Groundwork

Auto · Small-town market · North Carolina

Auto repair shops in the Elizabeth City, NC area

The auto repair shops in the Elizabeth City, NC area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 45 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #338 of 538 scored small-town markets
#18 of 23 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina

Listings
57
13 chain locations (23%)
Official establishments
14
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$15.1M
On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $954 a household
Spending per listing
$264K
41% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
36.1
68% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
42,201
+4.5% since 2020

See the auto repair shops around any address in the Elizabeth City 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 Elizabeth City area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

At $954 per household (in line with the U.S. average), households in the Elizabeth City area spend about $15.1M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That is about $264K of household spending for each shop on map listings, 41% below the U.S. figure of $445K. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops.

There are 57 auto repair shops on map listings in the Elizabeth City area as of September 2026. Of those, 13 are chain locations, or 23%, against 16% across the U.S. That comes to 36.1 for every 10,000 households, 68% above the U.S. rate of 21.5.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the Elizabeth City area was 14 in 2023. That is one for every 1,128 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Another 39 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

Population estimates put the population change in the Elizabeth City area from 2020 to 2025 at +4.5%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For auto repair shops, the Elizabeth City area has a Groundwork market score of 45 (lower middle): #338 of 538 scored small-town markets and #18 of 23 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina.

How the Elizabeth City area 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.

Auto repair shops in Elizabeth City, NC area compared with North Carolina and the U.S.
MeasureElizabeth City areaNorth CarolinaU.S.
Listings per 10k households36.121.721.5
Spending per listing$264K$432K$445K
Households per official establishment1,1281,010955
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+3.0%+2.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+4.5%+7.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs$954$939$958
Median household income$66,589$72,388$80,734
Groundwork market score4553

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
14
Employees, 2023
47
Annual payroll, 2023
$1.8M
One-person businesses, 2023
39Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
5713 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
34The 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 Elizabeth City 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 Elizabeth City area

Population, 2025 estimate
42,201+4.5% since 2020
Households
15,785
Median age
41.0
Homes lived in by their owners
67%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
227 sq. mi.
People per square mile
180
Median household income
$66,589
Average household income
$85,046
Median home value
$234,600
Jobs located here
15,323
Daytime population
38,788Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Elizabeth City area?

These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 Elizabeth City area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Auto repair shops across North Carolina

Every North Carolina market ranked →

The highest-scoring small-town markets in North Carolina for auto repair shops, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with the Elizabeth City area marked.

Top small-town markets in North Carolina

Small-town markets in North Carolina ranked for auto repair shops by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Brevard, NC752215.1$620K+2.9%#41 of 538
2Kill Devil Hills, NC722917.2$602K+3.3%#55 of 538
3Morehead City, NC725416.9$554K+4.1%#56 of 538
4Anderson Creek, NC719919.9$511K+12.3%#70 of 538
5Boone, NC653516.5$556K+0.6%#105 of 538
6Waynesville, NC615620.6$464K+1.9%#160 of 538
7Marion, NC604423.6$403K+1.5%#173 of 538
8North Wilkesboro, NC595921.8$439K+0.6%#179 of 538
9New Bern, NC5610620.2$443K+3.6%#208 of 538
10Lumberton, NC5510023.2$386K+3.4%#228 of 538
18Elizabeth City, NC455736.1$264K+4.5%#338 of 538

Other business types in the Elizabeth City area

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many auto repair shops are in the Elizabeth City, NC area?

As of September 2026, map listings count 57 auto repair shops in the Elizabeth City area. 13 of them (23%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 14 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023. Official counts list 39 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in the Elizabeth City, NC area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?

About $15.1M 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 57 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $264K 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 15,785 households in the Elizabeth City area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the Elizabeth City, NC area compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?

The Elizabeth City area has 36.1 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 68% above the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $264K, 41% below the U.S. figure of $445K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, the Elizabeth City area would have about 34, against 57 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,128 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S.

How fast is the Elizabeth City, NC area growing?

Population estimates put the Elizabeth City area at 42,201 people in 2025, up 4.5% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 15,785 households. Median household income in the Elizabeth City area is $66,589, 18% below the U.S. median of $80,734.

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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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 Elizabeth City area scores 45 for auto repair shops (lower middle), #338 of 538 scored small-town markets.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Elizabeth City 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 Elizabeth City area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Elizabeth City 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 Elizabeth City 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.