Auto · County · California
Collision repair and body shops in Santa Cruz County, CA
How Santa Cruz 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 53 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #584 of 1,327 scored counties
#29 of 44 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 33
- 4 chain locations (12%)
- Official establishments
- 32
- −13.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $119.2M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,230 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.6M
- 17% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 3.4
- 10% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 258,852
- −4.7% since 2020
See the collision repair and body shops around any address in Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 33 collision repair and body shops in Santa Cruz County. 4 of them (12%) are chain locations, against 14% across the U.S. That comes to 3.4 for every 10,000 households, 10% above the U.S. rate of 3.1.
At $1,230 per household (28% above the U.S. average), households in Santa Cruz County spend about $119.2M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That works out to $3.6M per shop, 17% 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.
Official counts show 32 businesses with payroll classed as automotive body, paint and interior repair in Santa Cruz County in 2023, down 13.5% from 2019. That is one for every 3,028 households, against one for every 3,689 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $60K has gone to businesses classed as automotive body, paint and interior repair in Santa Cruz County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Santa Cruz County declined 4.7%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For collision repair and body shops, Santa Cruz County has a Groundwork market score of 53 (upper middle): #584 of 1,327 scored counties and #29 of 44 scored counties in California.
How Santa Cruz 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 | Santa Cruz County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 3.4 | 3.8 | 3.1 |
| Spending per listing | $3.6M | $2.9M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment | 3,028 | 3,272 | 3,689 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −13.5% | −1.0% | −0.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −4.7% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,230 | $1,122 | $958 |
| Median household income | $111,093 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 53 | 37 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 37 → 32−13.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 318
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $21.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 334 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 39The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $60K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive body, paint and interior repair in Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 258,852−4.7% since 2020
- Households
- 96,898
- Median age
- 40.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 60%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 445 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 595
- Median household income
- $111,093+35.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $156,435
- Median home value
- $1,027,500
- Jobs located here
- 95,587
- Daytime population
- 247,989Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz 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 |
| 29Santa Cruz County, CA | 53 | 33 | 3.4 | $3.6M | −4.7% | #584 of 1,327 |
Other business types in Santa Cruz 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 care62
- Auto repair shops58
- Collision repair and body shops53
- Car washes and detailing77
- Tire shops70
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations69
- Insurance agencies43
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 Santa Cruz County, CA?
There are 33 collision repair and body shops on map listings in Santa Cruz County as of September 2026. 4 of them (12%) are chain locations. The listings count collision repair and auto body shops. Official counts show 32 businesses with payroll classed as automotive body, paint and interior repair in 2023, down 13.5% from 2019.
How much do households in Santa Cruz County, CA spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $119.2M a year, or $1,230 per household. That is 28% above the U.S. average (an index of 128, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 33 collision repair and body shops on map listings, it comes to $3.6M 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 96,898 households in Santa Cruz County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Santa Cruz County, CA compare with the U.S. for collision repair and body shops?
Santa Cruz County has 3.4 collision repair and body shops per 10,000 households, 10% above the U.S. rate of 3.1. Spending per shop is $3.6M, 17% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of collision repair and body shops to household spending, Santa Cruz County would have about 39, against 33 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,028 households, against one for every 3,689 across the U.S. The official count fell 13.5% from 2019 to 2023, against −0.8% for the U.S.
How fast is Santa Cruz County, CA growing?
Population estimates put Santa Cruz County at 258,852 people in 2025, down 4.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 96,898 households. The median household income in Santa Cruz County is $111,093 a year, 38% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 35.1% 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. Santa Cruz County scores 53 for collision repair and body shops (upper middle), #584 of 1,327 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz 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.