Auto · County · Tennessee
Auto repair and car care businesses in Knox County, TN
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for auto repair and car care businesses in Knox County, TN, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 58 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #849 of 2,401 scored counties
#58 of 87 scored counties in Tennessee
- Listings
- 677
- 228 chain locations (34%)
- Official establishments
- 277
- +8.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $186.2M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $926 a household
- Spending per listing
- $275K
- 2% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 33.7
- 6% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 511,453
- +6.5% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in Knox 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 Knox 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 Knox County comes to about $186.2M a year: $926 per household, 3% below the U.S. average. Spread across 677 auto repair and car care businesses, that is $275K per business, 2% above the U.S. figure of $269K.
There are 677 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings in Knox County as of September 2026. Of those, 228 are chain locations, or 34%, against 24% across the U.S. That comes to 33.7 for every 10,000 households, 6% below the U.S. rate of 35.7.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Knox County was 277 in 2023, up 8.6% from 2019. That is one for every 726 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Another 414 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 12 SBA-backed loans worth $6.1M have gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Knox County.
Population estimates show Knox County grew 6.5% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For auto repair and car care businesses, Knox County has a Groundwork market score of 58 (upper middle): #849 of 2,401 scored counties and #58 of 87 scored counties in Tennessee.
How Knox County 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 | Knox County | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 33.7 | 34.7 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $275K | $272K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 726 | 829 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +8.6% | +6.9% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +6.5% | +5.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $926 | $944 | $958 |
| Median household income | $74,222 | $69,595 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 58 | 64 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 255 → 277+8.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,287
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $105.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 414Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 677228 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 693The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 12
- Amount
- $6.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Knox 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 Knox County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 511,453+6.5% since 2020
- Households
- 201,146
- Median age
- 38.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 65%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 508 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 972
- Median household income
- $74,222+29.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $104,460
- Median home value
- $320,900
- Jobs located here
- 270,203
- Daytime population
- 541,810Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Knox 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 Knox 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 Tennessee
Every Tennessee market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Tennessee for auto repair and car care businesses, numbered among those based in Tennessee, with Knox County marked.
Top counties in Tennessee
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Williamson County, TN | 88 | 227 | 24.6 | $464K | +9.0% | #30 of 2,401 |
| 2Fayette County, TN | 85 | 51 | 29.6 | $370K | +7.7% | #56 of 2,401 |
| 3Morgan County, TN | 84 | 11 | 15.3 | $696K | +5.3% | #60 of 2,401 |
| 4Loudon County, TN | 84 | 78 | 32.4 | $341K | +15.6% | #68 of 2,401 |
| 5Polk County, TN | 84 | 25 | 33.7 | $332K | +5.9% | #70 of 2,401 |
| 6Jackson County, TN | 83 | 6 | 12.5 | $802K | +7.1% | #72 of 2,401 |
| 7Bledsoe County, TN | 83 | 11 | 22.6 | $466K | +6.5% | #77 of 2,401 |
| 8Grainger County, TN | 82 | 19 | 19.7 | $516K | +9.2% | #90 of 2,401 |
| 9Union County, TN | 82 | 26 | 32.8 | $333K | +8.1% | #97 of 2,401 |
| 10Cheatham County, TN | 80 | 53 | 32.6 | $348K | +4.1% | #128 of 2,401 |
| 58Knox County, TN | 58 | 677 | 33.7 | $275K | +6.5% | #849 of 2,401 |
Other business types in Knox 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 care58
- Auto repair shops63
- Collision repair and body shops78
- Car washes and detailing52
- Tire shops55
- Oil change and quick lube36
- Gas stations72
- Insurance agencies51
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 Knox County, TN?
As of September 2026, map listings count 677 auto repair and car care businesses in Knox County. 228 of them (34%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 277 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, up 8.6% from 2019. Official counts list 414 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Knox County, TN spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $186.2M a year, or $926 per household. That is 3% below the U.S. average (an index of 97, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 677 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $275K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 201,146 households in Knox County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Knox County, TN compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
Knox County has 33.7 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 6% below the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $275K, 2% above the U.S. figure of $269K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, Knox County would have about 693, against 677 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. The official count rose 8.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Knox County, TN growing?
Population estimates put Knox County at 511,453 people in 2025, up 6.5% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 201,146 households. The median household income in Knox County is $74,222 a year, 8% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 29.2% 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. Knox County scores 58 for auto repair and car care businesses (upper middle), #849 of 2,401 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Knox 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 Knox County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Knox 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 Knox 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.