Auto · County · Tennessee
Auto repair shops in Rutherford County, TN
How Rutherford County, TN 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 74 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #242 of 2,378 scored counties
#18 of 86 scored counties in Tennessee
- Listings
- 251
- 66 chain locations (26%)
- Official establishments
- 100
- +4.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $130.9M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,011 a household
- Spending per listing
- $522K
- 17% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 19.4
- 10% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 386,352
- +12.6% since 2020
See the auto repair shops around any address in Rutherford 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 Rutherford 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 251 auto repair shops in Rutherford County. Chain locations make up 26% of them, against 16% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 19.4, 10% below the U.S. rate of 21.5.
Households in Rutherford County spend about $130.9M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $1,011 per household, 6% above the U.S. average. That is about $522K of household spending for each shop on map listings, 17% 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.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Rutherford County was 100 in 2023, up 4.2% from 2019. That is one for every 1,294 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Another 328 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $2.2M have gone to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Rutherford County.
Population estimates put the population change in Rutherford County from 2020 to 2025 at +12.6%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Rutherford County scores 74 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair shops, ranking #242 of 2,378 scored counties and #18 of 86 scored counties in Tennessee. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Rutherford 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 | Rutherford County | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 19.4 | 20.1 | 21.5 |
| Spending per listing | $522K | $470K | $445K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,294 | 1,252 | 955 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +4.2% | +4.2% | +2.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +12.6% | +5.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,011 | $944 | $958 |
| Median household income | $85,470 | $69,595 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 74 | 67 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 96 → 100+4.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 623
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $36.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 328Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 25166 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 294The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $2.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Rutherford 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 Rutherford County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 386,352+12.6% since 2020
- Households
- 129,431
- Median age
- 35.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 65%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 620 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 582
- Median household income
- $85,470+26.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $105,856
- Median home value
- $382,600
- Jobs located here
- 144,864
- Daytime population
- 329,273Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Rutherford 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 Rutherford 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 Rutherford 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 |
| 18Rutherford County, TN | 74 | 251 | 19.4 | $522K | +12.6% | #242 of 2,378 |
Other business types in Rutherford 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 Rutherford County, TN?
Rutherford County has 251 auto repair shops on map listings as of September 2026. 66 of them (26%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 100 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023, up 4.2% from 2019. Official counts list 328 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Rutherford County, TN spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $130.9M a year, or $1,011 per household. That is 6% above the U.S. average (an index of 106, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 251 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $522K per shop. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops. It is estimated from the incomes of the 129,431 households in Rutherford County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Rutherford County, TN compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?
Rutherford County has 19.4 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 10% below the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $522K, 17% above the U.S. figure of $445K. At the national ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, Rutherford County would have about 294, against 251 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,294 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. The official count rose 4.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +2.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Rutherford County, TN growing?
Population estimates put Rutherford County at 386,352 people in 2025, up 12.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 129,431 households. The median household income in Rutherford County is $85,470 a year, 6% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 26.8% 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. Rutherford County scores 74 for auto repair shops (upper middle), #242 of 2,378 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Rutherford 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 Rutherford County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Rutherford 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 Rutherford 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.