Groundwork

Auto · Small-town market · North Carolina

Auto repair shops in the Waynesville, NC area

How the Waynesville, 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 61 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #160 of 538 scored small-town markets
#6 of 23 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina

Listings
56
5 chain locations (9%)
Official establishments
26
+4.0% since 2019
Household spending a year
$26M
On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $957 a household
Spending per listing
$464K
4% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
20.6
4% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
63,369
+1.9% since 2020

See the auto repair shops around any address in the Waynesville 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 Waynesville 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

Map listings as of September 2026 show 56 auto repair shops in the Waynesville area. Of those, 5 are chain locations, or 9%, against 16% across the U.S. That is 20.6 per 10,000 households, 4% below the U.S. rate of 21.5.

Households in the Waynesville area spend about $26M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $957 per household, in line with the U.S. average. Spread across 56 auto repair shops, that is $464K per shop, 4% above 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.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the Waynesville area was 26 in 2023, up 4.0% from 2019. That is one for every 1,043 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Official counts list 78 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $350K have gone to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the Waynesville area.

Population estimates put the population change in the Waynesville area from 2020 to 2025 at +1.9%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Waynesville area scores 61 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair shops, ranking #160 of 538 scored small-town markets and #6 of 23 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina.

How the Waynesville 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 Waynesville, NC area compared with North Carolina and the U.S.
MeasureWaynesville areaNorth CarolinaU.S.
Listings per 10k households20.621.721.5
Spending per listing$464K$432K$445K
Households per official establishment1,0431,010955
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+4.0%+3.0%+2.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+1.9%+7.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs$957$939$958
Median household income$61,912$72,388$80,734
Groundwork market score6153

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
26+4.0% over the period
Employees, 2023
100
Annual payroll, 2023
$4.1M
One-person businesses, 2023
78Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
565 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
58The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
2
Amount
$350K

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

Population, 2025 estimate
63,369+1.9% since 2020
Households
27,123
Median age
47.5
Homes lived in by their owners
75%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
554 sq. mi.
People per square mile
113
Median household income
$61,912
Average household income
$80,833
Median home value
$279,200
Jobs located here
17,778
Daytime population
52,805Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Waynesville 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 Waynesville 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 Waynesville 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 Waynesville area

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

Questions

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

There are 56 auto repair shops on map listings in the Waynesville area as of September 2026. 5 of them (9%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 26 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023, up 4.0% from 2019. Official counts also show 78 one-person businesses without payroll.

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

About $26M a year, or $957 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 56 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $464K per shop. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops. It is estimated from the incomes of the 27,123 households in the Waynesville area and national spending patterns by income.

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

The Waynesville area has 20.6 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 4% below the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $464K, 4% above the U.S. figure of $445K. At the national ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, the Waynesville area would have about 58, against 56 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,043 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. The official count rose 4.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +2.1% for the U.S.

How fast is the Waynesville, NC area growing?

Population estimates put the Waynesville area at 63,369 people in 2025, up 1.9% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 27,123 households. The median household income in the Waynesville area is $61,912 a year, 23% 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 Waynesville area scores 61 for auto repair shops (upper middle), #160 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 Waynesville 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 Waynesville area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Waynesville 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 Waynesville 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.