Auto · County · Washington
Auto repair and car care businesses in Cowlitz County, WA
How Cowlitz County, WA 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 70 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #360 of 2,401 scored counties
#24 of 35 scored counties in Washington
- Listings
- 146
- 36 chain locations (25%)
- Official establishments
- 66
- +10.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $50.3M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,145 a household
- Spending per listing
- $345K
- 28% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 33.2
- 7% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 114,885
- +3.5% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in Cowlitz 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 Cowlitz 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 146 auto repair and car care businesses in Cowlitz County. 36 of them (25%) are chain locations, against 24% across the U.S. That is 33.2 per 10,000 households, 7% below the U.S. rate of 35.7.
Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in Cowlitz County comes to about $50.3M a year: $1,145 per household, 20% above the U.S. average. That is about $345K of household spending for each business on map listings, 28% above the U.S. figure of $269K.
In 2023, official counts showed 66 businesses with payroll in Cowlitz County classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers, up 10.0% from 2019. That is one for every 666 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Another 83 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $1.4M have gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Cowlitz County.
Population estimates put the population change in Cowlitz County from 2020 to 2025 at +3.5%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses in Cowlitz County is 70 (upper middle), #360 of 2,401 scored counties and #24 of 35 scored counties in Washington. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Cowlitz County 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 | Cowlitz County | Washington | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 33.2 | 27.9 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $345K | $396K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 666 | 767 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +10.0% | +1.6% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.5% | +3.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,145 | $1,104 | $958 |
| Median household income | $76,531 | $98,141 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 70 | 84 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 60 → 66+10.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 422
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $23.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 83Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 14636 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 187The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $1.4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Cowlitz 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 Cowlitz County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 114,885+3.5% since 2020
- Households
- 43,943
- Median age
- 42.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 1,141 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 98
- Median household income
- $76,531+40.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $95,669
- Median home value
- $397,500
- Jobs located here
- 40,531
- Daytime population
- 95,784Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Cowlitz 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 Cowlitz 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 Washington
Every Washington market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Washington for auto repair and car care businesses, numbered among those based in Washington, with Cowlitz County marked.
Top counties in Washington
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Douglas County, WA | 96 | 37 | 23.2 | $547K | +8.0% | #1 of 2,401 |
| 2Skamania County, WA | 94 | 9 | 17.9 | $756K | +5.2% | #5 of 2,401 |
| 3Pend Oreille County, WA | 94 | 12 | 20.2 | $612K | +7.1% | #6 of 2,401 |
| 4Klickitat County, WA | 92 | 18 | 18.2 | $673K | +6.6% | #10 of 2,401 |
| 5Mason County, WA | 92 | 65 | 25.0 | $514K | +7.8% | #13 of 2,401 |
| 6San Juan County, WA | 89 | 20 | 22.2 | $526K | +4.2% | #25 of 2,401 |
| 7Stevens County, WA | 87 | 52 | 26.8 | $480K | +6.6% | #34 of 2,401 |
| 8Pacific County, WA | 86 | 24 | 21.9 | $502K | +3.6% | #44 of 2,401 |
| 9Jefferson County, WA | 84 | 28 | 17.1 | $634K | +2.7% | #61 of 2,401 |
| 10Kitsap County, WA | 81 | 255 | 23.5 | $504K | +2.7% | #101 of 2,401 |
| 24Cowlitz County, WA | 70 | 146 | 33.2 | $345K | +3.5% | #360 of 2,401 |
Other business types in Cowlitz 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 care70
- Auto repair shops71
- Collision repair and body shops74
- Car washes and detailing77
- Tire shops78
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations60
- Insurance agencies70
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 Cowlitz County, WA?
There are 146 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings in Cowlitz County as of September 2026. 36 of them (25%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 66 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, up 10.0% from 2019. Official counts list 83 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Cowlitz County, WA spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $50.3M a year, or $1,145 per household. That is 20% above the U.S. average (an index of 120, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 146 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $345K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 43,943 households in Cowlitz County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Cowlitz County, WA compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
Cowlitz County has 33.2 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 7% below the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $345K, 28% above the U.S. figure of $269K. At the national ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, Cowlitz County would have about 187, against 146 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 666 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count rose 10.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Cowlitz County, WA growing?
Population estimates put Cowlitz County at 114,885 people in 2025, up 3.5% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 43,943 households. Median household income in Cowlitz County is $76,531, 5% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 40.4%, 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. Cowlitz County scores 70 for auto repair and car care businesses (upper middle), #360 of 2,401 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Cowlitz 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 Cowlitz County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Cowlitz 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 Cowlitz 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.