Auto · County · Pennsylvania
Auto repair and car care businesses in Erie County, PA
How Erie County, PA 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 18 out of 100: Low
Ranked #2,305 of 2,401 scored counties
#52 of 64 scored counties in Pennsylvania
- Listings
- 449
- 108 chain locations (24%)
- Official establishments
- 175
- +3.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $84.7M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $766 a household
- Spending per listing
- $189K
- 30% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 40.6
- 14% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 265,832
- −1.8% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in Erie 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 Erie 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
The Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses in Erie County is 18 (low), #2,305 of 2,401 scored counties and #52 of 64 scored counties in Pennsylvania. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
At $766 per household (20% below the U.S. average), households in Erie County spend about $84.7M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That is about $189K of household spending for each business on map listings, 30% below the U.S. figure of $269K.
Erie County has 449 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 108 are chain locations, or 24%, against 24% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 40.6, 14% above the U.S. rate of 35.7.
Official counts show 175 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Erie County in 2023, up 3.6% from 2019. That is one for every 632 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $1.4M have gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Erie County. Population estimates show Erie County declined 1.8% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Erie County compares
The same measures for Pennsylvania 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 | Erie County | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 40.6 | 36.1 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $189K | $232K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 632 | 637 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +3.6% | +0.9% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.8% | +0.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $766 | $837 | $958 |
| Median household income | $63,354 | $77,971 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 18 | 20 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 169 → 175+3.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 792
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $33.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 243Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 449108 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 315The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 5
- Amount
- $1.4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Erie 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 Erie County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 265,832−1.8% since 2020
- Households
- 110,587
- Median age
- 41.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 799 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 337
- Median household income
- $63,354+23.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $85,573
- Median home value
- $177,000
- Jobs located here
- 120,819
- Daytime population
- 270,477Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Erie 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 Erie 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 Pennsylvania
Every Pennsylvania market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Pennsylvania for auto repair and car care businesses, numbered among those based in Pennsylvania, with Erie County marked.
Top counties in Pennsylvania
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Pike County, PA | 72 | 64 | 26.4 | $358K | +7.2% | #298 of 2,401 |
| 2Montour County, PA | 59 | 22 | 28.0 | $322K | −1.4% | #778 of 2,401 |
| 3Perry County, PA | 57 | 72 | 39.3 | $261K | +2.1% | #892 of 2,401 |
| 4Carbon County, PA | 53 | 92 | 33.8 | $269K | +1.7% | #1,091 of 2,401 |
| 5Centre County, PA | 52 | 162 | 27.5 | $299K | −0.4% | #1,124 of 2,401 |
| 6Chester County, PA | 52 | 757 | 37.0 | $279K | +4.2% | #1,132 of 2,401 |
| 7Northampton County, PA | 51 | 427 | 34.8 | $266K | +3.7% | #1,186 of 2,401 |
| 8Cumberland County, PA | 50 | 392 | 36.8 | $250K | +6.5% | #1,246 of 2,401 |
| 9Montgomery County, PA | 48 | 1,165 | 34.7 | $275K | +2.4% | #1,297 of 2,401 |
| 10Dauphin County, PA | 48 | 417 | 34.4 | $246K | +2.3% | #1,308 of 2,401 |
| 52Erie County, PA | 18 | 449 | 40.6 | $189K | −1.8% | #2,305 of 2,401 |
Other business types in Erie 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 care18
- Auto repair shops18
- Collision repair and body shops25
- Car washes and detailing26
- Tire shops40
- Oil change and quick lube37
- Gas stations51
- Insurance agencies24
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 Erie County, PA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 449 auto repair and car care businesses in Erie County. 108 of them (24%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 175 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, up 3.6% from 2019. Official counts list 243 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Erie County, PA spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $84.7M a year, or $766 per household. That is 20% below the U.S. average (an index of 80, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 449 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $189K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 110,587 households in Erie County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Erie County, PA compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
Erie County has 40.6 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 14% above the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $189K, 30% below the U.S. figure of $269K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, Erie County would have about 315, against 449 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 632 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count rose 3.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Erie County, PA growing?
Population estimates put Erie County at 265,832 people in 2025, down 1.8% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 110,587 households. The median household income in Erie County is $63,354 a year, 22% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.0% 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. Erie County scores 18 for auto repair and car care businesses (low), #2,305 of 2,401 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Erie 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 Erie County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Erie 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 Erie 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.