Groundwork

Auto · County · California

Collision repair and body shops in San Diego County, CA

How San Diego County, CA compares with other counties and the U.S. for collision repair and body shops: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 63 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #364 of 1,327 scored counties
#15 of 44 scored counties in California

Listings
334
67 chain locations (20%)
Official establishments
308
+2.7% since 2019
Household spending a year
$1.3B
On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,128 a household
Spending per listing
$4M
28% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
2.9
6% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
3,282,248
−0.6% since 2020

See the collision repair and body shops around any address in San Diego 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 San Diego 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

At $1,128 per household (18% above the U.S. average), households in San Diego County spend about $1.3B a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That is about $4M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 28% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only collision repair and body shops.

San Diego County has 334 collision repair and body shops on map listings as of September 2026. 67 of them (20%) are chain locations, against 14% across the U.S. That comes to 2.9 for every 10,000 households, 6% below the U.S. rate of 3.1.

In 2023, official counts showed 308 businesses with payroll in San Diego County classed as automotive body, paint and interior repair, up 2.7% from 2019. That is one for every 3,803 households, against one for every 3,689 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 18 SBA-backed loans worth $18M have gone to businesses classed as automotive body, paint and interior repair in San Diego County.

Population estimates put the population change in San Diego County from 2020 to 2025 at −0.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for collision repair and body shops in San Diego County is 63 (upper middle), #364 of 1,327 scored counties and #15 of 44 scored counties in California.

How San Diego 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.

Collision repair and body shops in San Diego County, CA compared with California and the U.S.
MeasureSan Diego CountyCaliforniaU.S.
Listings per 10k households2.93.83.1
Spending per listing$4M$2.9M$3.1M
Households per official establishment3,8033,2723,689
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+2.7%−1.0%−0.8%
Population growth, 2020–2025−0.6%−0.4%+3.1%
Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs$1,128$1,122$958
Median household income$106,268$99,122$80,734
Groundwork market score6337

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
300 → 308+2.7% over the period
Employees, 2023
2,608
Annual payroll, 2023
$157.8M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
33467 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
429The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
18
Amount
$18M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive body, paint and interior repair in San Diego 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 San Diego County

Population, 2025 estimate
3,282,248−0.6% since 2020
Households
1,171,278
Median age
38.9
Homes lived in by their owners
55%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
4,211 sq. mi.
People per square mile
781
Median household income
$106,268+34.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$141,250
Median home value
$854,700
Jobs located here
1,516,991
Daytime population
3,269,716Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

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

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Collision 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 San Diego County marked.

Top counties in California

Counties in California ranked for collision repair and body shops by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Merced County, CA85212.4$4.5M+5.1%#32 of 1,327
2Madera County, CA79153.3$3.6M+7.4%#83 of 1,327
3Tulare County, CA78362.5$4.6M+2.4%#89 of 1,327
4El Dorado County, CA76152.0$6.5M+0.6%#109 of 1,327
5Riverside County, CA752603.4$3.7M+5.0%#134 of 1,327
6Placer County, CA74533.4$3.6M+8.9%#144 of 1,327
7San Joaquin County, CA73813.3$3.7M+5.5%#163 of 1,327
8Contra Costa County, CA721273.1$4M+0.3%#179 of 1,327
9Yolo County, CA70202.6$4.2M+3.1%#212 of 1,327
10Napa County, CA66122.4$5M−3.3%#291 of 1,327
15San Diego County, CA633342.9$4M−0.6%#364 of 1,327

Other business types in San Diego County

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

Questions

How many collision repair and body shops are in San Diego County, CA?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 334 collision repair and body shops in San Diego County. 67 of them (20%) are chain locations. The listings count collision repair and auto body shops. Official counts show 308 businesses with payroll classed as automotive body, paint and interior repair in 2023, up 2.7% from 2019.

How much do households in San Diego County, CA spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?

About $1.3B a year, or $1,128 per household. That is 18% above the U.S. average (an index of 118, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 334 collision repair and body shops on map listings, it comes to $4M per shop. That spending covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, which collision repair and body shops share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 1,171,278 households in San Diego County and national spending patterns by income.

How does San Diego County, CA compare with the U.S. for collision repair and body shops?

San Diego County has 2.9 collision repair and body shops per 10,000 households, 6% below the U.S. rate of 3.1. Spending per shop is $4M, 28% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of collision repair and body shops to household spending, San Diego County would have about 429, against 334 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,803 households, against one for every 3,689 across the U.S. The official count rose 2.7% from 2019 to 2023, against −0.8% for the U.S.

How fast is San Diego County, CA growing?

Population estimates put San Diego County at 3,282,248 people in 2025, down 0.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 1,171,278 households. Median household income in San Diego County is $106,268, 32% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 34.6%, 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. San Diego County scores 63 for collision repair and body shops (upper middle), #364 of 1,327 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in San Diego 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 San Diego County

Screening a site or an acquisition in San Diego 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 San Diego 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.