Groundwork

Auto · County · Ohio

Auto repair and car care businesses in Preble County, OH

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for auto repair and car care businesses in Preble County, OH, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 68 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #437 of 2,401 scored counties
#23 of 88 scored counties in Ohio

Listings
67
15 chain locations (22%)
Official establishments
19
−5.0% since 2019
Household spending a year
$20.6M
On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,233 a household
Spending per listing
$308K
15% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
40.1
12% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
40,664
−0.8% since 2020

See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in Preble 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 Preble 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

Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in Preble County comes to about $20.6M a year: $1,233 per household, 29% above the U.S. average. That is about $308K of household spending for each business on map listings, 15% above the U.S. figure of $269K.

There are 67 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings in Preble County as of September 2026. Of those, 15 are chain locations, or 22%, against 24% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 40.1, 12% above the U.S. rate of 35.7.

In 2023, official counts showed 19 businesses with payroll in Preble County classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers, down 5.0% from 2019. That is one for every 880 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Another 55 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $40K has gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Preble County.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Preble County declined 0.8%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses in Preble County is 68 (upper middle), #437 of 2,401 scored counties and #23 of 88 scored counties in Ohio. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How Preble 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.

Auto repair and car care in Preble County, OH compared with Ohio and the U.S.
MeasurePreble CountyOhioU.S.
Listings per 10k households40.134.535.7
Spending per listing$308K$299K$269K
Households per official establishment880778681
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−5.0%+2.4%+4.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025−0.8%+0.9%+3.1%
Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs$1,233$1,033$958
Median household income$69,223$71,389$80,734
Groundwork market score6868

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
20 → 19−5.0% over the period
Employees, 2023
127
Annual payroll, 2023
$4.9M
One-person businesses, 2023
55Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
6715 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
77The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$40K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Preble 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 Preble County

Population, 2025 estimate
40,664−0.8% since 2020
Households
16,725
Median age
43.7
Homes lived in by their owners
80%
Vehicles per household
2.2
Land area
424 sq. mi.
People per square mile
96
Median household income
$69,223+17.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$84,162
Median home value
$180,900
Jobs located here
11,800
Daytime population
34,146Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Preble 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 Preble 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 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 Preble County marked.

Top counties in Ohio

Counties in Ohio ranked for auto repair and car care businesses by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Delaware County, OH9220324.7$516K+12.5%#12 of 2,401
2Pickaway County, OH906429.2$401K+7.4%#22 of 2,401
3Warren County, OH8922624.6$521K+5.7%#26 of 2,401
4Fairfield County, OH8616627.5$441K+6.5%#45 of 2,401
5Perry County, OH843828.2$433K+1.3%#64 of 2,401
6Morrow County, OH845339.4$335K+3.7%#69 of 2,401
7Greene County, OH8119128.0$406K+3.7%#104 of 2,401
8Vinton County, OH801324.4$483K−1.2%#116 of 2,401
9Brown County, OH806236.2$354K+1.6%#127 of 2,401
10Henry County, OH773833.2$370K−0.2%#187 of 2,401
23Preble County, OH686740.1$308K−0.8%#437 of 2,401

Other business types in Preble 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 Preble County, OH?

As of September 2026, map listings count 67 auto repair and car care businesses in Preble County. 15 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 19 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, down 5.0% from 2019. Official counts list 55 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Preble County, OH spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?

About $20.6M a year, or $1,233 per household. That is 29% above the U.S. average (an index of 129, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 67 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $308K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 16,725 households in Preble County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Preble County has 40.1 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 12% above the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $308K, 15% above the U.S. figure of $269K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, Preble County would have about 77, against 67 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 880 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count fell 5.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.

How fast is Preble County, OH growing?

Population estimates put Preble County at 40,664 people in 2025, down 0.8% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 16,725 households. The median household income in Preble County is $69,223 a year, 14% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 17.4% 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. Preble County scores 68 for auto repair and car care businesses (upper middle), #437 of 2,401 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Preble 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 Preble 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.