Auto · County · North Carolina
Auto repair shops in Columbus County, NC
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for auto repair shops in Columbus County, NC, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 34 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,895 of 2,378 scored counties
#90 of 95 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 64
- 6 chain locations (9%)
- Official establishments
- 18
- −10.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $19.1M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $954 a household
- Spending per listing
- $299K
- 33% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 31.9
- 48% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 50,487
- 0.0% since 2020
See the auto repair shops around any address in Columbus 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 Columbus 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
The Groundwork market score for auto repair shops in Columbus County is 34 (lower middle), #1,895 of 2,378 scored counties and #90 of 95 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 64 auto repair shops in Columbus County. Chain locations make up 9% of them, against 16% across the U.S. That is 31.9 per 10,000 households, 48% above the U.S. rate of 21.5.
Households in Columbus County spend about $19.1M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $954 per household, in line with the U.S. average. That works out to $299K per shop, 33% 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.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Columbus County was 18 in 2023, down 10.0% from 2019. That is one for every 1,114 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Columbus County held about level, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Columbus County compares
The same measures for North Carolina 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 County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 31.9 | 21.7 | 21.5 |
| Spending per listing | $299K | $432K | $445K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,114 | 1,010 | 955 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −10.0% | +3.0% | +2.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | 0.0% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $954 | $939 | $958 |
| Median household income | $49,442 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 34 | 53 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 20 → 18−10.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 65
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 75Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 646 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 43The 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 Columbus 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 Columbus County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 50,4870.0% since 2020
- Households
- 20,048
- Median age
- 43.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 938 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 53
- Median household income
- $49,442+31.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $67,260
- Median home value
- $146,000
- Jobs located here
- 15,101
- Daytime population
- 42,846Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Columbus 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 Columbus 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 North Carolina
Every North Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in North Carolina for auto repair shops, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with Columbus County marked.
Top counties in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Hoke County, NC | 84 | 21 | 10.9 | $893K | +9.0% | #57 of 2,378 |
| 2Brunswick County, NC | 82 | 102 | 14.8 | $651K | +26.5% | #86 of 2,378 |
| 3Madison County, NC | 82 | 13 | 15.6 | $649K | +5.9% | #87 of 2,378 |
| 4Orange County, NC | 80 | 63 | 11.0 | $854K | +6.1% | #110 of 2,378 |
| 5Perquimans County, NC | 78 | 6 | 10.7 | $887K | +3.6% | #143 of 2,378 |
| 6Pamlico County, NC | 76 | 5 | 9.2 | $1M | +3.7% | #181 of 2,378 |
| 7Pender County, NC | 76 | 42 | 16.6 | $620K | +19.0% | #190 of 2,378 |
| 8Caswell County, NC | 75 | 14 | 15.9 | $670K | +0.4% | #209 of 2,378 |
| 9Chatham County, NC | 74 | 54 | 16.4 | $651K | +11.0% | #227 of 2,378 |
| 10Granville County, NC | 74 | 37 | 16.5 | $648K | +2.1% | #228 of 2,378 |
| 90Columbus County, NC | 34 | 64 | 31.9 | $299K | 0.0% | #1,895 of 2,378 |
Other business types in Columbus 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 Columbus County, NC?
Columbus County has 64 auto repair shops on map listings as of September 2026. 6 of them (9%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 18 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023, down 10.0% from 2019. Another 75 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Columbus County, NC spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $19.1M a year, or $954 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 100, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 64 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $299K per shop. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops. It is estimated from the incomes of the 20,048 households in Columbus County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Columbus County, NC compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?
Columbus County has 31.9 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 48% above the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $299K, 33% below the U.S. figure of $445K. At the national ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, Columbus County would have about 43, against 64 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,114 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. The official count fell 10.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +2.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Columbus County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Columbus County at 50,487 people in 2025, unchanged since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 20,048 households. The median household income in Columbus County is $49,442 a year, 39% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.4% 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. Columbus County scores 34 for auto repair shops (lower middle), #1,895 of 2,378 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Columbus 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 Columbus County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Columbus 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 Columbus 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.