Groundwork

Auto · County · South Carolina

Auto repair shops in Richland County, SC

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for auto repair shops in Richland County, SC, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 57 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #867 of 2,378 scored counties
#18 of 44 scored counties in South Carolina

Listings
301
97 chain locations (32%)
Official establishments
119
+3.5% since 2019
Household spending a year
$137.9M
On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $821 a household
Spending per listing
$458K
3% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
17.9
17% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
434,956
+4.6% since 2020

See the auto repair shops around any address in Richland 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 Richland County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

Map listings as of September 2026 show 301 auto repair shops in Richland County. Of those, 97 are chain locations, or 32%, against 16% across the U.S. That comes to 17.9 for every 10,000 households, 17% below the U.S. rate of 21.5.

Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in Richland County comes to about $137.9M a year: $821 per household, 14% below the U.S. average. That is about $458K of household spending for each shop on map listings, 3% 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 119 businesses with payroll in Richland County classed as mechanical, body and glass repair, up 3.5% from 2019. That is one for every 1,411 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Official counts list 223 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $344K have gone to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Richland County.

Population estimates put the population change in Richland County from 2020 to 2025 at +4.6%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Richland County scores 57 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair shops, ranking #867 of 2,378 scored counties and #18 of 44 scored counties in South Carolina.

How Richland 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.

Auto repair shops in Richland County, SC compared with South Carolina and the U.S.
MeasureRichland CountySouth CarolinaU.S.
Listings per 10k households17.920.821.5
Spending per listing$458K$435K$445K
Households per official establishment1,4111,161955
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+3.5%+5.9%+2.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+4.6%+8.5%+3.1%
Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs$821$907$958
Median household income$63,784$69,324$80,734
Groundwork market score5760

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
115 → 119+3.5% over the period
Employees, 2023
1,083
Annual payroll, 2023
$59.4M
One-person businesses, 2023
223Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
30197 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
310The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
3
Amount
$344K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Richland 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 Richland County

Population, 2025 estimate
434,956+4.6% since 2020
Households
167,961
Median age
36.8
Homes lived in by their owners
60%
Vehicles per household
1.7
Land area
757 sq. mi.
People per square mile
557
Median household income
$63,784+16.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$90,966
Median home value
$242,800
Jobs located here
234,516
Daytime population
484,051Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Richland 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 Richland County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Auto 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 Richland County marked.

Top counties in South Carolina

Counties in South Carolina ranked for auto repair shops by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Edgefield County, SC821515.4$659K+16.1%#85 of 2,378
2Berkeley County, SC8014215.2$625K+18.7%#118 of 2,378
3Abbeville County, SC761212.3$779K+2.3%#186 of 2,378
4Beaufort County, SC7412615.3$586K+8.9%#234 of 2,378
5Aiken County, SC7312417.7$546K+7.3%#271 of 2,378
6Georgetown County, SC704315.9$578K+3.8%#339 of 2,378
7Oconee County, SC696518.8$521K+6.3%#383 of 2,378
8Dorchester County, SC6812119.2$498K+10.1%#432 of 2,378
9York County, SC6823120.3$493K+8.1%#434 of 2,378
10Saluda County, SC661620.9$486K+4.1%#504 of 2,378
18Richland County, SC5730117.9$458K+4.6%#867 of 2,378

Other business types in Richland County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many auto repair shops are in Richland County, SC?

There are 301 auto repair shops on map listings in Richland County as of September 2026. 97 of them (32%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 119 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023, up 3.5% from 2019. Official counts also show 223 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Richland County, SC spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?

About $137.9M a year, or $821 per household. That is 14% below the U.S. average (an index of 86, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 301 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $458K per shop. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops. It is estimated from the incomes of the 167,961 households in Richland County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Richland County, SC compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?

Richland County has 17.9 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 17% below the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $458K, 3% above the U.S. figure of $445K. At the national ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, Richland County would have about 310, against 301 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,411 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. The official count rose 3.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +2.1% for the U.S.

How fast is Richland County, SC growing?

Population estimates put Richland County at 434,956 people in 2025, up 4.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 167,961 households. The median household income in Richland County is $63,784 a year, 21% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 16.5% 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. Richland County scores 57 for auto repair shops (upper middle), #867 of 2,378 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Richland 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 Richland County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Richland 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 Richland 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.