Auto · County · West Virginia
Auto repair shops in Kanawha County, WV
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for auto repair shops in Kanawha County, WV, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 20 out of 100: Low
Ranked #2,251 of 2,378 scored counties
#38 of 43 scored counties in West Virginia
- Listings
- 187
- 32 chain locations (17%)
- Official establishments
- 75
- +10.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $57.5M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $752 a household
- Spending per listing
- $308K
- 31% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 24.5
- 14% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 172,381
- −4.3% since 2020
See the auto repair shops around any address in Kanawha 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 Kanawha 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
Kanawha County scores 20 (low) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair shops, ranking #2,251 of 2,378 scored counties and #38 of 43 scored counties in West Virginia. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 187 auto repair shops in Kanawha County. Of those, 32 are chain locations, or 17%, against 16% across the U.S. That comes to 24.5 for every 10,000 households, 14% above the U.S. rate of 21.5.
At $752 per household (21% below the U.S. average), households in Kanawha County spend about $57.5M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That is about $308K of household spending for each shop on map listings, 31% 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.
In 2023, official counts showed 75 businesses with payroll in Kanawha County classed as mechanical, body and glass repair, up 10.3% from 2019. That is one for every 1,019 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $50K has gone to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Kanawha County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Kanawha County declined 4.3%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Kanawha County compares
The same measures for West 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 | Kanawha County | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 24.5 | 20.4 | 21.5 |
| Spending per listing | $308K | $409K | $445K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,019 | 1,081 | 955 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +10.3% | +3.2% | +2.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −4.3% | −1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $752 | $833 | $958 |
| Median household income | $60,943 | $59,608 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 20 | 29 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 68 → 75+10.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 478
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $19.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 66Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 18732 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 129The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $50K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Kanawha 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 Kanawha County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 172,381−4.3% since 2020
- Households
- 76,459
- Median age
- 43.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 902 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 196
- Median household income
- $60,943+30.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $84,041
- Median home value
- $147,300
- Jobs located here
- 104,812
- Daytime population
- 206,412Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Kanawha 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 Kanawha 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 West Virginia
Every West Virginia market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in West Virginia for auto repair shops, numbered among those based in West Virginia, with Kanawha County marked.
Top counties in West Virginia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Jefferson County, WV | 79 | 34 | 14.9 | $725K | +9.2% | #131 of 2,378 |
| 2Morgan County, WV | 77 | 13 | 17.7 | $584K | +5.5% | #174 of 2,378 |
| 3Barbour County, WV | 66 | 8 | 13.0 | $685K | −0.3% | #487 of 2,378 |
| 4Berkeley County, WV | 66 | 109 | 21.4 | $462K | +13.7% | #509 of 2,378 |
| 5Taylor County, WV | 62 | 7 | 10.6 | $813K | −2.4% | #637 of 2,378 |
| 6Mason County, WV | 60 | 15 | 14.7 | $606K | −2.7% | #712 of 2,378 |
| 7Boone County, WV | 59 | 9 | 11.4 | $737K | −6.9% | #751 of 2,378 |
| 8Hampshire County, WV | 59 | 16 | 18.5 | $523K | +4.4% | #766 of 2,378 |
| 9Wyoming County, WV | 58 | 9 | 11.2 | $735K | −7.1% | #791 of 2,378 |
| 10Putnam County, WV | 57 | 39 | 16.8 | $547K | −1.0% | #847 of 2,378 |
| 38Kanawha County, WV | 20 | 187 | 24.5 | $308K | −4.3% | #2,251 of 2,378 |
Other business types in Kanawha 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 Kanawha County, WV?
Kanawha County has 187 auto repair shops on map listings as of September 2026. 32 of them (17%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 75 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023, up 10.3% from 2019. Official counts list 66 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Kanawha County, WV spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $57.5M a year, or $752 per household. That is 21% below the U.S. average (an index of 79, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 187 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $308K per shop. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops. It is estimated from the incomes of the 76,459 households in Kanawha County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Kanawha County, WV compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?
Kanawha County has 24.5 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 14% above the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $308K, 31% below the U.S. figure of $445K. At the national ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, Kanawha County would have about 129, against 187 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,019 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. The official count rose 10.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +2.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Kanawha County, WV growing?
Population estimates put Kanawha County at 172,381 people in 2025, down 4.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 76,459 households. The median household income in Kanawha County is $60,943 a year, 25% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 30.7% 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. Kanawha County scores 20 for auto repair shops (low), #2,251 of 2,378 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Kanawha 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 Kanawha County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Kanawha 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 Kanawha 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.