Auto · County · North Carolina
Auto repair shops in Rutherford County, NC
How Rutherford County, NC compares with other counties and the U.S. for auto repair shops: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 42 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,575 of 2,378 scored counties
#70 of 95 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 86
- 7 chain locations (8%)
- Official establishments
- 19
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $25.4M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $954 a household
- Spending per listing
- $296K
- 34% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 32.3
- 50% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 65,745
- +2.1% since 2020
See the auto repair shops around any address in Rutherford 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 Rutherford 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
Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in Rutherford County comes to about $25.4M a year: $954 per household, in line with the U.S. average. Spread across 86 auto repair shops, that is $296K per shop, 34% below the U.S. figure of $445K. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops.
Rutherford County has 86 auto repair shops on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 7 are chain locations, or 8%, against 16% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 32.3, 50% above the U.S. rate of 21.5.
Official counts show 19 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Rutherford County in 2023. That is one for every 1,402 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Official counts list 115 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $50K has gone to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Rutherford County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Rutherford County grew 2.1%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For auto repair shops, Rutherford County has a Groundwork market score of 42 (lower middle): #1,575 of 2,378 scored counties and #70 of 95 scored counties in North Carolina.
How Rutherford 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 | Rutherford County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 32.3 | 21.7 | 21.5 |
| Spending per listing | $296K | $432K | $445K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,402 | 1,010 | 955 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +3.0% | +2.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.1% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $954 | $939 | $958 |
| Median household income | $51,410 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 42 | 53 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 17 → 19
- Employees, 2023
- 80
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 115Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 867 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 57The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $50K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Rutherford 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 Rutherford County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 65,745+2.1% since 2020
- Households
- 26,642
- Median age
- 44.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 74%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 565 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 115
- Median household income
- $51,410+20.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $72,230
- Median home value
- $201,800
- Jobs located here
- 19,241
- Daytime population
- 55,091Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Rutherford 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 Rutherford 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 Rutherford 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 |
| 70Rutherford County, NC | 42 | 86 | 32.3 | $296K | +2.1% | #1,575 of 2,378 |
Other business types in Rutherford 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 Rutherford County, NC?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 86 auto repair shops in Rutherford County. 7 of them (8%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 19 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023. Official counts also show 115 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Rutherford County, NC spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $25.4M 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 86 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $296K 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 26,642 households in Rutherford County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Rutherford County, NC compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?
Rutherford County has 32.3 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 50% above the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $296K, 34% below the U.S. figure of $445K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, Rutherford County would have about 57, against 86 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,402 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S.
How fast is Rutherford County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Rutherford County at 65,745 people in 2025, up 2.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 26,642 households. Median household income in Rutherford County is $51,410, 36% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 20.7%, 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. Rutherford County scores 42 for auto repair shops (lower middle), #1,575 of 2,378 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Rutherford 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 Rutherford County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Rutherford 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 Rutherford 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.