Groundwork

Auto · Metro area · Ohio

Auto repair shops in the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area

The auto repair shops in the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 74 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #35 of 387 scored metro areas
#2 of 12 scored metro areas based in Ohio

Listings
1,676
345 chain locations (21%)
Official establishments
812
+0.3% since 2019
Household spending a year
$954.1M
On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,052 a household
Spending per listing
$569K
28% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
18.5
14% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
2,312,858
+2.7% since 2020

See the auto repair shops around any address in the Cincinnati 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 Cincinnati metro 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

The Cincinnati metro area scores 74 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair shops, ranking #35 of 387 scored metro areas and #2 of 12 scored metro areas based in Ohio. That puts it in the top 10% of metro areas for auto repair shops.

Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in the Cincinnati metro area comes to about $954.1M a year: $1,052 per household, 10% above the U.S. average. That is about $569K of household spending for each shop on map listings, 28% above the U.S. figure of $445K. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops.

The Cincinnati metro area has 1,676 auto repair shops on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 345 are chain locations, or 21%, against 16% across the U.S. That comes to 18.5 for every 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 21.5.

Official counts show 812 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the Cincinnati metro area in 2023, up 0.3% from 2019. That is one for every 1,117 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 58 SBA-backed loans worth $24.3M have gone to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the Cincinnati metro area. Population estimates show the Cincinnati metro area grew 2.7% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%).

How the Cincinnati metro area compares

The same measures for Ohio 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 Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area compared with Ohio and the U.S.
MeasureCincinnati metro areaOhioU.S.
Listings per 10k households18.519.921.5
Spending per listing$569K$518K$445K
Households per official establishment1,1171,115955
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+0.3%−0.2%+2.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+2.7%+0.9%+3.1%
Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs$1,052$1,033$958
Median household income$81,120$71,389$80,734
Groundwork market score7467

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
812+0.3% over the period
Employees, 2023
6,607
Annual payroll, 2023
$347.8M
One-person businesses, 2023
1,316Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
1,676345 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
2,146The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
58
Amount
$24.3M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
2,312,858+2.7% since 2020
Households
906,675
Median age
39.5
Homes lived in by their owners
68%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
4,385 sq. mi.
People per square mile
518
Median household income
$81,120
Average household income
$110,407
Median home value
$258,600
Jobs located here
1,109,713
Daytime population
2,288,397Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Cincinnati 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 Cincinnati metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Auto repair shops across Ohio

Every Ohio market ranked →

The highest-scoring metro areas in Ohio for auto repair shops, numbered among those based in Ohio (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Cincinnati metro area marked.

Top metro areas in Ohio

Metro areas in Ohio ranked for auto repair shops by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Columbus, OH841,54917.9$588K+4.7%#5 of 387
2Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN741,67618.5$569K+2.7%#35 of 387
3Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH7065919.1$540K+1.5%#54 of 387
4Sandusky, OH688717.1$626K−2.6%#62 of 387
5Youngstown-Warren, OH5835119.0$512K−1.4%#126 of 387
6Springfield, OH5713023.2$444K−0.4%#143 of 387
7Cleveland, OH561,74618.7$509K−0.8%#145 of 387
Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH538717.5$504K−3.6%#177 of 387
8Canton-Massillon, OH5336521.8$478K−0.2%#182 of 387
9Toledo, OH5250920.0$494K−1.0%#187 of 387

Other business types in the Cincinnati metro area

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

Questions

How many auto repair shops are in the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 1,676 auto repair shops in the Cincinnati metro area. 345 of them (21%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 812 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023, up 0.3% from 2019. Another 1,316 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?

About $954.1M a year, or $1,052 per household. That is 10% above the U.S. average (an index of 110, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,676 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $569K 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 906,675 households in the Cincinnati metro area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?

The Cincinnati metro area has 18.5 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $569K, 28% above the U.S. figure of $445K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, the Cincinnati metro area would have about 2,146, against 1,676 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,117 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. The official count rose 0.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +2.1% for the U.S.

How fast is the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area growing?

Population estimates put the Cincinnati metro area at 2,312,858 people in 2025, up 2.7% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 906,675 households. Median household income in the Cincinnati metro area is $81,120, in line with 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 Cincinnati metro area scores 74 for auto repair shops (upper middle), #35 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 Cincinnati 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 Cincinnati metro area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Cincinnati 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 Cincinnati 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.