Auto · Metro area · Florida
Auto repair shops in the Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL metro area
How the Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL metro area compares with other metro areas and the U.S. for auto repair shops: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 62 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #102 of 387 scored metro areas
#5 of 22 scored metro areas based in Florida
- Listings
- 549
- 87 chain locations (16%)
- Official establishments
- 211
- +13.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $240.8M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $832 a household
- Spending per listing
- $439K
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 19.0
- 12% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 874,790
- +19.8% since 2020
See the auto repair shops around any address in the Lakeland-Winter Haven metro 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 Lakeland-Winter Haven metro 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
At $832 per household (13% below the U.S. average), households in the Lakeland-Winter Haven metro area spend about $240.8M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. Spread across 549 auto repair shops, that is $439K per shop, in line with the U.S. figure of $445K. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops.
There are 549 auto repair shops on map listings in the Lakeland-Winter Haven metro area as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 16% of them, against 16% across the U.S. That is 19.0 per 10,000 households, 12% below the U.S. rate of 21.5.
Official counts show 211 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the Lakeland-Winter Haven metro area in 2023, up 13.4% from 2019. That is one for every 1,372 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Official counts also show 861 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 7 SBA-backed loans worth $3.4M have gone to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the Lakeland-Winter Haven metro area.
Population estimates show the Lakeland-Winter Haven metro area grew 19.8% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Lakeland-Winter Haven metro area scores 62 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair shops, ranking #102 of 387 scored metro areas and #5 of 22 scored metro areas based in Florida.
How the Lakeland-Winter Haven metro area compares
The same measures for Florida 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 | Lakeland-Winter Haven metro area | Florida | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 19.0 | 21.1 | 21.5 |
| Spending per listing | $439K | $396K | $445K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,372 | 1,036 | 955 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +13.4% | +5.5% | +2.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +19.8% | +8.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $832 | $835 | $958 |
| Median household income | $65,978 | $74,568 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 62 | 44 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 211+13.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,243
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $68.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 861Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 54987 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 542The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 7
- Amount
- $3.4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the Lakeland-Winter Haven metro 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 Lakeland-Winter Haven metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 874,790+19.8% since 2020
- Households
- 289,425
- Median age
- 40.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 70%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 1,799 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 440
- Median household income
- $65,978+30.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $87,487
- Median home value
- $266,500
- Jobs located here
- 284,856
- Daytime population
- 728,367Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Lakeland-Winter Haven metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 Lakeland-Winter Haven metro 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 Florida
Every Florida market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Florida for auto repair shops, numbered among those based in Florida, with the Lakeland-Winter Haven metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Florida
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Wildwood-The Villages, FL | 80 | 46 | 6.5 | $1.1M | +21.1% | #7 of 387 |
| 2Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL | 69 | 233 | 19.5 | $482K | +9.4% | #60 of 387 |
| 3Homosassa Springs, FL | 65 | 116 | 16.3 | $499K | +11.1% | #85 of 387 |
| 4Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL | 62 | 394 | 19.5 | $458K | +6.5% | #100 of 387 |
| 5Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL | 62 | 549 | 19.0 | $439K | +19.8% | #102 of 387 |
| 6Naples-Marco Island, FL | 61 | 289 | 17.4 | $485K | +10.6% | #107 of 387 |
| 7Gainesville, FL | 59 | 249 | 17.5 | $463K | +5.4% | #118 of 387 |
| 8Panama City-Panama City Beach, FL | 59 | 197 | 22.4 | $395K | +15.7% | #122 of 387 |
| 9Sebastian-Vero Beach-West Vero Corridor, FL | 58 | 123 | 17.4 | $477K | +7.7% | #132 of 387 |
| 10Jacksonville, FL | 58 | 1,297 | 19.6 | $440K | +10.7% | #135 of 387 |
Other business types in the Lakeland-Winter Haven metro 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 Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 549 auto repair shops in the Lakeland-Winter Haven metro area. 87 of them (16%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 211 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023, up 13.4% from 2019. Another 861 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL metro area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $240.8M a year, or $832 per household. That is 13% below the U.S. average (an index of 87, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 549 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $439K 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 289,425 households in the Lakeland-Winter Haven metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL metro area compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?
The Lakeland-Winter Haven metro area has 19.0 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 12% below the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $439K, in line with the U.S. figure of $445K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, the Lakeland-Winter Haven metro area would have about 542, against 549 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,372 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. The official count rose 13.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +2.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Lakeland-Winter Haven metro area at 874,790 people in 2025, up 19.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 289,425 households. Median household income in the Lakeland-Winter Haven metro area is $65,978, 18% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 30.4%, 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. The Lakeland-Winter Haven metro area scores 62 for auto repair shops (upper middle), #102 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Lakeland-Winter Haven metro 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 Lakeland-Winter Haven metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Lakeland-Winter Haven metro 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 Lakeland-Winter Haven metro 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.