Auto · Small-town market · South Carolina
Auto repair shops in the Murrells Inlet, SC area
The auto repair shops in the Murrells Inlet, SC area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 77 out of 100: High
Ranked #30 of 538 scored small-town markets
#1 of 6 scored small-town markets based in South Carolina
- Listings
- 43
- 10 chain locations (23%)
- Official establishments
- 19
- −13.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $24.9M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $916 a household
- Spending per listing
- $578K
- 30% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 15.9
- 26% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 65,912
- +3.8% since 2020
See the auto repair shops around any address in the Murrells Inlet 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 Murrells Inlet 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 Murrells Inlet area scores 77 (high) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair shops, ranking #30 of 538 scored small-town markets and #1 of 6 scored small-town markets based in South Carolina. That puts it in the top 10% of small-town markets for auto repair shops.
Households in the Murrells Inlet area spend about $24.9M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $916 per household, 4% below the U.S. average. Spread across 43 auto repair shops, that is $578K per shop, 30% above the U.S. figure of $445K. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops.
The Murrells Inlet area has 43 auto repair shops on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 23% of them, against 16% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 15.9, 26% below the U.S. rate of 21.5.
In 2023, official counts showed 19 businesses with payroll in the Murrells Inlet area classed as mechanical, body and glass repair, down 13.6% from 2019. That is one for every 1,428 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Population estimates put the population change in the Murrells Inlet area from 2020 to 2025 at +3.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Murrells Inlet area 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 | Murrells Inlet area | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 15.9 | 20.8 | 21.5 |
| Spending per listing | $578K | $435K | $445K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,428 | 1,161 | 955 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −13.6% | +5.9% | +2.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.8% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $916 | $907 | $958 |
| Median household income | $68,713 | $69,324 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 77 | 60 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 19−13.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 127
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $5.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 42Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4310 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 56The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the Murrells Inlet 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 Murrells Inlet area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 65,912+3.8% since 2020
- Households
- 27,129
- Median age
- 50.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 84%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 814 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 80
- Median household income
- $68,713
- Average household income
- $100,202
- Median home value
- $289,500
- Jobs located here
- 25,133
- Daytime population
- 61,754Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Murrells Inlet 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 Murrells Inlet 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 South Carolina
Every South Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in South Carolina for auto repair shops, numbered among those based in South Carolina, with the Murrells Inlet area marked.
Top small-town markets in South Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Murrells Inlet, SC | 77 | 43 | 15.9 | $578K | +3.8% | #30 of 538 |
| 2Seneca, SC | 76 | 65 | 18.8 | $521K | +6.3% | #36 of 538 |
| 3Greenwood, SC | 60 | 73 | 19.4 | $441K | +1.7% | #170 of 538 |
| 4Newberry, SC | 50 | 36 | 23.5 | $401K | +4.8% | #283 of 538 |
| 5Gaffney, SC | 40 | 58 | 26.3 | $340K | +3.7% | #373 of 538 |
| 6Orangeburg, SC | 37 | 77 | 23.3 | $355K | −0.9% | #402 of 538 |
Other business types in the Murrells Inlet 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 Murrells Inlet, SC area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 43 auto repair shops in the Murrells Inlet area. 10 of them (23%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 19 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023, down 13.6% from 2019. Official counts list 42 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Murrells Inlet, SC area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $24.9M a year, or $916 per household. That is 4% below the U.S. average (an index of 96, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 43 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $578K 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 27,129 households in the Murrells Inlet area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Murrells Inlet, SC area compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?
The Murrells Inlet area has 15.9 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 26% below the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $578K, 30% above the U.S. figure of $445K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, the Murrells Inlet area would have about 56, against 43 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,428 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. The official count fell 13.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +2.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Murrells Inlet, SC area growing?
Population estimates put the Murrells Inlet area at 65,912 people in 2025, up 3.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 27,129 households. Median household income in the Murrells Inlet area is $68,713, 15% below the U.S. median of $80,734.
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 Murrells Inlet area scores 77 for auto repair shops (high), #30 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 Murrells Inlet 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 Murrells Inlet area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Murrells Inlet 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 Murrells Inlet 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.