Groundwork

Auto · Metro area · California

Collision repair and body shops in the Salinas, CA metro area

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for collision repair and body shops in the Salinas, CA metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 35 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #292 of 381 scored metro areas
#23 of 25 scored metro areas based in California

Listings
56
6 chain locations (11%)
Official establishments
46
−11.5% since 2019
Household spending a year
$160.8M
On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,214 a household
Spending per listing
$2.9M
7% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
4.2
35% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
433,729
−1.5% since 2020

See the collision repair and body shops around any address in the Salinas metro area

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 the Salinas metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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

What this means

The Salinas metro area scores 35 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for collision repair and body shops, ranking #292 of 381 scored metro areas and #23 of 25 scored metro areas based in California. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.

As of September 2026, map listings count 56 collision repair and body shops in the Salinas metro area. 6 of them (11%) are chain locations, against 14% across the U.S. That comes to 4.2 for every 10,000 households, 35% above the U.S. rate of 3.1.

At $1,214 per household (27% above the U.S. average), households in the Salinas metro area spend about $160.8M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. Spread across 56 collision repair and body shops, that is $2.9M per shop, 7% below 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 the Salinas metro area was 46 in 2023, down 11.5% from 2019. That is one for every 2,880 households, against one for every 3,689 across the U.S. Population estimates show the Salinas metro area declined 1.5% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How the Salinas metro area 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.

Collision repair and body shops in Salinas, CA metro area compared with California and the U.S.
MeasureSalinas metro areaCaliforniaU.S.
Listings per 10k households4.23.83.1
Spending per listing$2.9M$2.9M$3.1M
Households per official establishment2,8803,2723,689
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−11.5%−1.0%−0.8%
Population growth, 2020–2025−1.5%−0.4%+3.1%
Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs$1,214$1,122$958
Median household income$97,230$99,122$80,734
Groundwork market score3537

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
46−11.5% over the period
Employees, 2023
286
Annual payroll, 2023
$18.3M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
566 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
52The 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 automotive body, paint and interior repair in the Salinas metro area, 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 the Salinas metro area

Population, 2025 estimate
433,729−1.5% since 2020
Households
132,489
Median age
36.7
Homes lived in by their owners
52%
Vehicles per household
2.1
Land area
3,282 sq. mi.
People per square mile
133
Median household income
$97,230+36.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$131,514
Median home value
$781,000
Jobs located here
167,373
Daytime population
429,093Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Salinas metro area?

These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 the Salinas metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Collision repair and body shops across California

Every California market ranked →

The highest-scoring metro areas in California for collision repair and body shops, numbered among those based in California, with the Salinas metro area marked.

Top metro areas in California

Metro areas in California ranked for collision repair and body shops by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Merced, CA87212.4$4.5M+5.1%#1 of 381
2Visalia, CA79362.5$4.6M+2.4%#13 of 381
3Yuba City, CA70213.4$3.4M+3.3%#62 of 381
4Stockton-Lodi, CA67813.3$3.7M+5.5%#81 of 381
5Napa, CA65122.4$5M−3.3%#91 of 381
6Chico, CA62182.2$4.8M−0.5%#110 of 381
7Hanford-Corcoran, CA62102.3$4.8M+1.0%#111 of 381
8San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA593342.9$4M−0.6%#135 of 381
9San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA58302.7$4.4M0.0%#144 of 381
10Fresno, CA571193.2$3.4M+3.2%#155 of 381
23Salinas, CA35564.2$2.9M−1.5%#292 of 381

Other business types in the Salinas metro area

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

Questions

How many collision repair and body shops are in the Salinas, CA metro area?

The Salinas metro area has 56 collision repair and body shops on map listings as of September 2026. 6 of them (11%) are chain locations. The listings count collision repair and auto body shops. Official counts show 46 businesses with payroll classed as automotive body, paint and interior repair in 2023, down 11.5% from 2019.

How much do households in the Salinas, CA metro area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?

About $160.8M a year, or $1,214 per household. That is 27% above the U.S. average (an index of 127, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 56 collision repair and body shops on map listings, it comes to $2.9M 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 132,489 households in the Salinas metro area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the Salinas, CA metro area compare with the U.S. for collision repair and body shops?

The Salinas metro area has 4.2 collision repair and body shops per 10,000 households, 35% above the U.S. rate of 3.1. Spending per shop is $2.9M, 7% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of collision repair and body shops to household spending, the Salinas metro area would have about 52, against 56 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,880 households, against one for every 3,689 across the U.S. The official count fell 11.5% from 2019 to 2023, against −0.8% for the U.S.

How fast is the Salinas, CA metro area growing?

Population estimates put the Salinas metro area at 433,729 people in 2025, down 1.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 132,489 households. The median household income in the Salinas metro area is $97,230 a year, 20% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 36.9% 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. The Salinas metro area scores 35 for collision repair and body shops (lower middle), #292 of 381 scored metro areas.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Salinas metro area. 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 the Salinas metro area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Salinas metro area?

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 the Salinas metro area. 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.