Auto · County · North Carolina
Auto repair shops in McDowell County, NC
The auto repair shops in McDowell County, NC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 54 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #1,027 of 2,378 scored counties
#42 of 95 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 44
- 2 chain locations (5%)
- Official establishments
- 10
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $17.7M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $952 a household
- Spending per listing
- $403K
- 9% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 23.6
- 10% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 45,198
- +1.5% since 2020
See the auto repair shops around any address in McDowell 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 McDowell 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 44 auto repair shops in McDowell County. Of those, 2 are chain locations, or 5%, against 16% across the U.S. That is 23.6 per 10,000 households, 10% above the U.S. rate of 21.5.
At $952 per household (in line with the U.S. average), households in McDowell County spend about $17.7M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That is about $403K of household spending for each shop on map listings, 9% 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.
Official counts show 10 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in McDowell County in 2023. That is one for every 1,864 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Official counts also show 47 one-person businesses without payroll.
Population estimates put the population change in McDowell County from 2020 to 2025 at +1.5%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For auto repair shops, McDowell County has a Groundwork market score of 54 (upper middle): #1,027 of 2,378 scored counties and #42 of 95 scored counties in North Carolina.
How McDowell 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 | McDowell County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 23.6 | 21.7 | 21.5 |
| Spending per listing | $403K | $432K | $445K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,864 | 1,010 | 955 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +3.0% | +2.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.5% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $952 | $939 | $958 |
| Median household income | $57,168 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 54 | 53 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 11 → 10
- Employees, 2023
- 44
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 47Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 442 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 40The 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 McDowell 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 McDowell County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 45,198+1.5% since 2020
- Households
- 18,638
- Median age
- 44.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 76%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 440 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 102
- Median household income
- $57,168+31.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $72,753
- Median home value
- $171,100
- Jobs located here
- 15,917
- Daytime population
- 39,859Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in McDowell 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 McDowell 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 McDowell 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 |
| 42McDowell County, NC | 54 | 44 | 23.6 | $403K | +1.5% | #1,027 of 2,378 |
Other business types in McDowell 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 McDowell County, NC?
McDowell County has 44 auto repair shops on map listings as of September 2026. 2 of them (5%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 10 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023. Another 47 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in McDowell County, NC spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $17.7M a year, or $952 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 99, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 44 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $403K per shop. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops. It is estimated from the incomes of the 18,638 households in McDowell County and national spending patterns by income.
How does McDowell County, NC compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?
McDowell County has 23.6 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 10% above the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $403K, 9% below the U.S. figure of $445K. At the national ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, McDowell County would have about 40, against 44 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,864 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S.
How fast is McDowell County, NC growing?
Population estimates put McDowell County at 45,198 people in 2025, up 1.5% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 18,638 households. The median household income in McDowell County is $57,168 a year, 29% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.0% 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. McDowell County scores 54 for auto repair shops (upper middle), #1,027 of 2,378 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in McDowell 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 McDowell County
Screening a site or an acquisition in McDowell 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 McDowell 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.