Groundwork

Auto · County · Washington

Auto repair shops in King County, WA

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 73 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #254 of 2,378 scored counties
#19 of 33 scored counties in Washington

Listings
1,313
270 chain locations (21%)
Official establishments
752
−4.1% since 2019
Household spending a year
$921.9M
On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $980 a household
Spending per listing
$702K
58% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
14.0
35% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
2,344,939
+3.1% since 2020

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

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

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

What this means

Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in King County comes to about $921.9M a year: $980 per household, 2% above the U.S. average. That works out to $702K per shop, 58% above the U.S. figure of $445K. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops.

There are 1,313 auto repair shops on map listings in King County as of September 2026. 270 of them (21%) are chain locations, against 16% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 14.0, 35% below the U.S. rate of 21.5.

In 2023, official counts showed 752 businesses with payroll in King County classed as mechanical, body and glass repair, down 4.1% from 2019. That is one for every 1,251 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Official counts also show 662 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 48 SBA-backed loans worth $20.4M have gone to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in King County.

Population estimates show King County grew 3.1% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for auto repair shops in King County is 73 (upper middle), #254 of 2,378 scored counties and #19 of 33 scored counties in Washington. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How King County compares

The same measures for Washington 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 King County, WA compared with Washington and the U.S.
MeasureKing CountyWashingtonU.S.
Listings per 10k households14.016.421.5
Spending per listing$702K$672K$445K
Households per official establishment1,2511,073955
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−4.1%+1.1%+2.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+3.1%+3.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs$980$1,104$958
Median household income$124,746$98,141$80,734
Groundwork market score7381

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
784 → 752−4.1% over the period
Employees, 2023
4,560
Annual payroll, 2023
$345M
One-person businesses, 2023
662Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
1,313270 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
2,074The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
48
Amount
$20.4M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
2,344,939+3.1% since 2020
Households
941,054
Median age
38.8
Homes lived in by their owners
55%
Vehicles per household
1.6
Land area
2,116 sq. mi.
People per square mile
1,081
Median household income
$124,746+31.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$176,807
Median home value
$859,900
Jobs located here
1,503,962
Daytime population
2,645,877Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

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

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Auto repair shops across Washington

Every Washington market ranked →

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

Top counties in Washington

Counties in Washington ranked for auto repair shops by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Douglas County, WA962012.6$1M+8.0%#2 of 2,378
2Klickitat County, WA941111.1$1.1M+6.6%#6 of 2,378
3Pend Oreille County, WA911016.8$734K+7.1%#16 of 2,378
4Mason County, WA903714.2$903K+7.8%#19 of 2,378
5San Juan County, WA89910.0$1.2M+4.2%#25 of 2,378
6Pacific County, WA84109.1$1.2M+3.6%#53 of 2,378
7Jefferson County, WA831811.0$986K+2.7%#67 of 2,378
8Kitsap County, WA8114713.5$875K+2.7%#95 of 2,378
9Benton County, WA8113617.4$660K+6.9%#103 of 2,378
10Kittitas County, WA813718.5$642K+4.2%#105 of 2,378
19King County, WA731,31314.0$702K+3.1%#254 of 2,378

Other business types in King County

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

Questions

How many auto repair shops are in King County, WA?

As of September 2026, map listings count 1,313 auto repair shops in King County. 270 of them (21%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 752 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023, down 4.1% from 2019. Another 662 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in King County, WA spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?

About $921.9M a year, or $980 per household. That is 2% above the U.S. average (an index of 102, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,313 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $702K per shop. That spending covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, which auto repair shops share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 941,054 households in King County and national spending patterns by income.

How does King County, WA compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?

King County has 14.0 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 35% below the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $702K, 58% above the U.S. figure of $445K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, King County would have about 2,074, against 1,313 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,251 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. The official count fell 4.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +2.1% for the U.S.

How fast is King County, WA growing?

Population estimates put King County at 2,344,939 people in 2025, up 3.1% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 941,054 households. Median household income in King County is $124,746, 55% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 31.4%, 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. King County scores 73 for auto repair shops (upper middle), #254 of 2,378 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in King 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 King 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.