Groundwork

Auto · Small-town market · West Virginia

Auto repair and car care businesses in the Fairmont, WV area

The auto repair and car care businesses in the Fairmont, WV area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 39 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #385 of 538 scored small-town markets
#1 of 4 scored small-town markets based in West Virginia

Listings
76
19 chain locations (25%)
Official establishments
38
+22.6% since 2019
Household spending a year
$19.2M
On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $824 a household
Spending per listing
$253K
6% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
32.6
9% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
55,584
−1.2% since 2020

See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in the Fairmont 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 Fairmont area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey 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 the Fairmont area comes to about $19.2M a year: $824 per household, 14% below the U.S. average. Spread across 76 auto repair and car care businesses, that is $253K per business, 6% below the U.S. figure of $269K.

There are 76 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings in the Fairmont area as of September 2026. 19 of them (25%) are chain locations, against 24% across the U.S. That is 32.6 per 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 35.7.

In 2023, official counts showed 38 businesses with payroll in the Fairmont area classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers, up 22.6% from 2019. That is one for every 614 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Another 46 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $50K has gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Fairmont area.

Population estimates show the Fairmont area declined 1.2% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses in the Fairmont area is 39 (lower middle), #385 of 538 scored small-town markets and #1 of 4 scored small-town markets based in West Virginia.

How the Fairmont area compares

The same measures for West Virginia 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.

Auto repair and car care in Fairmont, WV area compared with West Virginia and the U.S.
MeasureFairmont areaWest VirginiaU.S.
Listings per 10k households32.635.435.7
Spending per listing$253K$235K$269K
Households per official establishment614781681
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+22.6%+3.1%+4.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025−1.2%−1.4%+3.1%
Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs$824$833$958
Median household income$67,370$59,608$80,734
Groundwork market score3931

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
38+22.6% over the period
Employees, 2023
157
Annual payroll, 2023
$6.4M
One-person businesses, 2023
46Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
7619 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
72The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$50K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Fairmont 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 Fairmont area

Population, 2025 estimate
55,584−1.2% since 2020
Households
23,339
Median age
41.1
Homes lived in by their owners
77%
Vehicles per household
1.7
Land area
309 sq. mi.
People per square mile
181
Median household income
$67,370+33.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$82,263
Median home value
$166,700
Jobs located here
18,773
Daytime population
50,587Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Fairmont 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 Fairmont area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Auto repair and car care across West Virginia

Every West Virginia market ranked →

The highest-scoring small-town markets in West Virginia for auto repair and car care businesses, numbered among those based in West Virginia (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Fairmont area marked.

Top small-town markets in West Virginia

Small-town markets in West Virginia ranked for auto repair and car care businesses by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
Cumberland, MD-WV4712833.2$251K−1.3%#300 of 538
1Fairmont, WV397632.6$253K−1.2%#385 of 538
2Elkins, WV254239.3$208K−3.6%#484 of 538
3Bluefield, WV-VA2516941.7$202K−3.8%#485 of 538
4Clarksburg, WV1915944.8$182K−2.4%#512 of 538

Other business types in the Fairmont area

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Funeral services

Questions

How many auto repair and car care businesses are in the Fairmont, WV area?

As of September 2026, map listings count 76 auto repair and car care businesses in the Fairmont area. 19 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 38 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, up 22.6% from 2019. Official counts list 46 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in the Fairmont, WV area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?

About $19.2M a year, or $824 per household. That is 14% below the U.S. average (an index of 86, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 76 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $253K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 23,339 households in the Fairmont area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the Fairmont, WV area compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?

The Fairmont area has 32.6 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $253K, 6% below the U.S. figure of $269K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, the Fairmont area would have about 72, against 76 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 614 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count rose 22.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.

How fast is the Fairmont, WV area growing?

Population estimates put the Fairmont area at 55,584 people in 2025, down 1.2% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 23,339 households. The median household income in the Fairmont area is $67,370 a year, 17% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 33.9% 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 Fairmont area scores 39 for auto repair and car care businesses (lower middle), #385 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 Fairmont 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 Fairmont area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Fairmont 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 Fairmont area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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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.