Groundwork

Auto · Small-town market · North Carolina

Auto repair shops in the New Bern, NC area

How the New Bern, NC area compares with other small-town markets and the U.S. for auto repair shops: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 56 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #208 of 538 scored small-town markets
#9 of 23 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina

Listings
106
17 chain locations (16%)
Official establishments
59
+20.8% since 2019
Household spending a year
$47M
On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $896 a household
Spending per listing
$443K
In line with the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
20.2
6% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
127,358
+3.6% since 2020

See the auto repair shops around any address in the New Bern 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 New Bern 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

Households in the New Bern area spend about $47M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $896 per household, 7% below the U.S. average. That is about $443K of household spending for each shop on map listings, in line with the U.S. figure of $445K. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops.

The New Bern area has 106 auto repair shops on map listings as of September 2026. 17 of them (16%) are chain locations, against 16% across the U.S. That comes to 20.2 for every 10,000 households, 6% below the U.S. rate of 21.5.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the New Bern area was 59 in 2023, up 20.8% from 2019. That is one for every 889 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Another 95 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $184K have gone to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the New Bern area.

Population estimates show the New Bern area grew 3.6% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The New Bern area scores 56 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair shops, ranking #208 of 538 scored small-town markets and #9 of 23 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina.

How the New Bern 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 New Bern, NC area compared with North Carolina and the U.S.
MeasureNew Bern areaNorth CarolinaU.S.
Listings per 10k households20.221.721.5
Spending per listing$443K$432K$445K
Households per official establishment8891,010955
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+20.8%+3.0%+2.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+3.6%+7.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs$896$939$958
Median household income$64,475$72,388$80,734
Groundwork market score5653

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
59+20.8% over the period
Employees, 2023
201
Annual payroll, 2023
$9.4M
One-person businesses, 2023
95Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
10617 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
106The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
2
Amount
$184K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the New Bern 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 New Bern area

Population, 2025 estimate
127,358+3.6% since 2020
Households
52,452
Median age
42.6
Homes lived in by their owners
71%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
1,514 sq. mi.
People per square mile
82
Median household income
$64,475+26.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$83,832
Median home value
$220,600
Jobs located here
40,439
Daytime population
116,417Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the New Bern 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 New Bern 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 New Bern 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

Other business types in the New Bern area

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

Questions

How many auto repair shops are in the New Bern, NC area?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 106 auto repair shops in the New Bern area. 17 of them (16%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 59 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023, up 20.8% from 2019. Official counts list 95 one-person businesses without payroll.

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

About $47M a year, or $896 per household. That is 7% below the U.S. average (an index of 93, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 106 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $443K 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 52,452 households in the New Bern area and national spending patterns by income.

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

The New Bern area has 20.2 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 6% below the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $443K, in line with the U.S. figure of $445K. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of auto repair shops to household spending. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 889 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. The official count rose 20.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +2.1% for the U.S.

How fast is the New Bern, NC area growing?

Population estimates put the New Bern area at 127,358 people in 2025, up 3.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 52,452 households. Median household income in the New Bern area is $64,475, 20% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 26.4%, 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 New Bern area scores 56 for auto repair shops (upper middle), #208 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 New Bern 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 New Bern area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the New Bern 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 New Bern 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.