Auto · County · California
Collision repair and body shops in Merced County, CA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for collision repair and body shops in Merced County, CA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 85 out of 100: High
Ranked #32 of 1,327 scored counties
#1 of 44 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 21
- 3 chain locations (14%)
- Official establishments
- 13
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $95.5M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,110 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.5M
- 48% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 2.4
- 23% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 297,260
- +5.1% since 2020
See the collision repair and body shops around any address in Merced County
The site report maps the collision repair and body 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 Merced 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
For collision repair and body shops, Merced County has a Groundwork market score of 85 (high): #32 of 1,327 scored counties and #1 of 44 scored counties in California. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for collision repair and body shops.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 21 collision repair and body shops in Merced County. Chain locations make up 14% of them, against 14% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 2.4, 23% below the U.S. rate of 3.1.
Households in Merced County spend about $95.5M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $1,110 per household, 16% above the U.S. average. That works out to $4.5M per shop, 48% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. That spending covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, which collision repair and body shops share with other businesses in the trade.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as automotive body, paint and interior repair in Merced County was 13 in 2023. That is one for every 6,620 households, against one for every 3,689 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $15K has gone to businesses classed as automotive body, paint and interior repair in Merced County. Population estimates show Merced County grew 5.1% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Merced County compares
The same measures for California and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all vehicle maintenance and repairs by the collision repair and body 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 | Merced County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 2.4 | 3.8 | 3.1 |
| Spending per listing | $4.5M | $2.9M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment | 6,620 | 3,272 | 3,689 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −1.0% | −0.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +5.1% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,110 | $1,122 | $958 |
| Median household income | $65,510 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 85 | 37 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 19 → 13
- Employees, 2023
- 110
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $5.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 213 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 31The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $15K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive body, paint and interior repair in Merced 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 Merced County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 297,260+5.1% since 2020
- Households
- 86,055
- Median age
- 32.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 54%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 1,938 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 150
- Median household income
- $65,510+22.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $87,781
- Median home value
- $391,800
- Jobs located here
- 77,775
- Daytime population
- 255,124Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Merced 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 collision repair and body shops on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Merced County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardCollision repair and body shops across California
Every California market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in California for collision repair and body shops, numbered among those based in California, with Merced County marked.
Top counties in California
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Merced County, CA | 85 | 21 | 2.4 | $4.5M | +5.1% | #32 of 1,327 |
| 2Madera County, CA | 79 | 15 | 3.3 | $3.6M | +7.4% | #83 of 1,327 |
| 3Tulare County, CA | 78 | 36 | 2.5 | $4.6M | +2.4% | #89 of 1,327 |
| 4El Dorado County, CA | 76 | 15 | 2.0 | $6.5M | +0.6% | #109 of 1,327 |
| 5Riverside County, CA | 75 | 260 | 3.4 | $3.7M | +5.0% | #134 of 1,327 |
| 6Placer County, CA | 74 | 53 | 3.4 | $3.6M | +8.9% | #144 of 1,327 |
| 7San Joaquin County, CA | 73 | 81 | 3.3 | $3.7M | +5.5% | #163 of 1,327 |
| 8Contra Costa County, CA | 72 | 127 | 3.1 | $4M | +0.3% | #179 of 1,327 |
| 9Yolo County, CA | 70 | 20 | 2.6 | $4.2M | +3.1% | #212 of 1,327 |
| 10Napa County, CA | 66 | 12 | 2.4 | $5M | −3.3% | #291 of 1,327 |
Other business types in Merced County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
- Auto repair and car care71
- Auto repair shops72
- Collision repair and body shops85
- Car washes and detailing71
- Tire shops53
- Oil change and quick lube78
- Gas stations60
- Insurance agencies71
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many collision repair and body shops are in Merced County, CA?
There are 21 collision repair and body shops on map listings in Merced County as of September 2026. 3 of them (14%) are chain locations. The listings count collision repair and auto body shops. Official counts show 13 businesses with payroll classed as automotive body, paint and interior repair in 2023.
How much do households in Merced County, CA spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $95.5M a year, or $1,110 per household. That is 16% above the U.S. average (an index of 116, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 21 collision repair and body shops on map listings, it comes to $4.5M per shop. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only collision repair and body shops. It is estimated from the incomes of the 86,055 households in Merced County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Merced County, CA compare with the U.S. for collision repair and body shops?
Merced County has 2.4 collision repair and body shops per 10,000 households, 23% below the U.S. rate of 3.1. Spending per shop is $4.5M, 48% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of collision repair and body shops to household spending, Merced County would have about 31, against 21 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 6,620 households, against one for every 3,689 across the U.S.
How fast is Merced County, CA growing?
Population estimates put Merced County at 297,260 people in 2025, up 5.1% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 86,055 households. The median household income in Merced County is $65,510 a year, 19% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 22.1% 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. Merced County scores 85 for collision repair and body shops (high), #32 of 1,327 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Merced County. It maps the collision repair and body 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 collision repair and body shops · All 56 business types in Merced County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Merced 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 Merced 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.