Auto · County · Virginia
Auto repair shops in Salem city, VA
How Salem city, VA 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 17 out of 100: Low
Ranked #2,312 of 2,378 scored counties
#106 of 114 scored counties in Virginia
- Listings
- 55
- 7 chain locations (13%)
- Official establishments
- 36
- −2.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $9.5M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $928 a household
- Spending per listing
- $173K
- 61% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 53.6
- 2.5 times the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 25,816
- +1.7% since 2020
See the auto repair shops around any address in Salem city
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 Salem city. 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
Salem city scores 17 (low) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair shops, ranking #2,312 of 2,378 scored counties and #106 of 114 scored counties in Virginia. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 55 auto repair shops in Salem city. Chain locations make up 13% of them, against 16% across the U.S. That comes to 53.6 for every 10,000 households, 2.5 times the U.S. rate of 21.5.
At $928 per household (3% below the U.S. average), households in Salem city spend about $9.5M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. Spread across 55 auto repair shops, that is $173K per shop, 61% below 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 Salem city was 36 in 2023, down 2.7% from 2019. That is one for every 285 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Population estimates show Salem city grew 1.7% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Salem city compares
The same measures for Virginia 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 | Salem city | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 53.6 | 19.5 | 21.5 |
| Spending per listing | $173K | $496K | $445K |
| Households per official establishment | 285 | 982 | 955 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −2.7% | +0.4% | +2.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.7% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $928 | $968 | $958 |
| Median household income | $66,725 | $93,170 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 17 | 58 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 37 → 36−2.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 167
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 13Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 557 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 21The 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 Salem city, 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 Salem city
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 25,816+1.7% since 2020
- Households
- 10,256
- Median age
- 41.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 63%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 15 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,765
- Median household income
- $66,725+16.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $96,247
- Median home value
- $258,600
- Jobs located here
- 21,974
- Daytime population
- 36,320Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Salem city?
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 Salem city. 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 Virginia
Every Virginia market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Virginia for auto repair shops, numbered among those based in Virginia, with Salem city marked.
Top counties in Virginia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Fluvanna County, VA | 95 | 8 | 7.7 | $1.6M | +6.2% | #4 of 2,378 |
| 2Caroline County, VA | 90 | 18 | 15.0 | $768K | +11.3% | #22 of 2,378 |
| 3Poquoson city, VA | 89 | 6 | 12.7 | $912K | +6.6% | #27 of 2,378 |
| 4Clarke County, VA | 87 | 11 | 18.7 | $632K | +5.4% | #36 of 2,378 |
| 5Prince George County, VA | 86 | 11 | 8.5 | $1.4M | +2.0% | #37 of 2,378 |
| 6James City County, VA | 85 | 31 | 9.7 | $1M | +6.2% | #46 of 2,378 |
| 7Louisa County, VA | 84 | 28 | 18.0 | $660K | +13.6% | #61 of 2,378 |
| 8King George County, VA | 83 | 21 | 20.7 | $571K | +10.5% | #74 of 2,378 |
| 9Albemarle County, VA | 81 | 48 | 10.5 | $927K | +5.1% | #92 of 2,378 |
| 10Chesterfield County, VA | 81 | 221 | 15.8 | $669K | +8.7% | #101 of 2,378 |
| 106Salem city, VA | 17 | 55 | 53.6 | $173K | +1.7% | #2,312 of 2,378 |
Other business types in Salem city
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 Salem city, VA?
Salem city has 55 auto repair shops on map listings as of September 2026. 7 of them (13%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 36 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023, down 2.7% from 2019. Official counts also show 13 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Salem city, VA spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $9.5M a year, or $928 per household. That is 3% below the U.S. average (an index of 97, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 55 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $173K per shop. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops. It is estimated from the incomes of the 10,256 households in Salem city and national spending patterns by income.
How does Salem city, VA compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?
Salem city has 53.6 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 2.5 times the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $173K, 61% below the U.S. figure of $445K. At the national ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, Salem city would have about 21, against 55 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 285 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. The official count fell 2.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +2.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Salem city, VA growing?
Population estimates put Salem city at 25,816 people in 2025, up 1.7% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 10,256 households. The median household income in Salem city is $66,725 a year, 17% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 16.7% 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. Salem city scores 17 for auto repair shops (low), #2,312 of 2,378 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Salem city. 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 Salem city
Screening a site or an acquisition in Salem city?
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 Salem city. 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.