Auto · Metro area · Pennsylvania
Auto repair and car care businesses in the Reading, PA metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for auto repair and car care businesses in the Reading, PA metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 34 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #312 of 387 scored metro areas
#8 of 16 scored metro areas based in Pennsylvania
- Listings
- 634
- 119 chain locations (19%)
- Official establishments
- 273
- +4.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $150.2M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $920 a household
- Spending per listing
- $237K
- 12% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 38.8
- 9% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 440,072
- +2.7% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in the Reading 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 Reading 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 Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses in the Reading metro area is 34 (lower middle), #312 of 387 scored metro areas and #8 of 16 scored metro areas based in Pennsylvania. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 634 auto repair and car care businesses in the Reading metro area. 119 of them (19%) are chain locations, against 24% across the U.S. That is 38.8 per 10,000 households, 9% above the U.S. rate of 35.7.
Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in the Reading metro area comes to about $150.2M a year: $920 per household, 4% below the U.S. average. That works out to $237K per business, 12% below the U.S. figure of $269K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Reading metro area was 273 in 2023, up 4.6% from 2019. That is one for every 598 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 18 SBA-backed loans worth $12.4M have gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Reading metro area. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Reading metro area grew 2.7%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Reading 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 | Reading metro area | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 38.8 | 36.1 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $237K | $232K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 598 | 637 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +4.6% | +0.9% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.7% | +0.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $920 | $837 | $958 |
| Median household income | $79,777 | $77,971 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 34 | 20 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 273+4.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,327
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $60.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 492Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 634119 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 559The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 18
- Amount
- $12.4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Reading 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 Reading metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 440,072+2.7% since 2020
- Households
- 163,236
- Median age
- 40.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 856 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 506
- Median household income
- $79,777+25.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $103,265
- Median home value
- $257,300
- Jobs located here
- 179,513
- Daytime population
- 404,462Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Reading 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 Reading 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 Reading 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 |
Other business types in the Reading 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 care34
- Auto repair shops26
- Collision repair and body shops47
- Car washes and detailing62
- Tire shops62
- Oil change and quick lube66
- Gas stations65
- Insurance agencies59
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 Reading, PA metro area?
There are 634 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings in the Reading metro area as of September 2026. 119 of them (19%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 273 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, up 4.6% from 2019. Another 492 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Reading, PA metro area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $150.2M a year, or $920 per household. That is 4% below the U.S. average (an index of 96, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 634 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $237K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 163,236 households in the Reading metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Reading, PA metro area compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
The Reading metro area has 38.8 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 9% above the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $237K, 12% below the U.S. figure of $269K. At the national ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, the Reading metro area would have about 559, against 634 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 598 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count rose 4.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Reading, PA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Reading metro area at 440,072 people in 2025, up 2.7% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 163,236 households. Median household income in the Reading metro area is $79,777, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.2%, 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 Reading metro area scores 34 for auto repair and car care businesses (lower middle), #312 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 Reading 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 Reading metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Reading 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 Reading 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.