Auto · Metro area · Tennessee
Auto repair and car care businesses in the Knoxville, TN metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for auto repair and car care businesses in the Knoxville, TN metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 72 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #45 of 387 scored metro areas
#2 of 10 scored metro areas based in Tennessee
- Listings
- 1,252
- 359 chain locations (29%)
- Official establishments
- 464
- +8.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $367.3M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $971 a household
- Spending per listing
- $293K
- 9% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 33.1
- 7% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 968,137
- +6.9% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in the Knoxville metro 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 Knoxville metro 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 1,252 auto repair and car care businesses in the Knoxville metro area. Of those, 359 are chain locations, or 29%, against 24% across the U.S. That comes to 33.1 for every 10,000 households, 7% below the U.S. rate of 35.7.
Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in the Knoxville metro area comes to about $367.3M a year: $971 per household, in line with the U.S. average. That is about $293K of household spending for each business on map listings, 9% above the U.S. figure of $269K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Knoxville metro area was 464 in 2023, up 8.5% from 2019. That is one for every 815 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Another 964 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 20 SBA-backed loans worth $15.3M have gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Knoxville metro area.
Population estimates show the Knoxville metro area grew 6.9% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Knoxville metro area scores 72 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses, ranking #45 of 387 scored metro areas and #2 of 10 scored metro areas based in Tennessee. That puts it in the top quarter of metro areas.
How the Knoxville metro 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 | Knoxville metro area | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 33.1 | 34.7 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $293K | $272K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 815 | 829 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +8.5% | +6.9% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +6.9% | +5.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $971 | $944 | $958 |
| Median household income | $72,422 | $69,595 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 72 | 64 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 464+8.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 3,326
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $151.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 964Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,252359 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,367The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 20
- Amount
- $15.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Knoxville metro 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 Knoxville metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 968,137+6.9% since 2020
- Households
- 378,234
- Median age
- 41.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 70%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 3,501 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 266
- Median household income
- $72,422
- Average household income
- $98,653
- Median home value
- $290,200
- Jobs located here
- 432,193
- Daytime population
- 955,487Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Knoxville metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 Knoxville metro 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 metro areas in Tennessee for auto repair and car care businesses, numbered among those based in Tennessee, with the Knoxville metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Tennessee
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN | 73 | 2,744 | 33.1 | $294K | +8.7% | #41 of 387 |
| 2Knoxville, TN | 72 | 1,252 | 33.1 | $293K | +6.9% | #45 of 387 |
| 3Johnson City, TN | 69 | 290 | 32.6 | $286K | +4.3% | #63 of 387 |
| 4Cleveland, TN | 67 | 194 | 38.8 | $258K | +6.1% | #75 of 387 |
| 5Morristown, TN | 64 | 170 | 35.4 | $273K | +7.9% | #93 of 387 |
| 6Clarksville, TN-KY | 63 | 433 | 34.7 | $267K | +8.5% | #98 of 387 |
| 7Chattanooga, TN-GA | 63 | 832 | 36.0 | $263K | +5.3% | #99 of 387 |
| 8Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA | 58 | 462 | 35.3 | $265K | +2.3% | #138 of 387 |
| 9Memphis, TN-MS-AR | 47 | 1,788 | 34.2 | $255K | −0.3% | #230 of 387 |
| 10Jackson, TN | 31 | 272 | 37.5 | $235K | +2.2% | #325 of 387 |
Other business types in the Knoxville metro 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 care72
- Auto repair shops77
- Collision repair and body shops82
- Car washes and detailing63
- Tire shops56
- Oil change and quick lube48
- Gas stations59
- Insurance agencies76
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 Knoxville, TN metro area?
There are 1,252 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings in the Knoxville metro area as of September 2026. 359 of them (29%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 464 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, up 8.5% from 2019. Official counts list 964 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Knoxville, TN metro area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $367.3M a year, or $971 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 1,252 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $293K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 378,234 households in the Knoxville metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Knoxville, TN metro area compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
The Knoxville metro area has 33.1 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 7% below the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $293K, 9% above the U.S. figure of $269K. At the national ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, the Knoxville metro area would have about 1,367, against 1,252 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 815 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count rose 8.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Knoxville, TN metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Knoxville metro area at 968,137 people in 2025, up 6.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 378,234 households. Median household income in the Knoxville metro area is $72,422, 10% 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. 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 Knoxville metro area scores 72 for auto repair and car care businesses (upper middle), #45 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Knoxville metro 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 Knoxville metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Knoxville metro 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 Knoxville metro 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.