Auto · Metro area · Missouri
Auto repair shops in the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area
The auto repair shops in the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 56 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #144 of 387 scored metro areas
#4 of 8 scored metro areas based in Missouri
- Listings
- 2,259
- 489 chain locations (22%)
- Official establishments
- 1,265
- −3.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.2B
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,045 a household
- Spending per listing
- $537K
- 21% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 19.5
- 9% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 2,814,421
- −0.2% since 2020
See the auto repair shops around any address in the St. Louis 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 St. Louis 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 2,259 auto repair shops in the St. Louis metro area. 489 of them (22%) are chain locations, against 16% across the U.S. That comes to 19.5 for every 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 21.5.
Households in the St. Louis metro area spend about $1.2B a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $1,045 per household, 9% above the U.S. average. That is about $537K of household spending for each shop on map listings, 21% 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.
Official counts show 1,265 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the St. Louis metro area in 2023, down 3.2% from 2019. That is one for every 917 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Official counts list 1,702 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 51 SBA-backed loans worth $27.4M have gone to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the St. Louis metro area.
Population estimates put the population change in the St. Louis metro area from 2020 to 2025 at −0.2%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For auto repair shops, the St. Louis metro area has a Groundwork market score of 56 (upper middle): #144 of 387 scored metro areas and #4 of 8 scored metro areas based in Missouri.
How the St. Louis metro area compares
The same measures for Missouri 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 | St. Louis metro area | Missouri | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 19.5 | 22.3 | 21.5 |
| Spending per listing | $537K | $474K | $445K |
| Households per official establishment | 917 | 863 | 955 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −3.2% | +1.6% | +2.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.2% | +1.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,045 | $1,058 | $958 |
| Median household income | $80,196 | $70,702 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 56 | 48 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 1,265−3.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 7,621
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $450.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 1,702Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 2,259489 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 2,727The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 51
- Amount
- $27.4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the St. Louis 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 St. Louis metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 2,814,421−0.2% since 2020
- Households
- 1,160,386
- Median age
- 40.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 70%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 7,864 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 357
- Median household income
- $80,196+25.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $109,353
- Median home value
- $244,800
- Jobs located here
- 1,400,208
- Daytime population
- 2,847,124Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the St. Louis 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 St. Louis 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 Missouri
Every Missouri market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Missouri for auto repair shops, numbered among those based in Missouri, with the St. Louis metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Missouri
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Kansas City, MO-KS | 78 | 1,657 | 18.5 | $590K | +3.4% | #19 of 387 |
| 2Columbia, MO | 74 | 167 | 19.3 | $557K | +3.9% | #36 of 387 |
| 3Jefferson City, MO | 58 | 141 | 24.1 | $483K | +2.2% | #129 of 387 |
| 4St. Louis, MO-IL | 56 | 2,259 | 19.5 | $537K | −0.2% | #144 of 387 |
| 5Springfield, MO | 48 | 475 | 23.9 | $441K | +5.1% | #217 of 387 |
| 6Cape Girardeau, MO-IL | 40 | 94 | 24.5 | $439K | +1.7% | #272 of 387 |
| 7Joplin, MO-KS | 40 | 233 | 29.3 | $371K | +3.9% | #276 of 387 |
| 8St. Joseph, MO-KS | 31 | 124 | 26.4 | $408K | −2.0% | #327 of 387 |
Other business types in the St. Louis 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 St. Louis, MO-IL metro area?
There are 2,259 auto repair shops on map listings in the St. Louis metro area as of September 2026. 489 of them (22%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 1,265 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023, down 3.2% from 2019. Official counts also show 1,702 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $1.2B a year, or $1,045 per household. That is 9% above the U.S. average (an index of 109, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 2,259 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $537K per shop. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops. It is estimated from the incomes of the 1,160,386 households in the St. Louis metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?
The St. Louis metro area has 19.5 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $537K, 21% above the U.S. figure of $445K. At the national ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, the St. Louis metro area would have about 2,727, against 2,259 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 917 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. The official count fell 3.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +2.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area growing?
Population estimates put the St. Louis metro area at 2,814,421 people in 2025, down 0.2% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 1,160,386 households. The median household income in the St. Louis metro area is $80,196 a year, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 25.9% 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. The St. Louis metro area scores 56 for auto repair shops (upper middle), #144 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 St. Louis 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 St. Louis metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the St. Louis 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 St. Louis 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.