens County is $56,001 a year, 31% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 36.9% 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. Athens County scores 67 for auto repair and car care businesses (upper middle), #474 of 2,401 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Athens 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 Athens County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Athens 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 Athens 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.