Auto · Small-town market · Washington
Auto repair and car care businesses in the Centralia, WA area
How the Centralia, WA area compares with other small-town markets 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 72 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #70 of 538 scored small-town markets
#9 of 10 scored small-town markets based in Washington
- Listings
- 145
- 44 chain locations (30%)
- Official establishments
- 57
- +3.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $40.2M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,222 a household
- Spending per listing
- $277K
- 3% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 44.1
- 24% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 88,062
- +6.7% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in the Centralia 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 Centralia 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
At $1,222 per household (28% above the U.S. average), households in the Centralia area spend about $40.2M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That works out to $277K per business, 3% above the U.S. figure of $269K.
The Centralia area has 145 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 30% of them, against 24% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 44.1, 24% above the U.S. rate of 35.7.
In 2023, official counts showed 57 businesses with payroll in the Centralia area classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers, up 3.6% from 2019. That is one for every 577 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Official counts also show 58 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $806K has gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Centralia area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Centralia area grew 6.7%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Centralia area scores 72 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses, ranking #70 of 538 scored small-town markets and #9 of 10 scored small-town markets based in Washington. That puts it in the top quarter of small-town markets.
How the Centralia area compares
The same measures for Washington 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 | Centralia area | Washington | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 44.1 | 27.9 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $277K | $396K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 577 | 767 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +3.6% | +1.6% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +6.7% | +3.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,222 | $1,104 | $958 |
| Median household income | $74,796 | $98,141 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 72 | 84 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 57+3.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 351
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $18M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 58Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 14544 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 150The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $806K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Centralia 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 Centralia area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 88,062+6.7% since 2020
- Households
- 32,916
- Median age
- 42.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 76%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.2
- Land area
- 2,403 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 35
- Median household income
- $74,796+39.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $92,194
- Median home value
- $385,800
- Jobs located here
- 25,436
- Daytime population
- 72,396Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Centralia 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 Centralia 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 Washington
Every Washington market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Washington for auto repair and car care businesses, numbered among those based in Washington, with the Centralia area marked.
Top small-town markets in Washington
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Shelton, WA | 96 | 65 | 25.0 | $514K | +7.8% | #1 of 538 |
| 2Port Townsend, WA | 88 | 28 | 17.1 | $634K | +2.7% | #5 of 538 |
| 3Ellensburg, WA | 88 | 63 | 31.5 | $377K | +4.2% | #7 of 538 |
| 4Aberdeen, WA | 83 | 84 | 27.4 | $400K | +3.0% | #12 of 538 |
| 5Oak Harbor, WA | 81 | 67 | 18.6 | $630K | −1.5% | #19 of 538 |
| 6Pullman, WA | 78 | 41 | 21.9 | $439K | +1.5% | #30 of 538 |
| 7Moses Lake, WA | 78 | 142 | 40.1 | $300K | +6.3% | #31 of 538 |
| 8Port Angeles, WA | 74 | 93 | 26.5 | $399K | +1.1% | #47 of 538 |
| 9Centralia, WA | 72 | 145 | 44.1 | $277K | +6.7% | #70 of 538 |
| 10Othello, WA | 67 | 26 | 41.3 | $303K | +4.3% | #106 of 538 |
Other business types in the Centralia 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 shops74
- Collision repair and body shops95
- Car washes and detailing89
- Tire shops78
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations64
- Insurance agencies68
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 Centralia, WA area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 145 auto repair and car care businesses in the Centralia area. 44 of them (30%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 57 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, up 3.6% from 2019. Another 58 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Centralia, WA area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $40.2M a year, or $1,222 per household. That is 28% above the U.S. average (an index of 128, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 145 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $277K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 32,916 households in the Centralia area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Centralia, WA area compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
The Centralia area has 44.1 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 24% above the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $277K, 3% above the U.S. figure of $269K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, the Centralia area would have about 150, against 145 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 577 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count rose 3.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Centralia, WA area growing?
Population estimates put the Centralia area at 88,062 people in 2025, up 6.7% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 32,916 households. The median household income in the Centralia area is $74,796 a year, 7% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 39.9% 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. 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 Centralia area scores 72 for auto repair and car care businesses (upper middle), #70 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 Centralia 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 Centralia area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Centralia 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 Centralia 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.