Auto · Small-town market · Oregon
Auto repair shops in The Dalles, OR area
How The Dalles, OR 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 48 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #300 of 538 scored small-town markets
#11 of 12 scored small-town markets based in Oregon
- Listings
- 26
- 7 chain locations (27%)
- Official establishments
- 16
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $11.8M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,114 a household
- Spending per listing
- $452K
- 2% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 24.6
- 14% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 26,310
- −1.1% since 2020
See the auto repair shops around any address in The Dalles 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 Dalles 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 26 auto repair shops in The Dalles area. Of those, 7 are chain locations, or 27%, against 16% across the U.S. That comes to 24.6 for every 10,000 households, 14% above the U.S. rate of 21.5.
Households in The Dalles area spend about $11.8M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $1,114 per household, 16% above the U.S. average. That works out to $452K per shop, 2% 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.
In 2023, official counts showed 16 businesses with payroll in The Dalles area classed as mechanical, body and glass repair. That is one for every 660 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Official counts list 18 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $50K has gone to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in The Dalles area.
Population estimates show The Dalles area declined 1.1% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for auto repair shops in The Dalles area is 48 (lower middle), #300 of 538 scored small-town markets and #11 of 12 scored small-town markets based in Oregon.
How The Dalles area compares
The same measures for Oregon 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 | The Dalles area | Oregon | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 24.6 | 19.4 | 21.5 |
| Spending per listing | $452K | $540K | $445K |
| Households per official establishment | 660 | 947 | 955 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +1.0% | +2.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.1% | +0.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,114 | $1,050 | $958 |
| Median household income | $64,175 | $83,011 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 48 | 62 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 16
- Employees, 2023
- 73
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 18Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 267 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 27The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $50K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in The Dalles 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 Dalles area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 26,310−1.1% since 2020
- Households
- 10,563
- Median age
- 42.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 2,381 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 11
- Median household income
- $64,175+20.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $93,059
- Median home value
- $367,400
- Jobs located here
- 10,091
- Daytime population
- 24,380Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in The Dalles 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 Dalles 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 Oregon
Every Oregon market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Oregon for auto repair shops, numbered among those based in Oregon, with The Dalles area marked.
Top small-town markets in Oregon
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Hermiston-Pendleton, OR | 73 | 74 | 22.4 | $529K | +1.8% | #53 of 538 |
| 2Hood River, OR | 64 | 19 | 21.3 | $567K | −0.7% | #119 of 538 |
| 3Newport, OR | 62 | 45 | 19.5 | $489K | +0.3% | #146 of 538 |
| 4Coos Bay-North Bend, OR | 61 | 46 | 16.0 | $627K | −1.5% | #154 of 538 |
| 5Roseburg, OR | 59 | 106 | 22.3 | $488K | +0.6% | #175 of 538 |
| 6Brookings, OR | 58 | 21 | 18.8 | $545K | −3.8% | #182 of 538 |
| 7Klamath Falls, OR | 56 | 68 | 23.4 | $452K | +0.9% | #206 of 538 |
| 8Astoria, OR | 55 | 33 | 18.3 | $528K | −0.6% | #214 of 538 |
| 9Ontario, OR-ID | 52 | 61 | 30.5 | $385K | +5.0% | #267 of 538 |
| 10La Grande, OR | 51 | 23 | 21.1 | $518K | −1.0% | #269 of 538 |
| 11The Dalles, OR | 48 | 26 | 24.6 | $452K | −1.1% | #300 of 538 |
Other business types in The Dalles 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 Dalles, OR area?
The Dalles area has 26 auto repair shops on map listings as of September 2026. 7 of them (27%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 16 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023. Official counts also show 18 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in The Dalles, OR area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $11.8M a year, or $1,114 per household. That is 16% above the U.S. average (an index of 116, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 26 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $452K per shop. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops. It is estimated from the incomes of the 10,563 households in The Dalles area and national spending patterns by income.
How does The Dalles, OR area compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?
The Dalles area has 24.6 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 14% above the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $452K, 2% above the U.S. figure of $445K. At the national ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, The Dalles area would have about 27, against 26 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 660 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S.
How fast is The Dalles, OR area growing?
Population estimates put The Dalles area at 26,310 people in 2025, down 1.1% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 10,563 households. The median household income in The Dalles area is $64,175 a year, 21% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 20.9% 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. 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 Dalles area scores 48 for auto repair shops (lower middle), #300 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 Dalles 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 Dalles area
Screening a site or an acquisition in The Dalles 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 Dalles 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.