Auto · Metro area · North Carolina
Auto repair shops in the Wilmington, NC metro area
How the Wilmington, NC metro area compares with other metro areas and the U.S. for auto repair shops: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 60 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #110 of 387 scored metro areas
#5 of 15 scored metro areas based in North Carolina
- Listings
- 401
- 67 chain locations (17%)
- Official establishments
- 198
- +1.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $183.7M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $922 a household
- Spending per listing
- $458K
- 3% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 20.1
- 7% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 492,772
- +15.9% since 2020
See the auto repair shops around any address in the Wilmington metro 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 Wilmington metro 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
At $922 per household (4% below the U.S. average), households in the Wilmington metro area spend about $183.7M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That works out to $458K per shop, 3% above the U.S. figure of $445K. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops.
The Wilmington metro area has 401 auto repair shops on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 67 are chain locations, or 17%, against 16% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 20.1, 7% below the U.S. rate of 21.5.
In 2023, official counts showed 198 businesses with payroll in the Wilmington metro area classed as mechanical, body and glass repair, up 1.0% from 2019. That is one for every 1,006 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Official counts list 283 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $9.7M have gone to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the Wilmington metro area.
Population estimates show the Wilmington metro area grew 15.9% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Wilmington metro area scores 60 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair shops, ranking #110 of 387 scored metro areas and #5 of 15 scored metro areas based in North Carolina.
How the Wilmington metro 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 | Wilmington metro area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 20.1 | 21.7 | 21.5 |
| Spending per listing | $458K | $432K | $445K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,006 | 1,010 | 955 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +1.0% | +3.0% | +2.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +15.9% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $922 | $939 | $958 |
| Median household income | $76,471 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 60 | 53 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 198+1.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 983
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $51M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 283Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 40167 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 413The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 5
- Amount
- $9.7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the Wilmington metro 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 Wilmington metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 492,772+15.9% since 2020
- Households
- 199,271
- Median age
- 45.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 1,913 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 237
- Median household income
- $76,471
- Average household income
- $104,427
- Median home value
- $362,400
- Jobs located here
- 180,798
- Daytime population
- 448,307Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Wilmington metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 Wilmington metro 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 metro areas in North Carolina for auto repair shops, numbered among those based in North Carolina (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Wilmington metro area marked.
Top metro areas in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | 79 | 376 | 15.1 | $592K | +7.5% | #14 of 387 |
| 2Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC | 73 | 71 | 16.1 | $599K | +10.3% | #41 of 387 |
| 3Raleigh-Cary, NC | 72 | 1,061 | 18.5 | $525K | +12.6% | #49 of 387 |
| 4Rocky Mount, NC | 67 | 106 | 18.1 | $517K | +2.8% | #74 of 387 |
| 5Wilmington, NC | 60 | 401 | 20.1 | $458K | +15.9% | #110 of 387 |
| 6Burlington, NC | 60 | 159 | 22.7 | $415K | +8.5% | #111 of 387 |
| 7Jacksonville, NC | 54 | 175 | 23.3 | $390K | +6.0% | #172 of 387 |
| Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC | 53 | 1,321 | 18.7 | $490K | +0.9% | #179 of 387 |
| 8Winston-Salem, NC | 53 | 624 | 22.2 | $434K | +5.3% | #184 of 387 |
| 9Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 53 | 2,468 | 22.9 | $415K | +10.1% | #185 of 387 |
Other business types in the Wilmington metro 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 Wilmington, NC metro area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 401 auto repair shops in the Wilmington metro area. 67 of them (17%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 198 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023, up 1.0% from 2019. Official counts also show 283 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Wilmington, NC metro area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $183.7M a year, or $922 per household. That is 4% below the U.S. average (an index of 96, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 401 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $458K 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 199,271 households in the Wilmington metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Wilmington, NC metro area compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?
The Wilmington metro area has 20.1 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 7% below the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $458K, 3% above the U.S. figure of $445K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, the Wilmington metro area would have about 413, against 401 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,006 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. The official count rose 1.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +2.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Wilmington, NC metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Wilmington metro area at 492,772 people in 2025, up 15.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 199,271 households. Median household income in the Wilmington metro area is $76,471, 5% 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. 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 Wilmington metro area scores 60 for auto repair shops (upper middle), #110 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Wilmington metro 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 Wilmington metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Wilmington metro 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 Wilmington metro 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.