Auto · County · Tennessee
Auto repair and car care businesses in Rutherford County, TN
How Rutherford County, TN 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 69 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #399 of 2,401 scored counties
#31 of 87 scored counties in Tennessee
- Listings
- 453
- 143 chain locations (32%)
- Official establishments
- 163
- +11.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $130.9M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,011 a household
- Spending per listing
- $289K
- 8% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 35.0
- 2% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 386,352
- +12.6% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in Rutherford 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 Rutherford 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 Rutherford County comes to about $130.9M a year: $1,011 per household, 6% above the U.S. average. That is about $289K of household spending for each business on map listings, 8% above the U.S. figure of $269K.
There are 453 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings in Rutherford County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 32% of them, against 24% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 35.0, 2% 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 Rutherford County was 163 in 2023, up 11.6% from 2019. That is one for every 794 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Official counts also show 463 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $2.8M have gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Rutherford County.
Population estimates put the population change in Rutherford County from 2020 to 2025 at +12.6%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For auto repair and car care businesses, Rutherford County has a Groundwork market score of 69 (upper middle): #399 of 2,401 scored counties and #31 of 87 scored counties in Tennessee. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Rutherford 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 | Rutherford County | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 35.0 | 34.7 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $289K | $272K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 794 | 829 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +11.6% | +6.9% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +12.6% | +5.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,011 | $944 | $958 |
| Median household income | $85,470 | $69,595 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 69 | 64 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 146 → 163+11.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,874
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $97.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 463Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 453143 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 487The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 5
- Amount
- $2.8M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Rutherford 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 Rutherford County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 386,352+12.6% since 2020
- Households
- 129,431
- Median age
- 35.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 65%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 620 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 582
- Median household income
- $85,470+26.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $105,856
- Median home value
- $382,600
- Jobs located here
- 144,864
- Daytime population
- 329,273Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Rutherford 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 Rutherford 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 Rutherford 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 |
| 31Rutherford County, TN | 69 | 453 | 35.0 | $289K | +12.6% | #399 of 2,401 |
Other business types in Rutherford 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 care69
- Auto repair shops74
- Collision repair and body shops80
- Car washes and detailing55
- Tire shops63
- Oil change and quick lube45
- Gas stations84
- Insurance agencies77
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 Rutherford County, TN?
As of September 2026, map listings count 453 auto repair and car care businesses in Rutherford County. 143 of them (32%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 163 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, up 11.6% from 2019. Another 463 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Rutherford County, TN spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $130.9M a year, or $1,011 per household. That is 6% above the U.S. average (an index of 106, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 453 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $289K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 129,431 households in Rutherford County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Rutherford County, TN compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
Rutherford County has 35.0 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 2% below the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $289K, 8% above the U.S. figure of $269K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, Rutherford County would have about 487, against 453 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 794 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count rose 11.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Rutherford County, TN growing?
Population estimates put Rutherford County at 386,352 people in 2025, up 12.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 129,431 households. The median household income in Rutherford County is $85,470 a year, 6% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 26.8% 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. Rutherford County scores 69 for auto repair and car care businesses (upper middle), #399 of 2,401 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Rutherford 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 Rutherford County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Rutherford 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 Rutherford 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.