Groundwork

Auto · Small-town market · Delaware

Auto repair shops in the Seaford, DE area

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for auto repair shops in the Seaford, DE area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 82 out of 100: High

Ranked #17 of 538 scored small-town markets
The only scored small-town market based in Delaware

Listings
177
24 chain locations (14%)
Official establishments
75
−2.6% since 2019
Household spending a year
$101.3M
On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $952 a household
Spending per listing
$572K
29% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
16.6
23% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
277,140
+16.1% since 2020

See the auto repair shops around any address in the Seaford 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 Seaford area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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

What this means

The Seaford area scores 82 (high) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair shops, ranking #17 of 538 scored small-town markets and the only scored small-town market based in Delaware. That puts it in the top 10% of small-town markets for auto repair shops.

Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in the Seaford area comes to about $101.3M a year: $952 per household, in line with the U.S. average. Spread across 177 auto repair shops, that is $572K per shop, 29% above the U.S. figure of $445K. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops.

There are 177 auto repair shops on map listings in the Seaford area as of September 2026. Of those, 24 are chain locations, or 14%, against 16% across the U.S. That comes to 16.6 for every 10,000 households, 23% below the U.S. rate of 21.5.

In 2023, official counts showed 75 businesses with payroll in the Seaford area classed as mechanical, body and glass repair, down 2.6% from 2019. That is one for every 1,419 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 12 SBA-backed loans worth $6.3M have gone to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the Seaford area. Population estimates show the Seaford area grew 16.1% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How the Seaford area compares

The same measures for Delaware 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 Seaford, DE area compared with Delaware and the U.S.
MeasureSeaford areaDelawareU.S.
Listings per 10k households16.618.421.5
Spending per listing$572K$491K$445K
Households per official establishment1,4191,152955
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−2.6%+3.3%+2.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+16.1%+6.9%+3.1%
Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs$952$902$958
Median household income$81,497$84,954$80,734
Groundwork market score8268

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
75−2.6% over the period
Employees, 2023
329
Annual payroll, 2023
$19.9M
One-person businesses, 2023
190Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
17724 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
228The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
12
Amount
$6.3M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the Seaford 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 Seaford area

Population, 2025 estimate
277,140+16.1% since 2020
Households
106,441
Median age
49.6
Homes lived in by their owners
82%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
936 sq. mi.
People per square mile
273
Median household income
$81,497
Average household income
$109,287
Median home value
$382,600
Jobs located here
85,870
Daytime population
239,628Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Seaford 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 Seaford area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Other business types in the Seaford area

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

Questions

How many auto repair shops are in the Seaford, DE area?

As of September 2026, map listings count 177 auto repair shops in the Seaford area. 24 of them (14%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 75 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023, down 2.6% from 2019. Another 190 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in the Seaford, DE area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?

About $101.3M a year, or $952 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 99, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 177 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $572K 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 106,441 households in the Seaford area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the Seaford, DE area compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?

The Seaford area has 16.6 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 23% below the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $572K, 29% above the U.S. figure of $445K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, the Seaford area would have about 228, against 177 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,419 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. The official count fell 2.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +2.1% for the U.S.

How fast is the Seaford, DE area growing?

Population estimates put the Seaford area at 277,140 people in 2025, up 16.1% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 106,441 households. Median household income in the Seaford area is $81,497, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734.

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 Seaford area scores 82 for auto repair shops (high), #17 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 Seaford 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 Seaford area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Seaford 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 Seaford 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.