Auto · Metro area · Pennsylvania
Auto repair and car care businesses in the Erie, PA metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for auto repair and car care businesses in the Erie, PA metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 13 out of 100: Low
Ranked #379 of 387 scored metro areas
#13 of 16 scored metro areas based 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 the Erie metro 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 Erie metro 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 Erie metro area scores 13 (low) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses, ranking #379 of 387 scored metro areas and #13 of 16 scored metro areas based in Pennsylvania. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.
Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in the Erie metro area comes to about $84.7M a year: $766 per household, 20% below the U.S. average. Spread across 449 auto repair and car care businesses, that is $189K per business, 30% below the U.S. figure of $269K.
There are 449 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings in the Erie metro area as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 24% of them, against 24% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 40.6, 14% 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 the Erie metro area was 175 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 the Erie metro area. Population estimates put the population change in the Erie metro area from 2020 to 2025 at −1.8%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Erie metro area 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 metro area | 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 | 13 | 20 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 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 the Erie metro 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 Erie metro area
- 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 the Erie metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 Erie metro 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 Pennsylvania
Every Pennsylvania market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Pennsylvania for auto repair and car care businesses, numbered among those based in Pennsylvania, with the Erie metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Pennsylvania
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1State College, PA | 55 | 162 | 27.5 | $299K | −0.4% | #158 of 387 |
| 2Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA | 51 | 881 | 35.8 | $249K | +4.2% | #200 of 387 |
| 3Gettysburg, PA | 44 | 166 | 40.6 | $258K | +3.6% | #249 of 387 |
| 4Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 41 | 7,630 | 30.9 | $266K | +1.4% | #267 of 387 |
| 5York-Hanover, PA | 41 | 704 | 38.8 | $249K | +3.6% | #268 of 387 |
| 6Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ | 40 | 1,266 | 37.3 | $245K | +3.0% | #272 of 387 |
| 7Chambersburg, PA | 35 | 272 | 42.8 | $234K | +3.0% | #304 of 387 |
| 8Reading, PA | 34 | 634 | 38.8 | $237K | +2.7% | #312 of 387 |
| 9Lebanon, PA | 32 | 226 | 39.9 | $228K | +2.2% | #321 of 387 |
| 10Pittsburgh, PA | 26 | 3,631 | 34.2 | $238K | −1.3% | #346 of 387 |
| 13Erie, PA | 13 | 449 | 40.6 | $189K | −1.8% | #379 of 387 |
Other business types in the Erie metro 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 care13
- Auto repair shops12
- Collision repair and body shops17
- Car washes and detailing18
- Tire shops32
- Oil change and quick lube36
- Gas stations38
- Insurance agencies22
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 Erie, PA metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 449 auto repair and car care businesses in the Erie metro area. 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. Another 243 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Erie, PA metro area 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 the Erie metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Erie, PA metro area compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
The Erie metro area 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, the Erie metro area 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 the Erie, PA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Erie metro area 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 the Erie metro area 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. The Erie metro area scores 13 for auto repair and car care businesses (low), #379 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Erie metro 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 Erie metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Erie metro 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 Erie metro 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.