Auto · County · South Dakota
Auto repair and car care businesses in Pennington County, SD
How Pennington County, SD 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 44 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,479 of 2,401 scored counties
#11 of 17 scored counties in South Dakota
- Listings
- 238
- 48 chain locations (20%)
- Official establishments
- 146
- +9.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $53.7M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,158 a household
- Spending per listing
- $226K
- 16% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 51.3
- 44% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 116,792
- +6.6% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in Pennington 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 Pennington 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 238 auto repair and car care businesses in Pennington County. Chain locations make up 20% of them, against 24% across the U.S. That is 51.3 per 10,000 households, 44% above the U.S. rate of 35.7.
At $1,158 per household (21% above the U.S. average), households in Pennington County spend about $53.7M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. Spread across 238 auto repair and car care businesses, that is $226K per business, 16% below the U.S. figure of $269K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Pennington County was 146 in 2023, up 9.8% from 2019. That is one for every 318 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Official counts list 135 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $1.1M have gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Pennington County.
Population estimates show Pennington County grew 6.6% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For auto repair and car care businesses, Pennington County has a Groundwork market score of 44 (lower middle): #1,479 of 2,401 scored counties and #11 of 17 scored counties in South Dakota.
How Pennington County compares
The same measures for South Dakota 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 | Pennington County | South Dakota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 51.3 | 42.6 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $226K | $279K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 318 | 436 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +9.8% | +9.0% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +6.6% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,158 | $1,189 | $958 |
| Median household income | $74,517 | $75,081 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 44 | 52 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 133 → 146+9.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 837
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $39.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 135Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 23848 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 200The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $1.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Pennington 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 Pennington County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 116,792+6.6% since 2020
- Households
- 46,370
- Median age
- 41.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 2,777 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 41
- Median household income
- $74,517+30.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $99,289
- Median home value
- $302,200
- Jobs located here
- 59,416
- Daytime population
- 120,445Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Pennington 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 Pennington 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 Dakota
Every South Dakota market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in South Dakota for auto repair and car care businesses, numbered among those based in South Dakota, with Pennington County marked.
Top counties in South Dakota
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Union County, SD | 79 | 18 | 24.6 | $537K | +3.3% | #137 of 2,401 |
| 2Lincoln County, SD | 78 | 105 | 37.7 | $332K | +17.5% | #169 of 2,401 |
| 3Lake County, SD | 73 | 20 | 42.4 | $304K | −0.2% | #284 of 2,401 |
| 4Brookings County, SD | 72 | 49 | 35.5 | $330K | +9.6% | #306 of 2,401 |
| 5Roberts County, SD | 70 | 15 | 41.4 | $301K | −0.1% | #368 of 2,401 |
| 6Minnehaha County, SD | 67 | 287 | 33.8 | $322K | +7.6% | #464 of 2,401 |
| 7Clay County, SD | 64 | 20 | 36.1 | $296K | +0.2% | #586 of 2,401 |
| 8Meade County, SD | 59 | 52 | 43.4 | $304K | +2.7% | #785 of 2,401 |
| 9Lawrence County, SD | 50 | 57 | 47.3 | $246K | +14.0% | #1,248 of 2,401 |
| 10Butte County, SD | 45 | 26 | 60.4 | $222K | +5.5% | #1,439 of 2,401 |
| 11Pennington County, SD | 44 | 238 | 51.3 | $226K | +6.6% | #1,479 of 2,401 |
Other business types in Pennington 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 care44
- Auto repair shops46
- Collision repair and body shops42
- Car washes and detailing41
- Tire shops52
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations50
- Insurance agencies29
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 Pennington County, SD?
Pennington County has 238 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 48 of them (20%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 146 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, up 9.8% from 2019. Official counts also show 135 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Pennington County, SD spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $53.7M a year, or $1,158 per household. That is 21% above the U.S. average (an index of 121, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 238 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $226K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 46,370 households in Pennington County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Pennington County, SD compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
Pennington County has 51.3 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 44% above the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $226K, 16% below the U.S. figure of $269K. At the national ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, Pennington County would have about 200, against 238 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 318 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count rose 9.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Pennington County, SD growing?
Population estimates put Pennington County at 116,792 people in 2025, up 6.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 46,370 households. Median household income in Pennington County is $74,517, 8% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 30.6%, 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. Pennington County scores 44 for auto repair and car care businesses (lower middle), #1,479 of 2,401 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Pennington 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 Pennington County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Pennington 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 Pennington 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.