Auto · County · South Carolina
Auto repair and car care businesses in Union County, SC
How Union 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 32 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,946 of 2,401 scored counties
#39 of 44 scored counties in South Carolina
- Listings
- 40
- 9 chain locations (23%)
- Official establishments
- 16
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $9.3M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $803 a household
- Spending per listing
- $233K
- 13% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 34.5
- 3% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 26,799
- −1.4% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in Union 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 Union 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
Union County scores 32 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses, ranking #1,946 of 2,401 scored counties and #39 of 44 scored counties in South Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 40 auto repair and car care businesses in Union County. Chain locations make up 23% of them, against 24% across the U.S. That comes to 34.5 for every 10,000 households, 3% below the U.S. rate of 35.7.
Households in Union County spend about $9.3M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $803 per household, 16% below the U.S. average. That is about $233K of household spending for each business on map listings, 13% below the U.S. figure of $269K.
In 2023, official counts showed 16 businesses with payroll in Union County classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers. That is one for every 726 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Population estimates show Union County declined 1.4% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Union 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 | Union County | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 34.5 | 35.5 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $233K | $256K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 726 | 760 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +8.6% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.4% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $803 | $907 | $958 |
| Median household income | $41,621 | $69,324 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 32 | 56 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 15 → 16
- Employees, 2023
- 59
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 41Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 409 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 35The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Union 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 Union County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 26,799−1.4% since 2020
- Households
- 11,611
- Median age
- 44.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 514 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 52
- Median household income
- $41,621+1.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $60,230
- Median home value
- $103,600
- Jobs located here
- 7,601
- Daytime population
- 22,110Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Union 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 Union 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 Union 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 |
| 39Union County, SC | 32 | 40 | 34.5 | $233K | −1.4% | #1,946 of 2,401 |
Other business types in Union 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 care32
- Auto repair shops33
- Collision repair and body shops
- Car washes and detailing20
- Tire shops14
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations24
- Insurance agencies67
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 Union County, SC?
Union County has 40 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 9 of them (23%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 16 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023. Official counts also show 41 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Union County, SC spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $9.3M a year, or $803 per household. That is 16% below the U.S. average (an index of 84, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 40 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $233K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 11,611 households in Union County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Union County, SC compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
Union County has 34.5 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 3% below the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $233K, 13% below the U.S. figure of $269K. At the national ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, Union County would have about 35, against 40 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 726 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S.
How fast is Union County, SC growing?
Population estimates put Union County at 26,799 people in 2025, down 1.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 11,611 households. Median household income in Union County is $41,621, 48% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 1.1%, 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. Union County scores 32 for auto repair and car care businesses (lower middle), #1,946 of 2,401 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Union 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 Union County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Union 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 Union 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.