Auto · Metro area · New York
Auto repair shops in the Watertown-Fort Drum, NY metro area
The auto repair shops in the Watertown-Fort Drum, NY metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 21 out of 100: Low
Ranked #367 of 387 scored metro areas
#9 of 13 scored metro areas based in New York
- Listings
- 102
- 18 chain locations (18%)
- Official establishments
- 46
- +2.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $37M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $777 a household
- Spending per listing
- $363K
- 18% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 21.4
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 111,540
- −3.9% since 2020
See the auto repair shops around any address in the Watertown-Fort Drum 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 Watertown-Fort Drum 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
The Watertown-Fort Drum metro area scores 21 (low) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair shops, ranking #367 of 387 scored metro areas and #9 of 13 scored metro areas based in New York. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 102 auto repair shops in the Watertown-Fort Drum metro area. 18 of them (18%) are chain locations, against 16% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 21.4, in line with the U.S. rate of 21.5.
At $777 per household (19% below the U.S. average), households in the Watertown-Fort Drum metro area spend about $37M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That is about $363K of household spending for each shop on map listings, 18% below 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.
In 2023, official counts showed 46 businesses with payroll in the Watertown-Fort Drum metro area classed as mechanical, body and glass repair, up 2.2% from 2019. That is one for every 1,035 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Population estimates put the population change in the Watertown-Fort Drum metro area from 2020 to 2025 at −3.9%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Watertown-Fort Drum metro area compares
The same measures for New York 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 | Watertown-Fort Drum metro area | New York | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 21.4 | 16.3 | 21.5 |
| Spending per listing | $363K | $395K | $445K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,035 | 970 | 955 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +2.2% | −3.2% | +2.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −3.9% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $777 | $642 | $958 |
| Median household income | $66,301 | $85,974 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 21 | 20 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 46+2.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 204
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $8.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 72Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 10218 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 83The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the Watertown-Fort Drum 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 Watertown-Fort Drum metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 111,540−3.9% since 2020
- Households
- 47,606
- Median age
- 37.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 55%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 1,268 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 91
- Median household income
- $66,301+25.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $86,210
- Median home value
- $188,200
- Jobs located here
- 34,253
- Daytime population
- 112,470Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Watertown-Fort Drum 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 Watertown-Fort Drum 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 New York
Every New York market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in New York for auto repair shops, numbered among those based in New York, with the Watertown-Fort Drum metro area marked.
Top metro areas in New York
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Ithaca, NY | 59 | 53 | 12.3 | $630K | −1.4% | #112 of 387 |
| 2Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY | 44 | 658 | 17.2 | $476K | +1.9% | #253 of 387 |
| 3New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 34 | 11,197 | 15.1 | $431K | +0.6% | #307 of 387 |
| 4Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY | 31 | 572 | 22.4 | $403K | +3.0% | #328 of 387 |
| 5Glens Falls, NY | 27 | 108 | 19.8 | $427K | −1.9% | #342 of 387 |
| 6Kingston, NY | 27 | 156 | 21.0 | $418K | +1.1% | #343 of 387 |
| 7Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY | 25 | 959 | 19.1 | $398K | −0.8% | #351 of 387 |
| 8Rochester, NY | 24 | 916 | 20.5 | $387K | −0.7% | #355 of 387 |
| 9Watertown-Fort Drum, NY | 21 | 102 | 21.4 | $363K | −3.9% | #367 of 387 |
| 10Syracuse, NY | 20 | 541 | 19.9 | $393K | −1.3% | #369 of 387 |
Other business types in the Watertown-Fort Drum 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 Watertown-Fort Drum, NY metro area?
There are 102 auto repair shops on map listings in the Watertown-Fort Drum metro area as of September 2026. 18 of them (18%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 46 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023, up 2.2% from 2019. Another 72 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Watertown-Fort Drum, NY metro area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $37M a year, or $777 per household. That is 19% below the U.S. average (an index of 81, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 102 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $363K per shop. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops. It is estimated from the incomes of the 47,606 households in the Watertown-Fort Drum metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Watertown-Fort Drum, NY metro area compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?
The Watertown-Fort Drum metro area has 21.4 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $363K, 18% below the U.S. figure of $445K. At the national ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, the Watertown-Fort Drum metro area would have about 83, against 102 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,035 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. The official count rose 2.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +2.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Watertown-Fort Drum, NY metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Watertown-Fort Drum metro area at 111,540 people in 2025, down 3.9% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 47,606 households. The median household income in the Watertown-Fort Drum metro area is $66,301 a year, 18% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 25.8% 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 Watertown-Fort Drum metro area scores 21 for auto repair shops (low), #367 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 Watertown-Fort Drum 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 Watertown-Fort Drum metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Watertown-Fort Drum 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 Watertown-Fort Drum 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.