Auto · Small-town market · North Carolina
Auto repair shops in the Morehead City, NC area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for auto repair shops in the Morehead City, NC area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 72 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #56 of 538 scored small-town markets
#3 of 23 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina
- Listings
- 54
- 5 chain locations (9%)
- Official establishments
- 30
- +7.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $29.9M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $935 a household
- Spending per listing
- $554K
- 25% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 16.9
- 21% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 70,469
- +4.1% since 2020
See the auto repair shops around any address in the Morehead 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 Morehead City 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
Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in the Morehead City area comes to about $29.9M a year: $935 per household, 2% below the U.S. average. Spread across 54 auto repair shops, that is $554K per shop, 25% above the U.S. figure of $445K. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops.
There are 54 auto repair shops on map listings in the Morehead City area as of September 2026. 5 of them (9%) are chain locations, against 16% across the U.S. That comes to 16.9 for every 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 21.5.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the Morehead City area was 30 in 2023, up 7.1% from 2019. That is one for every 1,066 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Another 48 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $1.4M have gone to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the Morehead City area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Morehead City area from 2020 to 2025 at +4.1%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for auto repair shops in the Morehead City area is 72 (upper middle), #56 of 538 scored small-town markets and #3 of 23 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina. That puts it in the top quarter of small-town markets.
How the Morehead 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.
| Measure | Morehead City area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 16.9 | 21.7 | 21.5 |
| Spending per listing | $554K | $432K | $445K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,066 | 1,010 | 955 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +7.1% | +3.0% | +2.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.1% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $935 | $939 | $958 |
| Median household income | $72,322 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 72 | 53 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 30+7.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 115
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $4.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 48Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 545 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 67The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $1.4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the Morehead 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 Morehead City area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 70,469+4.1% since 2020
- Households
- 31,977
- Median age
- 49.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 75%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 508 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 136
- Median household income
- $72,322+26.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $99,351
- Median home value
- $333,300
- Jobs located here
- 23,748
- Daytime population
- 65,592Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Morehead 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 Morehead City 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 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 Morehead City area marked.
Top small-town markets in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Brevard, NC | 75 | 22 | 15.1 | $620K | +2.9% | #41 of 538 |
| 2Kill Devil Hills, NC | 72 | 29 | 17.2 | $602K | +3.3% | #55 of 538 |
| 3Morehead City, NC | 72 | 54 | 16.9 | $554K | +4.1% | #56 of 538 |
| 4Anderson Creek, NC | 71 | 99 | 19.9 | $511K | +12.3% | #70 of 538 |
| 5Boone, NC | 65 | 35 | 16.5 | $556K | +0.6% | #105 of 538 |
| 6Waynesville, NC | 61 | 56 | 20.6 | $464K | +1.9% | #160 of 538 |
| 7Marion, NC | 60 | 44 | 23.6 | $403K | +1.5% | #173 of 538 |
| 8North Wilkesboro, NC | 59 | 59 | 21.8 | $439K | +0.6% | #179 of 538 |
| 9New Bern, NC | 56 | 106 | 20.2 | $443K | +3.6% | #208 of 538 |
| 10Lumberton, NC | 55 | 100 | 23.2 | $386K | +3.4% | #228 of 538 |
Other business types in the Morehead City 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 Morehead City, NC area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 54 auto repair shops in the Morehead City area. 5 of them (9%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 30 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023, up 7.1% from 2019. Official counts list 48 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Morehead City, NC area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $29.9M a year, or $935 per household. That is 2% below the U.S. average (an index of 98, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 54 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $554K 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 31,977 households in the Morehead City area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Morehead City, NC area compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?
The Morehead City area has 16.9 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $554K, 25% above the U.S. figure of $445K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, the Morehead City area would have about 67, against 54 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,066 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. The official count rose 7.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +2.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Morehead City, NC area growing?
Population estimates put the Morehead City area at 70,469 people in 2025, up 4.1% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 31,977 households. Median household income in the Morehead City area is $72,322, 10% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 26.5%, 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. 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 Morehead City area scores 72 for auto repair shops (upper middle), #56 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 Morehead 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 Morehead City area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Morehead 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 Morehead 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.