Groundwork

Auto · County · California

Auto repair shops in Orange County, CA

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for auto repair shops in Orange County, CA, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 47 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,331 of 2,378 scored counties
#39 of 55 scored counties in California

Listings
2,961
443 chain locations (15%)
Official establishments
1,350
+3.9% since 2019
Household spending a year
$1.3B
On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,199 a household
Spending per listing
$439K
In line with the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
27.3
27% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
3,149,507
−1.1% since 2020

See the auto repair shops around any address in Orange County

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 Orange County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

Households in Orange County spend about $1.3B a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $1,199 per household, 25% above the U.S. average. That works out to $439K per shop, in line with the U.S. figure of $445K. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops.

Orange County has 2,961 auto repair shops on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 15% of them, against 16% across the U.S. That comes to 27.3 for every 10,000 households, 27% above the U.S. rate of 21.5.

In 2023, official counts showed 1,350 businesses with payroll in Orange County classed as mechanical, body and glass repair, up 3.9% from 2019. That is one for every 802 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Official counts also show 1,880 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 71 SBA-backed loans worth $58M have gone to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Orange County.

Population estimates show Orange County declined 1.1% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for auto repair shops in Orange County is 47 (lower middle), #1,331 of 2,378 scored counties and #39 of 55 scored counties in California.

How Orange County compares

The same measures for California 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.

Auto repair shops in Orange County, CA compared with California and the U.S.
MeasureOrange CountyCaliforniaU.S.
Listings per 10k households27.324.721.5
Spending per listing$439K$455K$445K
Households per official establishment802861955
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+3.9%+2.1%+2.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025−1.1%−0.4%+3.1%
Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs$1,199$1,122$958
Median household income$116,289$99,122$80,734
Groundwork market score4742

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
1,300 → 1,350+3.9% over the period
Employees, 2023
7,272
Annual payroll, 2023
$446.7M
One-person businesses, 2023
1,880Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
2,961443 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
2,920The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
71
Amount
$58M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Orange 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 Orange County

Population, 2025 estimate
3,149,507−1.1% since 2020
Households
1,082,960
Median age
40.6
Homes lived in by their owners
56%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
793 sq. mi.
People per square mile
3,991
Median household income
$116,289+28.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$156,761
Median home value
$962,600
Jobs located here
1,713,003
Daytime population
3,381,147Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Orange 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 shops on map listings by name and distance.

Or open the report at the center of Orange County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Auto repair shops across California

Every California market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in California for auto repair shops, numbered among those based in California, with Orange County marked.

Top counties in California

Counties in California ranked for auto repair shops by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Yuba County, CA894014.0$817K+8.2%#30 of 2,378
2Calaveras County, CA812614.1$928K+2.8%#91 of 2,378
3San Benito County, CA804722.9$633K+8.6%#117 of 2,378
4Mariposa County, CA79810.7$1.1M−1.2%#126 of 2,378
5Placer County, CA7732320.4$591K+8.9%#172 of 2,378
6Contra Costa County, CA7375818.3$668K+0.3%#256 of 2,378
7Trinity County, CA7259.0$1.2M−2.3%#278 of 2,378
8Merced County, CA7218020.9$531K+5.1%#297 of 2,378
9El Dorado County, CA7013417.6$729K+0.6%#334 of 2,378
10Mono County, CA69610.4$1.1M−5.4%#357 of 2,378
39Orange County, CA472,96127.3$439K−1.1%#1,331 of 2,378

Other business types in Orange County

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

Questions

How many auto repair shops are in Orange County, CA?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 2,961 auto repair shops in Orange County. 443 of them (15%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 1,350 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023, up 3.9% from 2019. Another 1,880 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in Orange County, CA spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?

About $1.3B a year, or $1,199 per household. That is 25% above the U.S. average (an index of 125, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 2,961 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $439K 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 1,082,960 households in Orange County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Orange County, CA compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?

Orange County has 27.3 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 27% above the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $439K, in line with the U.S. figure of $445K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, Orange County would have about 2,920, against 2,961 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 802 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. The official count rose 3.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +2.1% for the U.S.

How fast is Orange County, CA growing?

Population estimates put Orange County at 3,149,507 people in 2025, down 1.1% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 1,082,960 households. Median household income in Orange County is $116,289, 44% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 28.9%, 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. Orange County scores 47 for auto repair shops (lower middle), #1,331 of 2,378 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Orange County. 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 Orange County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Orange 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 Orange 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.