Auto · Small-town market · Ohio
Auto repair shops in the Salem, OH area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for auto repair shops in the Salem, OH area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 61 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #156 of 538 scored small-town markets
#16 of 29 scored small-town markets based in Ohio
- Listings
- 84
- 9 chain locations (11%)
- Official establishments
- 42
- 0.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $44.5M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,074 a household
- Spending per listing
- $530K
- 19% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 20.3
- 6% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 99,377
- −2.2% since 2020
See the auto repair shops around any address in the Salem 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 Salem 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
Households in the Salem area spend about $44.5M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $1,074 per household, 12% above the U.S. average. That works out to $530K per shop, 19% above the U.S. figure of $445K. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops.
There are 84 auto repair shops on map listings in the Salem area as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 11% of them, against 16% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 20.3, 6% below the U.S. rate of 21.5.
In 2023, official counts showed 42 businesses with payroll in the Salem area classed as mechanical, body and glass repair, unchanged from 2019. That is one for every 987 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Official counts list 110 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $753K have gone to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the Salem area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Salem area declined 2.2%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for auto repair shops in the Salem area is 61 (upper middle), #156 of 538 scored small-town markets and #16 of 29 scored small-town markets based in Ohio.
How the Salem 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 | Salem area | Ohio | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 20.3 | 19.9 | 21.5 |
| Spending per listing | $530K | $518K | $445K |
| Households per official establishment | 987 | 1,115 | 955 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | 0.0% | −0.2% | +2.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.2% | +0.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,074 | $1,033 | $958 |
| Median household income | $58,180 | $71,389 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 61 | 67 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 420.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 152
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $6.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 110Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 849 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 100The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 5
- Amount
- $753K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the Salem 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 Salem area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 99,377−2.2% since 2020
- Households
- 41,459
- Median age
- 44.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 532 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 189
- Median household income
- $58,180+20.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $78,065
- Median home value
- $151,600
- Jobs located here
- 28,013
- Daytime population
- 85,744Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Salem 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 Salem 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 small-town markets in Ohio for auto repair shops, numbered among those based in Ohio, with the Salem area marked.
Top small-town markets in Ohio
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Van Wert, OH | 84 | 17 | 14.7 | $778K | +0.3% | #12 of 538 |
| 2Mount Vernon, OH | 78 | 54 | 23.0 | $498K | +1.9% | #27 of 538 |
| 3Athens, OH | 76 | 46 | 20.0 | $521K | +1.3% | #35 of 538 |
| 4Sidney, OH | 74 | 43 | 22.7 | $530K | −0.2% | #45 of 538 |
| 5Findlay, OH | 71 | 60 | 19.0 | $575K | +0.1% | #64 of 538 |
| 6Coshocton, OH | 71 | 28 | 18.9 | $555K | +1.6% | #66 of 538 |
| 7Wapakoneta, OH | 68 | 39 | 20.6 | $596K | −1.2% | #85 of 538 |
| 8Ashland, OH | 67 | 45 | 21.7 | $520K | +0.1% | #94 of 538 |
| 9Urbana, OH | 67 | 41 | 26.2 | $451K | +0.2% | #99 of 538 |
| 10Bucyrus, OH | 65 | 41 | 22.7 | $459K | −0.3% | #110 of 538 |
| 16Salem, OH | 61 | 84 | 20.3 | $530K | −2.2% | #156 of 538 |
Other business types in the Salem 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 Salem, OH area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 84 auto repair shops in the Salem area. 9 of them (11%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 42 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023, unchanged from 2019. Official counts also show 110 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Salem, OH area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $44.5M a year, or $1,074 per household. That is 12% above the U.S. average (an index of 112, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 84 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $530K 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 41,459 households in the Salem area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Salem, OH area compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?
The Salem area has 20.3 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 6% below the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $530K, 19% above the U.S. figure of $445K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, the Salem area would have about 100, against 84 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 987 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. The official count held level from 2019 to 2023, against +2.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Salem, OH area growing?
Population estimates put the Salem area at 99,377 people in 2025, down 2.2% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 41,459 households. Median household income in the Salem area is $58,180, 28% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 20.3%, 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. 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 Salem area scores 61 for auto repair shops (upper middle), #156 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 Salem 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 Salem area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Salem 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 Salem 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.