Groundwork

Auto · County · Tennessee

Auto repair shops in Knox County, TN

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 63 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #620 of 2,378 scored counties
#46 of 86 scored counties in Tennessee

Listings
375
92 chain locations (25%)
Official establishments
179
+8.5% since 2019
Household spending a year
$186.2M
On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $926 a household
Spending per listing
$496K
12% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
18.6
13% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
511,453
+6.5% since 2020

See the auto repair shops around any address in Knox 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 Knox 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

As of September 2026, map listings count 375 auto repair shops in Knox County. 92 of them (25%) are chain locations, against 16% across the U.S. That is 18.6 per 10,000 households, 13% below the U.S. rate of 21.5.

Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in Knox County comes to about $186.2M a year: $926 per household, 3% below the U.S. average. Spread across 375 auto repair shops, that is $496K per shop, 12% 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.

Official counts show 179 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Knox County in 2023, up 8.5% from 2019. That is one for every 1,124 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Official counts list 298 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 9 SBA-backed loans worth $2.6M have gone to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Knox County.

Population estimates show Knox County grew 6.5% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Knox County scores 63 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair shops, ranking #620 of 2,378 scored counties and #46 of 86 scored counties in Tennessee.

How Knox County compares

The same measures for Tennessee 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 Knox County, TN compared with Tennessee and the U.S.
MeasureKnox CountyTennesseeU.S.
Listings per 10k households18.620.121.5
Spending per listing$496K$470K$445K
Households per official establishment1,1241,252955
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+8.5%+4.2%+2.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+6.5%+5.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs$926$944$958
Median household income$74,222$69,595$80,734
Groundwork market score6367

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
165 → 179+8.5% over the period
Employees, 2023
1,237
Annual payroll, 2023
$62.4M
One-person businesses, 2023
298Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
37592 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
419The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
9
Amount
$2.6M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
511,453+6.5% since 2020
Households
201,146
Median age
38.9
Homes lived in by their owners
65%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
508 sq. mi.
People per square mile
972
Median household income
$74,222+29.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$104,460
Median home value
$320,900
Jobs located here
270,203
Daytime population
541,810Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

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

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Auto repair shops across Tennessee

Every Tennessee market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Tennessee for auto repair shops, numbered among those based in Tennessee, with Knox County marked.

Top counties in Tennessee

Counties in Tennessee ranked for auto repair shops by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Union County, TN891012.6$865K+8.1%#28 of 2,378
2Williamson County, TN8912713.8$829K+9.0%#29 of 2,378
3Loudon County, TN854418.3$604K+15.6%#52 of 2,378
4Morgan County, TN8479.7$1.1M+5.3%#54 of 2,378
5Bledsoe County, TN84510.3$1M+6.5%#55 of 2,378
6Fayette County, TN833118.0$608K+7.7%#73 of 2,378
7Jefferson County, TN813315.1$669K+9.3%#102 of 2,378
8Cheatham County, TN802817.2$660K+4.1%#114 of 2,378
9Franklin County, TN802715.5$642K+6.4%#116 of 2,378
10Polk County, TN801418.9$592K+5.9%#120 of 2,378
46Knox County, TN6337518.6$496K+6.5%#620 of 2,378

Other business types in Knox County

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

Questions

How many auto repair shops are in Knox County, TN?

Knox County has 375 auto repair shops on map listings as of September 2026. 92 of them (25%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 179 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023, up 8.5% from 2019. Official counts also show 298 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Knox County, TN spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?

About $186.2M a year, or $926 per household. That is 3% below the U.S. average (an index of 97, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 375 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $496K per shop. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops. It is estimated from the incomes of the 201,146 households in Knox County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Knox County, TN compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?

Knox County has 18.6 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 13% below the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $496K, 12% above the U.S. figure of $445K. At the national ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, Knox County would have about 419, against 375 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,124 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. The official count rose 8.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +2.1% for the U.S.

How fast is Knox County, TN growing?

Population estimates put Knox County at 511,453 people in 2025, up 6.5% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 201,146 households. The median household income in Knox County is $74,222 a year, 8% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 29.2% 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. Knox County scores 63 for auto repair shops (upper middle), #620 of 2,378 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Knox 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 Knox 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.