Groundwork

Auto · County · South Carolina

Auto repair and car care businesses in Aiken County, SC

How Aiken County, SC 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 71 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #348 of 2,401 scored counties
#6 of 44 scored counties in South Carolina

Listings
226
85 chain locations (38%)
Official establishments
73
0.0% since 2019
Household spending a year
$67.7M
On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $968 a household
Spending per listing
$299K
11% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
32.3
10% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
181,515
+7.3% since 2020

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

As of September 2026, map listings count 226 auto repair and car care businesses in Aiken County. Of those, 85 are chain locations, or 38%, against 24% across the U.S. That comes to 32.3 for every 10,000 households, 10% below the U.S. rate of 35.7.

Households in Aiken County spend about $67.7M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $968 per household, in line with the U.S. average. That works out to $299K per business, 11% above the U.S. figure of $269K.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Aiken County was 73 in 2023, unchanged from 2019. That is one for every 958 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Official counts list 227 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $720K have gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Aiken County.

Population estimates put the population change in Aiken County from 2020 to 2025 at +7.3%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Aiken County scores 71 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses, ranking #348 of 2,401 scored counties and #6 of 44 scored counties in South Carolina. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How Aiken County compares

The same measures for South Carolina 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 Aiken County, SC compared with South Carolina and the U.S.
MeasureAiken CountySouth CarolinaU.S.
Listings per 10k households32.335.535.7
Spending per listing$299K$256K$269K
Households per official establishment958760681
Official establishment growth, 2019–20230.0%+8.6%+4.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+7.3%+8.5%+3.1%
Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs$968$907$958
Median household income$70,609$69,324$80,734
Groundwork market score7156

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
73 → 730.0% over the period
Employees, 2023
404
Annual payroll, 2023
$19.5M
One-person businesses, 2023
227Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
22685 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
252The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
3
Amount
$720K

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

Population, 2025 estimate
181,515+7.3% since 2020
Households
69,916
Median age
42.1
Homes lived in by their owners
77%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
1,071 sq. mi.
People per square mile
163
Median household income
$70,609+37.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$93,371
Median home value
$218,000
Jobs located here
65,453
Daytime population
171,299Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Aiken 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 Aiken 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 South Carolina

Every South Carolina market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in South Carolina for auto repair and car care businesses, numbered among those based in South Carolina, with Aiken County marked.

Top counties in South Carolina

Counties in South Carolina ranked for auto repair and car care businesses by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Edgefield County, SC832424.6$412K+16.1%#84 of 2,401
2Berkeley County, SC7925427.1$349K+18.7%#148 of 2,401
3Abbeville County, SC772020.5$467K+2.3%#176 of 2,401
4Beaufort County, SC7222427.2$330K+8.9%#307 of 2,401
5Saluda County, SC712431.3$324K+4.1%#342 of 2,401
6Aiken County, SC7122632.3$299K+7.3%#348 of 2,401
7Laurens County, SC708431.2$299K+6.2%#369 of 2,401
8Calhoun County, SC681625.9$400K+0.6%#417 of 2,401
9Fairfield County, SC652224.6$374K−2.6%#522 of 2,401
10Oconee County, SC6511533.3$294K+6.3%#541 of 2,401

Other business types in Aiken 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 Aiken County, SC?

Aiken County has 226 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 85 of them (38%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 73 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, unchanged from 2019. Official counts also show 227 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Aiken County, SC spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?

About $67.7M a year, or $968 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 101, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 226 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $299K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 69,916 households in Aiken County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Aiken County has 32.3 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 10% below the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $299K, 11% above the U.S. figure of $269K. At the national ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, Aiken County would have about 252, against 226 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 958 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count held level from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.

How fast is Aiken County, SC growing?

Population estimates put Aiken County at 181,515 people in 2025, up 7.3% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 69,916 households. Median household income in Aiken County is $70,609, 13% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 37.4%, 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. Aiken County scores 71 for auto repair and car care businesses (upper middle), #348 of 2,401 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Aiken 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 Aiken 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.