Groundwork

Auto · County · Delaware

Auto repair shops in Sussex County, DE

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 77 out of 100: High

Ranked #176 of 2,378 scored counties
#1 of 3 scored counties 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 Sussex 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 Sussex 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

For auto repair shops, Sussex County has a Groundwork market score of 77 (high): #176 of 2,378 scored counties and #1 of 3 scored counties in Delaware. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for auto repair shops.

Households in Sussex County spend about $101.3M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $952 per household, in line with the U.S. average. That works out to $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.

Sussex County has 177 auto repair shops on map listings as of September 2026. 24 of them (14%) are chain locations, against 16% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 16.6, 23% below the U.S. rate of 21.5.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Sussex County was 75 in 2023, 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 Sussex County. Population estimates put the population change in Sussex County from 2020 to 2025 at +16.1%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How Sussex County 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 Sussex County, DE compared with Delaware and the U.S.
MeasureSussex CountyDelawareU.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 score7768

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
77 → 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 Sussex 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 Sussex County

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+29.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
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 Sussex 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 Sussex 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 Delaware

Every Delaware market ranked →

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

Top counties in Delaware

Counties in Delaware ranked for auto repair shops by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Sussex County, DE7717716.6$572K+16.1%#176 of 2,378
2Kent County, DE6312717.8$512K+6.8%#612 of 2,378
3New Castle County, DE5143419.4$452K+3.0%#1,144 of 2,378

Other business types in Sussex County

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

Questions

How many auto repair shops are in Sussex County, DE?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 177 auto repair shops in Sussex County. 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. Official counts also show 190 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Sussex County, DE 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 Sussex County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Sussex County, DE compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?

Sussex County 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, Sussex County 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 Sussex County, DE growing?

Population estimates put Sussex County 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 Sussex County is $81,497, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.0%, 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. Sussex County scores 77 for auto repair shops (high), #176 of 2,378 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Sussex 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 Sussex County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Sussex 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 Sussex 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.