Auto · Small-town market · Colorado
Auto repair shops in the Sterling, CO area
The auto repair shops in the Sterling, CO area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 19 out of 100: Low
Ranked #511 of 538 scored small-town markets
#10 of 10 scored small-town markets based in Colorado
- Listings
- 26
- 5 chain locations (19%)
- Official establishments
- 17
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $8.3M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,011 a household
- Spending per listing
- $319K
- 28% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 31.7
- 47% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 20,654
- −2.7% since 2020
See the auto repair shops around any address in the Sterling 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 Sterling 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 Groundwork market score for auto repair shops in the Sterling area is 19 (low), #511 of 538 scored small-town markets and #10 of 10 scored small-town markets based in Colorado. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.
At $1,011 per household (6% above the U.S. average), households in the Sterling area spend about $8.3M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. Spread across 26 auto repair shops, that is $319K per shop, 28% below the U.S. figure of $445K. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops.
The Sterling area has 26 auto repair shops on map listings as of September 2026. 5 of them (19%) are chain locations, against 16% across the U.S. That is 31.7 per 10,000 households, 47% above the U.S. rate of 21.5.
Official counts show 17 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the Sterling area in 2023. That is one for every 483 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Population estimates put the population change in the Sterling area from 2020 to 2025 at −2.7%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Sterling area compares
The same measures for Colorado 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 | Sterling area | Colorado | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 31.7 | 22.9 | 21.5 |
| Spending per listing | $319K | $485K | $445K |
| Households per official establishment | 483 | 855 | 955 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +3.3% | +2.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.7% | +3.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,011 | $1,112 | $958 |
| Median household income | $51,829 | $95,470 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 19 | 59 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 17
- Employees, 2023
- 75
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 22Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 265 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 19The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the Sterling 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 Sterling area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 20,654−2.7% since 2020
- Households
- 8,203
- Median age
- 39.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 1,839 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 11
- Median household income
- $51,829−2.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $74,877
- Median home value
- $245,300
- Jobs located here
- 6,794
- Daytime population
- 18,497Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Sterling 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 Sterling 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 Colorado
Every Colorado market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Colorado for auto repair shops, numbered among those based in Colorado, with the Sterling area marked.
Top small-town markets in Colorado
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Cañon City, CO | 76 | 36 | 20.0 | $553K | +2.4% | #33 of 538 |
| 2Durango, CO | 63 | 59 | 24.2 | $482K | +2.2% | #133 of 538 |
| 3Breckenridge, CO | 60 | 34 | 21.8 | $525K | +1.1% | #165 of 538 |
| 4Edwards, CO | 58 | 55 | 24.9 | $485K | −2.4% | #183 of 538 |
| 5Rifle, CO | 54 | 84 | 25.8 | $450K | +1.2% | #232 of 538 |
| 6Alamosa, CO | 54 | 33 | 28.8 | $366K | +2.1% | #241 of 538 |
| 7Steamboat Springs, CO | 53 | 45 | 27.0 | $447K | +0.9% | #251 of 538 |
| 8Montrose, CO | 42 | 65 | 36.0 | $318K | +4.1% | #359 of 538 |
| 9Fort Morgan, CO | 41 | 39 | 35.2 | $320K | +4.2% | #365 of 538 |
| 10Sterling, CO | 19 | 26 | 31.7 | $319K | −2.7% | #511 of 538 |
Other business types in the Sterling 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 Sterling, CO area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 26 auto repair shops in the Sterling area. 5 of them (19%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 17 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023. Official counts list 22 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Sterling, CO area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $8.3M a year, or $1,011 per household. That is 6% above the U.S. average (an index of 106, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 26 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $319K 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 8,203 households in the Sterling area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Sterling, CO area compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?
The Sterling area has 31.7 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 47% above the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $319K, 28% below the U.S. figure of $445K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, the Sterling area would have about 19, against 26 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 483 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S.
How fast is the Sterling, CO area growing?
Population estimates put the Sterling area at 20,654 people in 2025, down 2.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 8,203 households. Median household income in the Sterling area is $51,829, 36% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median fell 2.8%, 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 Sterling area scores 19 for auto repair shops (low), #511 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 Sterling 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 Sterling area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Sterling 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 Sterling 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.