Auto · Metro area · Georgia
Auto repair shops in the Columbus, GA-AL metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for auto repair shops in the Columbus, GA-AL metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 34 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #312 of 387 scored metro areas
#12 of 14 scored metro areas based in Georgia
- Listings
- 283
- 52 chain locations (18%)
- Official establishments
- 99
- +1.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $106M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $831 a household
- Spending per listing
- $375K
- 16% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 22.2
- 3% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 324,830
- −1.3% since 2020
See the auto repair shops around any address in the Columbus 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 Columbus 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
For auto repair shops, the Columbus metro area has a Groundwork market score of 34 (lower middle): #312 of 387 scored metro areas and #12 of 14 scored metro areas based in Georgia. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.
Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in the Columbus metro area comes to about $106M a year: $831 per household, 13% below the U.S. average. That works out to $375K per shop, 16% below the U.S. figure of $445K. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops.
The Columbus metro area has 283 auto repair shops on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 52 are chain locations, or 18%, against 16% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 22.2, 3% above the U.S. rate of 21.5.
Official counts show 99 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the Columbus metro area in 2023, up 1.0% from 2019. That is one for every 1,288 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $952K have gone to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the Columbus metro area. Population estimates put the population change in the Columbus metro area from 2020 to 2025 at −1.3%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Columbus metro area compares
The same measures for Georgia 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 | Columbus metro area | Georgia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 22.2 | 23.1 | 21.5 |
| Spending per listing | $375K | $399K | $445K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,288 | 1,082 | 955 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +1.0% | +5.7% | +2.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.3% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $831 | $923 | $958 |
| Median household income | $59,336 | $77,353 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 34 | 51 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 99+1.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 640
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $30.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 296Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 28352 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 238The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $952K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the Columbus 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 Columbus metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 324,830−1.3% since 2020
- Households
- 127,512
- Median age
- 37.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 58%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 2,786 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 117
- Median household income
- $59,336+24.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $81,434
- Median home value
- $197,300
- Jobs located here
- 110,573
- Daytime population
- 319,730Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Columbus 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 Columbus 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 Georgia
Every Georgia market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Georgia for auto repair shops, numbered among those based in Georgia (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Columbus metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Georgia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Warner Robins, GA | 86 | 122 | 16.4 | $601K | +8.2% | #2 of 387 |
| 2Athens-Clarke County, GA | 68 | 169 | 19.6 | $488K | +3.9% | #67 of 387 |
| 3Hinesville, GA | 63 | 62 | 20.6 | $428K | +12.6% | #94 of 387 |
| 4Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC | 62 | 473 | 20.4 | $451K | +4.7% | #101 of 387 |
| Chattanooga, TN-GA | 59 | 519 | 22.4 | $421K | +5.3% | #121 of 387 |
| 5Savannah, GA | 58 | 308 | 19.1 | $460K | +8.1% | #134 of 387 |
| 6Dalton, GA | 52 | 136 | 26.1 | $371K | +3.5% | #190 of 387 |
| 7Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 50 | 5,417 | 23.4 | $399K | +5.9% | #204 of 387 |
| 8Macon-Bibb County, GA | 48 | 187 | 21.1 | $418K | +2.1% | #221 of 387 |
| 9Gainesville, GA | 41 | 225 | 30.6 | $338K | +11.4% | #271 of 387 |
| 12Columbus, GA-AL | 34 | 283 | 22.2 | $375K | −1.3% | #312 of 387 |
Other business types in the Columbus 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 Columbus, GA-AL metro area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 283 auto repair shops in the Columbus metro area. 52 of them (18%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 99 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023, up 1.0% from 2019. Another 296 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Columbus, GA-AL metro area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $106M a year, or $831 per household. That is 13% below the U.S. average (an index of 87, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 283 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $375K 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 127,512 households in the Columbus metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Columbus, GA-AL metro area compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?
The Columbus metro area has 22.2 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 3% above the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $375K, 16% below the U.S. figure of $445K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, the Columbus metro area would have about 238, against 283 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,288 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. The official count rose 1.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +2.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Columbus, GA-AL metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Columbus metro area at 324,830 people in 2025, down 1.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 127,512 households. Median household income in the Columbus metro area is $59,336, 27% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 24.7%, 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 Columbus metro area scores 34 for auto repair shops (lower middle), #312 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 Columbus 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 Columbus metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Columbus 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 Columbus 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.