Auto · County · Tennessee
Auto repair shops in Rhea County, TN
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for auto repair shops in Rhea County, TN, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 64 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #584 of 2,378 scored counties
#44 of 86 scored counties in Tennessee
- Listings
- 28
- 5 chain locations (18%)
- Official establishments
- 7
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $12.6M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $938 a household
- Spending per listing
- $452K
- 2% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 20.8
- 3% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 34,844
- +4.6% since 2020
See the auto repair shops around any address in Rhea 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 Rhea 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 28 auto repair shops in Rhea County. 5 of them (18%) are chain locations, against 16% across the U.S. That is 20.8 per 10,000 households, 3% below the U.S. rate of 21.5.
Households in Rhea County spend about $12.6M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $938 per household, 2% below the U.S. average. Spread across 28 auto repair shops, that is $452K per shop, 2% 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 7 businesses with payroll in Rhea County classed as mechanical, body and glass repair. That is one for every 1,925 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Official counts list 34 one-person businesses without payroll.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Rhea County grew 4.6%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Rhea County scores 64 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair shops, ranking #584 of 2,378 scored counties and #44 of 86 scored counties in Tennessee. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Rhea 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.
| Measure | Rhea County | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 20.8 | 20.1 | 21.5 |
| Spending per listing | $452K | $470K | $445K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,925 | 1,252 | 955 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +4.2% | +2.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.6% | +5.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $938 | $944 | $958 |
| Median household income | $55,033 | $69,595 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 64 | 67 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 9 → 7
- Employees, 2023
- 40
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 34Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 285 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 28The 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 Rhea 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 Rhea County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 34,844+4.6% since 2020
- Households
- 13,475
- Median age
- 41.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 316 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 108
- Median household income
- $55,033+30.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $75,267
- Median home value
- $206,000
- Jobs located here
- 10,252
- Daytime population
- 31,260Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Rhea 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 Rhea 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 Tennessee
Every Tennessee market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Tennessee for auto repair shops, numbered among those based in Tennessee, with Rhea County marked.
Top counties in Tennessee
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Union County, TN | 89 | 10 | 12.6 | $865K | +8.1% | #28 of 2,378 |
| 2Williamson County, TN | 89 | 127 | 13.8 | $829K | +9.0% | #29 of 2,378 |
| 3Loudon County, TN | 85 | 44 | 18.3 | $604K | +15.6% | #52 of 2,378 |
| 4Morgan County, TN | 84 | 7 | 9.7 | $1.1M | +5.3% | #54 of 2,378 |
| 5Bledsoe County, TN | 84 | 5 | 10.3 | $1M | +6.5% | #55 of 2,378 |
| 6Fayette County, TN | 83 | 31 | 18.0 | $608K | +7.7% | #73 of 2,378 |
| 7Jefferson County, TN | 81 | 33 | 15.1 | $669K | +9.3% | #102 of 2,378 |
| 8Cheatham County, TN | 80 | 28 | 17.2 | $660K | +4.1% | #114 of 2,378 |
| 9Franklin County, TN | 80 | 27 | 15.5 | $642K | +6.4% | #116 of 2,378 |
| 10Polk County, TN | 80 | 14 | 18.9 | $592K | +5.9% | #120 of 2,378 |
| 44Rhea County, TN | 64 | 28 | 20.8 | $452K | +4.6% | #584 of 2,378 |
Other business types in Rhea 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 Rhea County, TN?
There are 28 auto repair shops on map listings in Rhea County as of September 2026. 5 of them (18%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 7 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023. Official counts also show 34 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Rhea County, TN spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $12.6M a year, or $938 per household. That is 2% below the U.S. average (an index of 98, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 28 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $452K per shop. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops. It is estimated from the incomes of the 13,475 households in Rhea County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Rhea County, TN compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?
Rhea County has 20.8 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 3% below the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $452K, 2% above the U.S. figure of $445K. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of auto repair shops to household spending. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,925 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S.
How fast is Rhea County, TN growing?
Population estimates put Rhea County at 34,844 people in 2025, up 4.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 13,475 households. The median household income in Rhea County is $55,033 a year, 32% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 30.4% 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. Rhea County scores 64 for auto repair shops (upper middle), #584 of 2,378 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Rhea 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 Rhea County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Rhea 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 Rhea 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.