Auto · Metro area · Pennsylvania
Auto repair shops in the Reading, PA metro area
How the Reading, PA 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 26 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #348 of 387 scored metro areas
#8 of 16 scored metro areas based in Pennsylvania
- Listings
- 418
- 59 chain locations (14%)
- Official establishments
- 220
- +1.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $150.2M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $920 a household
- Spending per listing
- $359K
- 19% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 25.6
- 19% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 440,072
- +2.7% since 2020
See the auto repair shops around any address in the Reading 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 Reading 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 Reading metro area scores 26 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair shops, ranking #348 of 387 scored metro areas and #8 of 16 scored metro areas based in Pennsylvania. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.
Households in the Reading metro area spend about $150.2M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $920 per household, 4% below the U.S. average. Spread across 418 auto repair shops, that is $359K per shop, 19% below the U.S. figure of $445K. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops.
There are 418 auto repair shops on map listings in the Reading metro area as of September 2026. Of those, 59 are chain locations, or 14%, against 16% across the U.S. That is 25.6 per 10,000 households, 19% above the U.S. rate of 21.5.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the Reading metro area was 220 in 2023, up 1.4% from 2019. That is one for every 742 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 13 SBA-backed loans worth $4.6M have gone to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the Reading metro area. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Reading metro area grew 2.7%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Reading metro area compares
The same measures for Pennsylvania 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 | Reading metro area | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 25.6 | 23.1 | 21.5 |
| Spending per listing | $359K | $362K | $445K |
| Households per official establishment | 742 | 804 | 955 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +1.4% | −1.1% | +2.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.7% | +0.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $920 | $837 | $958 |
| Median household income | $79,777 | $77,971 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 26 | 14 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 220+1.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 920
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $46.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 376Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 41859 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 338The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 13
- Amount
- $4.6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the Reading 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 Reading metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 440,072+2.7% since 2020
- Households
- 163,236
- Median age
- 40.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 856 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 506
- Median household income
- $79,777+25.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $103,265
- Median home value
- $257,300
- Jobs located here
- 179,513
- Daytime population
- 404,462Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Reading 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 Reading 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 Pennsylvania
Every Pennsylvania market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Pennsylvania for auto repair shops, numbered among those based in Pennsylvania, with the Reading metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Pennsylvania
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1State College, PA | 53 | 93 | 15.8 | $521K | −0.4% | #173 of 387 |
| 2Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA | 46 | 536 | 21.8 | $409K | +4.2% | #239 of 387 |
| 3York-Hanover, PA | 33 | 450 | 24.8 | $390K | +3.6% | #315 of 387 |
| 4Gettysburg, PA | 33 | 116 | 28.4 | $370K | +3.6% | #318 of 387 |
| 5Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 31 | 4,878 | 19.8 | $416K | +1.4% | #326 of 387 |
| 6Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ | 31 | 824 | 24.3 | $376K | +3.0% | #330 of 387 |
| 7Chambersburg, PA | 29 | 176 | 27.7 | $362K | +3.0% | #339 of 387 |
| 8Reading, PA | 26 | 418 | 25.6 | $359K | +2.7% | #348 of 387 |
| 9Lebanon, PA | 25 | 141 | 24.9 | $365K | +2.2% | #352 of 387 |
| 10Lancaster, PA | 22 | 528 | 24.8 | $367K | +1.9% | #363 of 387 |
Other business types in the Reading 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 Reading, PA metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 418 auto repair shops in the Reading metro area. 59 of them (14%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 220 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023, up 1.4% from 2019. Official counts also show 376 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Reading, PA metro area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $150.2M a year, or $920 per household. That is 4% below the U.S. average (an index of 96, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 418 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $359K 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 163,236 households in the Reading metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Reading, PA metro area compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?
The Reading metro area has 25.6 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 19% above the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $359K, 19% below the U.S. figure of $445K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, the Reading metro area would have about 338, against 418 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 742 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. The official count rose 1.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +2.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Reading, PA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Reading metro area at 440,072 people in 2025, up 2.7% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 163,236 households. Median household income in the Reading metro area is $79,777, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.2%, 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 Reading metro area scores 26 for auto repair shops (lower middle), #348 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 Reading 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 Reading metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Reading 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 Reading 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.