Auto · Metro area · Ohio
Auto repair shops in the Columbus, OH metro area
How the Columbus, OH 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 84 out of 100: High
Ranked #5 of 387 scored metro areas
#1 of 12 scored metro areas based in Ohio
- Listings
- 1,549
- 321 chain locations (21%)
- Official establishments
- 634
- +7.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $910.5M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,053 a household
- Spending per listing
- $588K
- 32% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 17.9
- 17% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 2,242,028
- +4.7% since 2020
See the auto repair shops around any address in the Columbus 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 Columbus 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
The Columbus metro area scores 84 (high) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair shops, ranking #5 of 387 scored metro areas and #1 of 12 scored metro areas based in Ohio. That puts it in the top 10% of metro areas for auto repair shops.
As of September 2026, map listings count 1,549 auto repair shops in the Columbus metro area. Chain locations make up 21% of them, against 16% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 17.9, 17% below the U.S. rate of 21.5.
Households in the Columbus metro area spend about $910.5M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $1,053 per household, 10% above the U.S. average. That is about $588K of household spending for each shop on map listings, 32% 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 Columbus metro area was 634 in 2023, up 7.1% from 2019. That is one for every 1,364 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 58 SBA-backed loans worth $21.8M have gone to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the Columbus metro area. Population estimates show the Columbus metro area grew 4.7% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Columbus 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.
| Measure | Columbus metro area | Ohio | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 17.9 | 19.9 | 21.5 |
| Spending per listing | $588K | $518K | $445K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,364 | 1,115 | 955 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +7.1% | −0.2% | +2.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.7% | +0.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,053 | $1,033 | $958 |
| Median household income | $81,945 | $71,389 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 84 | 67 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 634+7.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 3,899
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $214.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 1,388Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,549321 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 2,048The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 58
- Amount
- $21.8M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the Columbus 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 Columbus metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 2,242,028+4.7% since 2020
- Households
- 864,663
- Median age
- 38.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 61%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 4,798 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 454
- Median household income
- $81,945+25.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $110,942
- Median home value
- $300,800
- Jobs located here
- 1,129,650
- Daytime population
- 2,268,069Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Columbus 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 Columbus 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 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 Columbus metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Ohio
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Columbus, OH | 84 | 1,549 | 17.9 | $588K | +4.7% | #5 of 387 |
| 2Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | 74 | 1,676 | 18.5 | $569K | +2.7% | #35 of 387 |
| 3Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH | 70 | 659 | 19.1 | $540K | +1.5% | #54 of 387 |
| 4Sandusky, OH | 68 | 87 | 17.1 | $626K | −2.6% | #62 of 387 |
| 5Youngstown-Warren, OH | 58 | 351 | 19.0 | $512K | −1.4% | #126 of 387 |
| 6Springfield, OH | 57 | 130 | 23.2 | $444K | −0.4% | #143 of 387 |
| 7Cleveland, OH | 56 | 1,746 | 18.7 | $509K | −0.8% | #145 of 387 |
| Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH | 53 | 87 | 17.5 | $504K | −3.6% | #177 of 387 |
| 8Canton-Massillon, OH | 53 | 365 | 21.8 | $478K | −0.2% | #182 of 387 |
| 9Toledo, OH | 52 | 509 | 20.0 | $494K | −1.0% | #187 of 387 |
Other business types in the Columbus 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 Columbus, OH metro area?
The Columbus metro area has 1,549 auto repair shops on map listings as of September 2026. 321 of them (21%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 634 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023, up 7.1% from 2019. Official counts list 1,388 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Columbus, OH metro area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $910.5M a year, or $1,053 per household. That is 10% above the U.S. average (an index of 110, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,549 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $588K per shop. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops. It is estimated from the incomes of the 864,663 households in the Columbus metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Columbus, OH metro area compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?
The Columbus metro area has 17.9 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 17% below the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $588K, 32% above the U.S. figure of $445K. At the national ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, the Columbus metro area would have about 2,048, against 1,549 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,364 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. The official count rose 7.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +2.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Columbus, OH metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Columbus metro area at 2,242,028 people in 2025, up 4.7% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 864,663 households. The median household income in the Columbus metro area is $81,945 a year, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 25.8% from the 2015–2019 survey, 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. The Columbus metro area scores 84 for auto repair shops (high), #5 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 Columbus 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 Columbus metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Columbus 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 Columbus 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.