Auto · County · California
Auto repair shops in Santa Cruz County, CA
The auto repair shops in Santa Cruz County, CA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 58 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #794 of 2,378 scored counties
#22 of 55 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 202
- 25 chain locations (12%)
- Official establishments
- 116
- +0.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $119.2M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,230 a household
- Spending per listing
- $590K
- 33% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 20.8
- 3% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 258,852
- −4.7% since 2020
See the auto repair shops around any address in Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 202 auto repair shops in Santa Cruz County. Of those, 25 are chain locations, or 12%, against 16% across the U.S. That comes to 20.8 for every 10,000 households, 3% below the U.S. rate of 21.5.
At $1,230 per household (28% above the U.S. average), households in Santa Cruz County spend about $119.2M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. Spread across 202 auto repair shops, that is $590K per shop, 33% above the U.S. figure of $445K. That spending covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, which auto repair shops share with other businesses in the trade.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Santa Cruz County was 116 in 2023, up 0.9% from 2019. That is one for every 835 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Another 137 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 6 SBA-backed loans worth $3.3M have gone to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Santa Cruz County.
Population estimates show Santa Cruz County declined 4.7% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. Santa Cruz County scores 58 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair shops, ranking #794 of 2,378 scored counties and #22 of 55 scored counties in California.
How Santa Cruz 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 | Santa Cruz County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 20.8 | 24.7 | 21.5 |
| Spending per listing | $590K | $455K | $445K |
| Households per official establishment | 835 | 861 | 955 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +0.9% | +2.1% | +2.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −4.7% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,230 | $1,122 | $958 |
| Median household income | $111,093 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 58 | 42 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 115 → 116+0.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 702
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $43.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 137Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 20225 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 268The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 6
- Amount
- $3.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 258,852−4.7% since 2020
- Households
- 96,898
- Median age
- 40.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 60%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 445 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 595
- Median household income
- $111,093+35.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $156,435
- Median home value
- $1,027,500
- Jobs located here
- 95,587
- Daytime population
- 247,989Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz 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 |
| 22Santa Cruz County, CA | 58 | 202 | 20.8 | $590K | −4.7% | #794 of 2,378 |
Other business types in Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz County, CA?
Santa Cruz County has 202 auto repair shops on map listings as of September 2026. 25 of them (12%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 116 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023, up 0.9% from 2019. Official counts list 137 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Santa Cruz County, CA spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $119.2M a year, or $1,230 per household. That is 28% above the U.S. average (an index of 128, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 202 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $590K per shop. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops. It is estimated from the incomes of the 96,898 households in Santa Cruz County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Santa Cruz County, CA compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?
Santa Cruz County has 20.8 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 3% below the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $590K, 33% above the U.S. figure of $445K. At the national ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, Santa Cruz County would have about 268, against 202 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 835 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. The official count rose 0.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +2.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Santa Cruz County, CA growing?
Population estimates put Santa Cruz County at 258,852 people in 2025, down 4.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 96,898 households. The median household income in Santa Cruz County is $111,093 a year, 38% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 35.1% 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. 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. Santa Cruz County scores 58 for auto repair shops (upper middle), #794 of 2,378 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz 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.