Auto · County · Maryland
Auto repair shops in Howard County, MD
The auto repair shops in Howard County, MD, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 73 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #255 of 2,378 scored counties
#1 of 24 scored counties in Maryland
- Listings
- 180
- 41 chain locations (23%)
- Official establishments
- 99
- −2.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $126.2M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,043 a household
- Spending per listing
- $701K
- 58% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 14.9
- 31% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 339,183
- +1.9% since 2020
See the auto repair shops around any address in Howard 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 Howard County. 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 180 auto repair shops in Howard County. 41 of them (23%) are chain locations, against 16% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 14.9, 31% below the U.S. rate of 21.5.
Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in Howard County comes to about $126.2M a year: $1,043 per household, 9% above the U.S. average. That is about $701K of household spending for each shop on map listings, 58% above the U.S. figure of $445K. That spending covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, which auto repair shops share with other businesses in the trade.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Howard County was 99 in 2023, down 2.9% from 2019. That is one for every 1,223 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Another 130 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 7 SBA-backed loans worth $4.2M have gone to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Howard County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Howard County grew 1.9%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for auto repair shops in Howard County is 73 (upper middle), #255 of 2,378 scored counties and #1 of 24 scored counties in Maryland. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Howard County compares
The same measures for Maryland 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 | Howard County | Maryland | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 14.9 | 20.2 | 21.5 |
| Spending per listing | $701K | $450K | $445K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,223 | 990 | 955 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −2.9% | −3.1% | +2.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.9% | +1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,043 | $908 | $958 |
| Median household income | $149,763 | $103,678 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 73 | 41 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 102 → 99−2.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 767
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $47.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 130Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 18041 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 284The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 7
- Amount
- $4.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Howard 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 Howard County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 339,183+1.9% since 2020
- Households
- 121,065
- Median age
- 40.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 251 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,340
- Median household income
- $149,763+23.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $184,243
- Median home value
- $597,900
- Jobs located here
- 185,575
- Daytime population
- 363,145Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Howard 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 Howard County. 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 Maryland
Every Maryland market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Maryland for auto repair shops, numbered among those based in Maryland, with Howard County marked.
Top counties in Maryland
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Howard County, MD | 73 | 180 | 14.9 | $701K | +1.9% | #255 of 2,378 |
| 2St. Mary’s County, MD | 73 | 78 | 18.4 | $598K | +2.4% | #262 of 2,378 |
| 3Calvert County, MD | 68 | 72 | 21.5 | $580K | +1.7% | #422 of 2,378 |
| 4Worcester County, MD | 68 | 40 | 16.6 | $568K | +3.7% | #424 of 2,378 |
| 5Charles County, MD | 68 | 135 | 22.2 | $504K | +5.9% | #431 of 2,378 |
| 6Frederick County, MD | 67 | 209 | 20.0 | $538K | +11.0% | #468 of 2,378 |
| 7Montgomery County, MD | 57 | 649 | 16.7 | $543K | +1.3% | #849 of 2,378 |
| 8Queen Anne’s County, MD | 57 | 48 | 24.1 | $471K | +8.8% | #863 of 2,378 |
| 9Somerset County, MD | 55 | 15 | 18.0 | $489K | +1.7% | #951 of 2,378 |
| 10Harford County, MD | 52 | 214 | 21.0 | $480K | +2.0% | #1,097 of 2,378 |
Other business types in Howard County
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 Howard County, MD?
There are 180 auto repair shops on map listings in Howard County as of September 2026. 41 of them (23%) 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, down 2.9% from 2019. Official counts list 130 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Howard County, MD spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $126.2M a year, or $1,043 per household. That is 9% above the U.S. average (an index of 109, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 180 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $701K per shop. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops. It is estimated from the incomes of the 121,065 households in Howard County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Howard County, MD compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?
Howard County has 14.9 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 31% below the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $701K, 58% above the U.S. figure of $445K. At the national ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, Howard County would have about 284, against 180 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,223 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. The official count fell 2.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +2.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Howard County, MD growing?
Population estimates put Howard County at 339,183 people in 2025, up 1.9% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 121,065 households. The median household income in Howard County is $149,763 a year, 86% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.6% from the 2015–2019 survey, 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. Howard County scores 73 for auto repair shops (upper middle), #255 of 2,378 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Howard 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 Howard County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Howard 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 Howard 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.