Auto · County · California
Auto repair shops in San Luis Obispo County, CA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for auto repair shops in San Luis Obispo County, CA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 61 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #689 of 2,378 scored counties
#20 of 55 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 245
- 42 chain locations (17%)
- Official establishments
- 124
- +3.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $131.1M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,197 a household
- Spending per listing
- $535K
- 20% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 22.4
- 4% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 282,367
- 0.0% since 2020
See the auto repair shops around any address in San Luis Obispo 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 San Luis Obispo 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
At $1,197 per household (25% above the U.S. average), households in San Luis Obispo County spend about $131.1M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That works out to $535K per shop, 20% above the U.S. figure of $445K. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops.
There are 245 auto repair shops on map listings in San Luis Obispo County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 17% of them, against 16% across the U.S. That comes to 22.4 for every 10,000 households, 4% above the U.S. rate of 21.5.
Official counts show 124 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in San Luis Obispo County in 2023, up 3.3% from 2019. That is one for every 883 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Official counts list 174 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 8 SBA-backed loans worth $3.1M have gone to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in San Luis Obispo County.
Population estimates show San Luis Obispo County held about level from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. For auto repair shops, San Luis Obispo County has a Groundwork market score of 61 (upper middle): #689 of 2,378 scored counties and #20 of 55 scored counties in California.
How San Luis Obispo 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.
| Measure | San Luis Obispo County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 22.4 | 24.7 | 21.5 |
| Spending per listing | $535K | $455K | $445K |
| Households per official establishment | 883 | 861 | 955 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +3.3% | +2.1% | +2.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | 0.0% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,197 | $1,122 | $958 |
| Median household income | $97,446 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 61 | 42 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 120 → 124+3.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 640
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $39.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 174Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 24542 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 295The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 8
- Amount
- $3.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in San Luis Obispo 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 San Luis Obispo County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 282,3670.0% since 2020
- Households
- 109,503
- Median age
- 42.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 62%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 3,301 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 85
- Median household income
- $97,446+32.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $132,001
- Median home value
- $824,700
- Jobs located here
- 112,621
- Daytime population
- 276,085Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in San Luis Obispo 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 San Luis Obispo County. 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 California
Every California market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in California for auto repair shops, numbered among those based in California, with San Luis Obispo County marked.
Top counties in California
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Yuba County, CA | 89 | 40 | 14.0 | $817K | +8.2% | #30 of 2,378 |
| 2Calaveras County, CA | 81 | 26 | 14.1 | $928K | +2.8% | #91 of 2,378 |
| 3San Benito County, CA | 80 | 47 | 22.9 | $633K | +8.6% | #117 of 2,378 |
| 4Mariposa County, CA | 79 | 8 | 10.7 | $1.1M | −1.2% | #126 of 2,378 |
| 5Placer County, CA | 77 | 323 | 20.4 | $591K | +8.9% | #172 of 2,378 |
| 6Contra Costa County, CA | 73 | 758 | 18.3 | $668K | +0.3% | #256 of 2,378 |
| 7Trinity County, CA | 72 | 5 | 9.0 | $1.2M | −2.3% | #278 of 2,378 |
| 8Merced County, CA | 72 | 180 | 20.9 | $531K | +5.1% | #297 of 2,378 |
| 9El Dorado County, CA | 70 | 134 | 17.6 | $729K | +0.6% | #334 of 2,378 |
| 10Mono County, CA | 69 | 6 | 10.4 | $1.1M | −5.4% | #357 of 2,378 |
| 20San Luis Obispo County, CA | 61 | 245 | 22.4 | $535K | 0.0% | #689 of 2,378 |
Other business types in San Luis Obispo County
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 San Luis Obispo County, CA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 245 auto repair shops in San Luis Obispo County. 42 of them (17%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 124 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023, up 3.3% from 2019. Official counts also show 174 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in San Luis Obispo County, CA spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $131.1M a year, or $1,197 per household. That is 25% above the U.S. average (an index of 125, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 245 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $535K 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 109,503 households in San Luis Obispo County and national spending patterns by income.
How does San Luis Obispo County, CA compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?
San Luis Obispo County has 22.4 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 4% above the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $535K, 20% above the U.S. figure of $445K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, San Luis Obispo County would have about 295, against 245 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 883 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. The official count rose 3.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +2.1% for the U.S.
How fast is San Luis Obispo County, CA growing?
Population estimates put San Luis Obispo County at 282,367 people in 2025, unchanged since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 109,503 households. Median household income in San Luis Obispo County is $97,446, 21% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 32.6%, 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. San Luis Obispo County scores 61 for auto repair shops (upper middle), #689 of 2,378 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in San Luis Obispo 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 San Luis Obispo County
Screening a site or an acquisition in San Luis Obispo 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 San Luis Obispo 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.