Auto · Small-town market · Arizona
Auto repair shops in the Safford, AZ area
The auto repair shops in the Safford, AZ area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 80 out of 100: High
Ranked #22 of 538 scored small-town markets
#1 of 4 scored small-town markets based in Arizona
- Listings
- 22
- 3 chain locations (14%)
- Official establishments
- 16
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $15.6M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,226 a household
- Spending per listing
- $710K
- 60% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 17.3
- 20% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 40,157
- +4.0% since 2020
See the auto repair shops around any address in the Safford area
The site report maps the auto repair shops 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 Safford 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
The Safford area scores 80 (high) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair shops, ranking #22 of 538 scored small-town markets and #1 of 4 scored small-town markets based in Arizona. That puts it in the top 10% of small-town markets for auto repair shops.
At $1,226 per household (28% above the U.S. average), households in the Safford area spend about $15.6M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That is about $710K of household spending for each shop on map listings, 60% above the U.S. figure of $445K. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops.
The Safford area has 22 auto repair shops on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 14% of them, against 16% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 17.3, 20% below the U.S. rate of 21.5.
Official counts show 16 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the Safford area in 2023. That is one for every 797 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $150K has gone to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the Safford area. Population estimates show the Safford area grew 4.0% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Safford area compares
The same measures for Arizona and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all vehicle maintenance and repairs by the auto repair shops 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 | Safford area | Arizona | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 17.3 | 22.7 | 21.5 |
| Spending per listing | $710K | $458K | $445K |
| Households per official establishment | 797 | 1,040 | 955 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +8.6% | +2.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.0% | +6.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,226 | $1,037 | $958 |
| Median household income | $67,325 | $79,964 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 80 | 62 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 16
- Employees, 2023
- 115
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 24Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 223 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 35The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $150K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the Safford 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 Safford area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 40,157+4.0% since 2020
- Households
- 12,746
- Median age
- 35.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.3
- Land area
- 4,622 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 8
- Median household income
- $67,325+31.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $81,219
- Median home value
- $212,000
- Jobs located here
- 9,824
- Daytime population
- 35,369Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Safford 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 shops on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of the Safford area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardAuto repair shops across Arizona
Every Arizona market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Arizona for auto repair shops, numbered among those based in Arizona, with the Safford area marked.
Top small-town markets in Arizona
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Safford, AZ | 80 | 22 | 17.3 | $710K | +4.0% | #22 of 538 |
| 2Nogales, AZ | 79 | 23 | 13.6 | $794K | +4.8% | #24 of 538 |
| 3Payson, AZ | 71 | 47 | 19.9 | $508K | +0.9% | #71 of 538 |
| 4Show Low, AZ | 56 | 94 | 23.5 | $418K | +3.0% | #209 of 538 |
Other business types in the Safford area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
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 shops are in the Safford, AZ area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 22 auto repair shops in the Safford area. 3 of them (14%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 16 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023. Another 24 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Safford, AZ area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $15.6M a year, or $1,226 per household. That is 28% above the U.S. average (an index of 128, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 22 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $710K per shop. That spending covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, which auto repair shops share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 12,746 households in the Safford area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Safford, AZ area compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?
The Safford area has 17.3 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 20% below the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $710K, 60% above the U.S. figure of $445K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, the Safford area would have about 35, against 22 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 797 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S.
How fast is the Safford, AZ area growing?
Population estimates put the Safford area at 40,157 people in 2025, up 4.0% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 12,746 households. Median household income in the Safford area is $67,325, 17% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 31.1%, 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 Safford area scores 80 for auto repair shops (high), #22 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 Safford area. It maps the auto repair shops 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 shops · All 56 business types in the Safford area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Safford 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 Safford 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.