Auto · County · South Carolina
Auto repair and car care businesses in Horry County, SC
The auto repair and car care businesses in Horry County, SC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 51 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #1,201 of 2,401 scored counties
#24 of 44 scored counties in South Carolina
- Listings
- 565
- 176 chain locations (31%)
- Official establishments
- 209
- +11.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $134.1M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $845 a household
- Spending per listing
- $237K
- 12% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 35.6
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 427,551
- +20.9% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in Horry 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 Horry 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
Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in Horry County comes to about $134.1M a year: $845 per household, 12% below the U.S. average. That is about $237K of household spending for each business on map listings, 12% below the U.S. figure of $269K.
There are 565 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings in Horry County as of September 2026. 176 of them (31%) are chain locations, against 24% across the U.S. That is 35.6 per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 35.7.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Horry County was 209 in 2023, up 11.8% from 2019. That is one for every 760 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Official counts also show 419 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 11 SBA-backed loans worth $8.5M have gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Horry County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Horry County grew 20.9%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Horry County scores 51 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses, ranking #1,201 of 2,401 scored counties and #24 of 44 scored counties in South Carolina.
How Horry 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.
| Measure | Horry County | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 35.6 | 35.5 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $237K | $256K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 760 | 760 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +11.8% | +8.6% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +20.9% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $845 | $907 | $958 |
| Median household income | $66,880 | $69,324 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 51 | 56 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 187 → 209+11.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,165
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $56.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 419Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 565176 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 499The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 11
- Amount
- $8.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Horry 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 Horry County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 427,551+20.9% since 2020
- Households
- 158,779
- Median age
- 47.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 77%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 1,133 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 338
- Median household income
- $66,880+31.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $87,740
- Median home value
- $287,700
- Jobs located here
- 142,324
- Daytime population
- 375,675Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Horry 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 Horry 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 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 Horry County marked.
Top counties in South Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Edgefield County, SC | 83 | 24 | 24.6 | $412K | +16.1% | #84 of 2,401 |
| 2Berkeley County, SC | 79 | 254 | 27.1 | $349K | +18.7% | #148 of 2,401 |
| 3Abbeville County, SC | 77 | 20 | 20.5 | $467K | +2.3% | #176 of 2,401 |
| 4Beaufort County, SC | 72 | 224 | 27.2 | $330K | +8.9% | #307 of 2,401 |
| 5Saluda County, SC | 71 | 24 | 31.3 | $324K | +4.1% | #342 of 2,401 |
| 6Aiken County, SC | 71 | 226 | 32.3 | $299K | +7.3% | #348 of 2,401 |
| 7Laurens County, SC | 70 | 84 | 31.2 | $299K | +6.2% | #369 of 2,401 |
| 8Calhoun County, SC | 68 | 16 | 25.9 | $400K | +0.6% | #417 of 2,401 |
| 9Fairfield County, SC | 65 | 22 | 24.6 | $374K | −2.6% | #522 of 2,401 |
| 10Oconee County, SC | 65 | 115 | 33.3 | $294K | +6.3% | #541 of 2,401 |
| 24Horry County, SC | 51 | 565 | 35.6 | $237K | +20.9% | #1,201 of 2,401 |
Other business types in Horry 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 care51
- Auto repair shops56
- Collision repair and body shops50
- Car washes and detailing46
- Tire shops50
- Oil change and quick lube64
- Gas stations57
- Insurance agencies71
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 Horry County, SC?
As of September 2026, map listings count 565 auto repair and car care businesses in Horry County. 176 of them (31%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 209 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, up 11.8% from 2019. Another 419 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Horry County, SC spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $134.1M a year, or $845 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 565 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $237K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 158,779 households in Horry County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Horry County, SC compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
Horry County has 35.6 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $237K, 12% below the U.S. figure of $269K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, Horry County would have about 499, against 565 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 760 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count rose 11.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Horry County, SC growing?
Population estimates put Horry County at 427,551 people in 2025, up 20.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 158,779 households. The median household income in Horry County is $66,880 a year, 17% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.9% 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. Horry County scores 51 for auto repair and car care businesses (upper middle), #1,201 of 2,401 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Horry 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 Horry County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Horry 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 Horry 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.