Market rankings · Rhode Island
Auto repair and car care businesses in Rhode Island
Markets across Rhode Island ranked by the Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses, with competitor counts and household spending for each.
- Listings
- 1,380
- 289 chain locations (21%)
- Official establishments
- 715
- +1.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $376.5M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs
- Listings per 10k households
- 31.3
- 12% below the U.S.
- Spending per listing
- $273K
- 2% above the U.S.
- Rank among states
- #44 of 51
- Market score 32 · Lower middle
A site report maps the auto repair and car care businesses on map listings around any address in Rhode Island by name and distance, and the spending within reach.
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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 1,380 auto repair and car care businesses in Rhode Island. Chain locations make up 21% of them, against 24% across the U.S. That comes to 31.3 for every 10,000 households, 12% below the U.S. rate of 35.7.
Households in Rhode Island spend about $376.5M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $853 per household, 11% below the U.S. average. Spread across 1,380 auto repair and car care businesses, that is $273K per business, 2% above the U.S. figure of $269K.
In 2023, official counts showed 715 businesses with payroll in Rhode Island classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers, up 1.6% from 2019. That is one for every 618 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 4.1% over the same years. Since fiscal 2022, 33 SBA-backed loans worth $7.4M have gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Rhode Island.
Among the 50 states and DC, Rhode Island ranks #44 for auto repair and car care businesses, with a Groundwork market score of 32 (lower middle). The one scored metro area in or partly in Rhode Island, the Providence-Warwick metro area, scores 39. Among 5 scored counties, Newport County scores highest (62).
Every market in Rhode Island for auto repair and car care businesses
Download the ranking (CSV)Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in Rhode Island, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.
Metro areas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Providence-Warwick, RI-MA | 39 | 2,159 | 32.0 | $269K | +2.1% | #278 of 387 |
Counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Newport County, RI | 62 | 86 | 23.3 | $390K | −2.9% | #649 of 2,401 |
| 2Washington County, RI | 61 | 139 | 26.5 | $389K | 0.0% | #687 of 2,401 |
| 3Bristol County, RI | 50 | 62 | 30.8 | $300K | −1.5% | #1,221 of 2,401 |
| 4Kent County, RI | 41 | 258 | 35.4 | $260K | +1.8% | #1,597 of 2,401 |
| 5Providence County, RI | 35 | 835 | 32.2 | $243K | +2.8% | #1,833 of 2,401 |
Questions
How many auto repair and car care businesses are in Rhode Island?
There are 1,380 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings in Rhode Island as of September 2026. 289 of them (21%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 715 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, up 1.6% from 2019. Official counts list 845 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Rhode Island spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $376.5M a year, or $853 per household. That is 11% below the U.S. average (an index of 89, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,380 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $273K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 441,570 households in Rhode Island and national spending patterns by income.
How does Rhode Island compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
Rhode Island has 31.3 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 12% below the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $273K, 2% above the U.S. figure of $269K. At the national ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, Rhode Island would have about 1,402, against 1,380 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 618 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count rose 1.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
Which market in Rhode Island has the highest market score for auto repair and car care businesses?
The one scored metro area in or partly in Rhode Island is the Providence-Warwick metro area, at 39 (lower middle). Among 5 scored counties in Rhode Island, Newport County scores highest, at 62 (upper middle). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.
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. Rhode Island scores 32 for auto repair and car care businesses (lower middle), #44 of the 50 states and DC.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Rhode Island. 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.
Auto repair and car care in other states
All 51 states
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- Maine
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- New Hampshire
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- North Dakota
- Ohio
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- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Top markets for auto repair and car care businesses across the U.S. · All business types in Rhode Island
Related business types in Rhode Island
- Auto repair shops878 listings
- Collision repair and body shops188 listings
- Car washes and detailing147 listings
- Tire shops119 listings
- Oil change and quick lube25 listings
- Gas stations301 listings
- Insurance agencies422 listings
Screening a site or an acquisition in Rhode Island?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
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.