Auto · County · South Carolina
Auto repair shops in Darlington County, SC
How Darlington County, SC compares with other counties and the U.S. for auto repair shops: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 34 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,892 of 2,378 scored counties
#36 of 44 scored counties in South Carolina
- Listings
- 69
- 1 chain location (1%)
- Official establishments
- 20
- 0.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $21.8M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $852 a household
- Spending per listing
- $316K
- 29% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 27.0
- 26% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 62,888
- +0.1% since 2020
See the auto repair shops around any address in Darlington County
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 Darlington County. 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
For auto repair shops, Darlington County has a Groundwork market score of 34 (lower middle): #1,892 of 2,378 scored counties and #36 of 44 scored counties in South Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 69 auto repair shops in Darlington County. One of them (1%) is a chain location, against 16% across the U.S. That comes to 27.0 for every 10,000 households, 26% above the U.S. rate of 21.5.
Households in Darlington County spend about $21.8M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $852 per household, 11% below the U.S. average. Spread across 69 auto repair shops, that is $316K per shop, 29% below 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 20 businesses with payroll in Darlington County classed as mechanical, body and glass repair, unchanged from 2019. That is one for every 1,278 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $100K has gone to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Darlington County. Population estimates put the population change in Darlington County from 2020 to 2025 at +0.1%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Darlington County compares
The same measures for South Carolina 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 | Darlington County | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 27.0 | 20.8 | 21.5 |
| Spending per listing | $316K | $435K | $445K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,278 | 1,161 | 955 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | 0.0% | +5.9% | +2.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.1% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $852 | $907 | $958 |
| Median household income | $48,581 | $69,324 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 34 | 60 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 20 → 200.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 121
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $4.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 77Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 691 chain location
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 49The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $100K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Darlington County, 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 Darlington County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 62,888+0.1% since 2020
- Households
- 25,561
- Median age
- 40.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 561 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 112
- Median household income
- $48,581+26.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $74,762
- Median home value
- $158,200
- Jobs located here
- 21,095
- Daytime population
- 56,282Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Darlington County?
These figures cover the whole county. 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 Darlington County. 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 South Carolina
Every South Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in South Carolina for auto repair shops, numbered among those based in South Carolina, with Darlington County marked.
Top counties in South Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Edgefield County, SC | 82 | 15 | 15.4 | $659K | +16.1% | #85 of 2,378 |
| 2Berkeley County, SC | 80 | 142 | 15.2 | $625K | +18.7% | #118 of 2,378 |
| 3Abbeville County, SC | 76 | 12 | 12.3 | $779K | +2.3% | #186 of 2,378 |
| 4Beaufort County, SC | 74 | 126 | 15.3 | $586K | +8.9% | #234 of 2,378 |
| 5Aiken County, SC | 73 | 124 | 17.7 | $546K | +7.3% | #271 of 2,378 |
| 6Georgetown County, SC | 70 | 43 | 15.9 | $578K | +3.8% | #339 of 2,378 |
| 7Oconee County, SC | 69 | 65 | 18.8 | $521K | +6.3% | #383 of 2,378 |
| 8Dorchester County, SC | 68 | 121 | 19.2 | $498K | +10.1% | #432 of 2,378 |
| 9York County, SC | 68 | 231 | 20.3 | $493K | +8.1% | #434 of 2,378 |
| 10Saluda County, SC | 66 | 16 | 20.9 | $486K | +4.1% | #504 of 2,378 |
| 36Darlington County, SC | 34 | 69 | 27.0 | $316K | +0.1% | #1,892 of 2,378 |
Other business types in Darlington County
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 Darlington County, SC?
There are 69 auto repair shops on map listings in Darlington County as of September 2026. One of them (1%) is a chain location. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 20 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023, unchanged from 2019. Another 77 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Darlington County, SC spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $21.8M a year, or $852 per household. That is 11% below the U.S. average (an index of 89, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 69 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $316K per shop. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops. It is estimated from the incomes of the 25,561 households in Darlington County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Darlington County, SC compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?
Darlington County has 27.0 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 26% above the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $316K, 29% below the U.S. figure of $445K. At the national ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, Darlington County would have about 49, against 69 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,278 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 Darlington County, SC growing?
Population estimates put Darlington County at 62,888 people in 2025, up 0.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 25,561 households. The median household income in Darlington County is $48,581 a year, 40% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 26.4% 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. Darlington County scores 34 for auto repair shops (lower middle), #1,892 of 2,378 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Darlington County. 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 Darlington County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Darlington County?
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 Darlington County. 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.