Auto · Small-town market · Tennessee
Auto repair and car care businesses in the Cookeville, TN area
The auto repair and car care businesses in the Cookeville, TN area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 65 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #126 of 538 scored small-town markets
#10 of 17 scored small-town markets based in Tennessee
- Listings
- 228
- 49 chain locations (21%)
- Official establishments
- 78
- +5.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $56.6M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $964 a household
- Spending per listing
- $248K
- 8% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 38.8
- 9% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 152,477
- +7.6% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in the Cookeville area
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 the Cookeville area. 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 228 auto repair and car care businesses in the Cookeville area. 49 of them (21%) are chain locations, against 24% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 38.8, 9% above the U.S. rate of 35.7.
Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in the Cookeville area comes to about $56.6M a year: $964 per household, in line with the U.S. average. That works out to $248K per business, 8% below the U.S. figure of $269K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Cookeville area was 78 in 2023, up 5.7% from 2019. That is one for every 752 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Official counts also show 234 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $745K has gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Cookeville area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Cookeville area from 2020 to 2025 at +7.6%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses in the Cookeville area is 65 (upper middle), #126 of 538 scored small-town markets and #10 of 17 scored small-town markets based in Tennessee. That puts it in the top quarter of small-town markets.
How the Cookeville area compares
The same measures for Tennessee 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 | Cookeville area | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 38.8 | 34.7 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $248K | $272K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 752 | 829 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +5.7% | +6.9% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +7.6% | +5.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $964 | $944 | $958 |
| Median household income | $55,380 | $69,595 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 65 | 64 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 78+5.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 540
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $21.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 234Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 22849 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 211The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $745K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Cookeville area, 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 the Cookeville area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 152,477+7.6% since 2020
- Households
- 58,693
- Median age
- 40.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 1,520 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 96
- Median household income
- $55,380
- Average household income
- $75,930
- Median home value
- $237,000
- Jobs located here
- 55,382
- Daytime population
- 142,620Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Cookeville area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 the Cookeville area. 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 Tennessee
Every Tennessee market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Tennessee for auto repair and car care businesses, numbered among those based in Tennessee, with the Cookeville area marked.
Top small-town markets in Tennessee
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Winchester, TN | 82 | 57 | 32.7 | $304K | +6.4% | #17 of 538 |
| 2Athens, TN | 82 | 95 | 35.9 | $287K | +8.2% | #18 of 538 |
| 3Newport, TN | 79 | 45 | 29.0 | $316K | +5.1% | #29 of 538 |
| 4Fayetteville, TN | 75 | 54 | 36.4 | $287K | +4.3% | #46 of 538 |
| 5Crossville, TN | 74 | 91 | 32.3 | $284K | +8.0% | #54 of 538 |
| 6Lewisburg, TN | 73 | 59 | 43.3 | $242K | +10.5% | #64 of 538 |
| 7McMinnville, TN | 72 | 62 | 38.3 | $256K | +6.5% | #72 of 538 |
| 8Greeneville, TN | 69 | 105 | 37.0 | $261K | +5.0% | #94 of 538 |
| 9Sevierville, TN | 65 | 158 | 39.2 | $255K | +2.5% | #124 of 538 |
| 10Cookeville, TN | 65 | 228 | 38.8 | $248K | +7.6% | #126 of 538 |
Other business types in the Cookeville area
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 care65
- Auto repair shops64
- Collision repair and body shops78
- Car washes and detailing75
- Tire shops78
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations69
- Insurance agencies85
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 the Cookeville, TN area?
The Cookeville area has 228 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 49 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 78 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, up 5.7% from 2019. Another 234 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Cookeville, TN area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $56.6M a year, or $964 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 228 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $248K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 58,693 households in the Cookeville area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Cookeville, TN area compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
The Cookeville area has 38.8 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 9% above the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $248K, 8% below the U.S. figure of $269K. At the national ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, the Cookeville area would have about 211, against 228 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 752 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Cookeville, TN area growing?
Population estimates put the Cookeville area at 152,477 people in 2025, up 7.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 58,693 households. Median household income in the Cookeville area is $55,380, 31% below the U.S. median of $80,734.
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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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. The Cookeville area scores 65 for auto repair and car care businesses (upper middle), #126 of 538 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Cookeville area. 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 the Cookeville area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Cookeville area?
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 the Cookeville area. 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.