Auto · Small-town market · Washington
Auto repair and car care businesses in the Ellensburg, WA area
How the Ellensburg, 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 88 out of 100: High
Ranked #7 of 538 scored small-town markets
#3 of 10 scored small-town markets based in Washington
- Listings
- 63
- 21 chain locations (33%)
- Official establishments
- 25
- +8.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $23.8M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,188 a household
- Spending per listing
- $377K
- 40% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 31.5
- 12% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 48,803
- +4.2% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in the Ellensburg 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 Ellensburg 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
For auto repair and car care businesses, the Ellensburg area has a Groundwork market score of 88 (high): #7 of 538 scored small-town markets and #3 of 10 scored small-town markets based in Washington. That puts it in the top 10% of small-town markets for auto repair and car care businesses.
As of September 2026, map listings count 63 auto repair and car care businesses in the Ellensburg area. Of those, 21 are chain locations, or 33%, against 24% across the U.S. That comes to 31.5 for every 10,000 households, 12% below the U.S. rate of 35.7.
Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in the Ellensburg area comes to about $23.8M a year: $1,188 per household, 24% above the U.S. average. That is about $377K of household spending for each business on map listings, 40% above the U.S. figure of $269K.
Official counts show 25 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Ellensburg area in 2023, up 8.7% from 2019. That is one for every 800 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $1.2M has gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Ellensburg area. Population estimates show the Ellensburg area grew 4.2% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Ellensburg 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 | Ellensburg area | Washington | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 31.5 | 27.9 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $377K | $396K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 800 | 767 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +8.7% | +1.6% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.2% | +3.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,188 | $1,104 | $958 |
| Median household income | $73,804 | $98,141 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 88 | 84 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 25+8.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 169
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $9.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 36Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 6321 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 88The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $1.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Ellensburg 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 Ellensburg area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 48,803+4.2% since 2020
- Households
- 19,993
- Median age
- 38.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 61%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.2
- Land area
- 2,297 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 21
- Median household income
- $73,804+31.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $102,663
- Median home value
- $497,400
- Jobs located here
- 18,312
- Daytime population
- 44,464Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Ellensburg 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 Ellensburg 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 Ellensburg 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 Ellensburg 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 care88
- Auto repair shops88
- Collision repair and body shops
- Car washes and detailing81
- Tire shops78
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations67
- Insurance agencies85
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 Ellensburg, WA area?
The Ellensburg area has 63 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 21 of them (33%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 25 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, up 8.7% from 2019. Another 36 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Ellensburg, WA area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $23.8M a year, or $1,188 per household. That is 24% above the U.S. average (an index of 124, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 63 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $377K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 19,993 households in the Ellensburg area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Ellensburg, WA area compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
The Ellensburg area has 31.5 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 12% below the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $377K, 40% above the U.S. figure of $269K. At the national ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, the Ellensburg area would have about 88, against 63 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 800 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count rose 8.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Ellensburg, WA area growing?
Population estimates put the Ellensburg area at 48,803 people in 2025, up 4.2% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 19,993 households. Median household income in the Ellensburg area is $73,804, 9% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 31.8%, 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 Ellensburg area scores 88 for auto repair and car care businesses (high), #7 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 Ellensburg 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 Ellensburg area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Ellensburg 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 Ellensburg 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.