Auto · County · New Jersey
Collision repair and body shops in Essex County, NJ
The collision repair and body shops in Essex County, NJ, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 30 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,108 of 1,327 scored counties
#20 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey
- Listings
- 112
- 9 chain locations (8%)
- Official establishments
- 100
- −2.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $214.4M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $670 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.9M
- 38% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 3.5
- 13% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 896,379
- +4.2% since 2020
See the collision repair and body shops around any address in Essex 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 Essex 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, Essex County has a Groundwork market score of 30 (lower middle): #1,108 of 1,327 scored counties and #20 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 112 collision repair and body shops in Essex County. Chain locations make up 8% of them, against 14% across the U.S. That comes to 3.5 for every 10,000 households, 13% above the U.S. rate of 3.1.
Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in Essex County comes to about $214.4M a year: $670 per household, 30% below the U.S. average. That works out to $1.9M per shop, 38% 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.
Official counts show 100 businesses with payroll classed as automotive body, paint and interior repair in Essex County in 2023, down 2.9% from 2019. That is one for every 3,198 households, against one for every 3,689 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 6 SBA-backed loans worth $4M have gone to businesses classed as automotive body, paint and interior repair in Essex County. Population estimates put the population change in Essex County from 2020 to 2025 at +4.2%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Essex County compares
The same measures for New Jersey 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 | Essex County | New Jersey | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 3.5 | 2.8 | 3.1 |
| Spending per listing | $1.9M | $3.1M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment | 3,198 | 3,639 | 3,689 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −2.9% | −3.4% | −0.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.2% | +3.0% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $670 | $865 | $958 |
| Median household income | $80,789 | $103,556 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 30 | 41 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 103 → 100−2.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 626
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $37M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1129 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 70The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 6
- Amount
- $4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive body, paint and interior repair in Essex 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 Essex County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 896,379+4.2% since 2020
- Households
- 319,788
- Median age
- 38.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 45%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.3
- Land area
- 126 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 6,845
- Median household income
- $80,789+31.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $131,554
- Median home value
- $524,100
- Jobs located here
- 362,597
- Daytime population
- 843,719Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Essex 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 Essex 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 New Jersey
Every New Jersey market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in New Jersey for collision repair and body shops, numbered among those based in New Jersey, with Essex County marked.
Top counties in New Jersey
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Somerset County, NJ | 80 | 21 | 1.6 | $6.4M | +3.5% | #65 of 1,327 |
| 2Burlington County, NJ | 72 | 37 | 2.1 | $4.7M | +4.3% | #170 of 1,327 |
| 3Ocean County, NJ | 68 | 55 | 2.3 | $4M | +5.6% | #257 of 1,327 |
| 4Cape May County, NJ | 65 | 7 | 1.6 | $5.8M | −1.7% | #308 of 1,327 |
| 5Atlantic County, NJ | 63 | 15 | 1.4 | $6M | +1.6% | #359 of 1,327 |
| 6Mercer County, NJ | 63 | 31 | 2.2 | $4M | +3.3% | #365 of 1,327 |
| 7Salem County, NJ | 63 | 6 | 2.4 | $3.8M | +2.3% | #368 of 1,327 |
| 8Cumberland County, NJ | 62 | 12 | 2.2 | $3.9M | +2.2% | #383 of 1,327 |
| 9Camden County, NJ | 60 | 45 | 2.2 | $3.7M | +2.4% | #429 of 1,327 |
| 10Morris County, NJ | 58 | 52 | 2.7 | $3.8M | +3.2% | #475 of 1,327 |
| 20Essex County, NJ | 30 | 112 | 3.5 | $1.9M | +4.2% | #1,108 of 1,327 |
Other business types in Essex 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 care45
- Auto repair shops36
- Collision repair and body shops30
- Car washes and detailing55
- Tire shops52
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations64
- Insurance agencies53
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 Essex County, NJ?
Essex County has 112 collision repair and body shops on map listings as of September 2026. 9 of them (8%) are chain locations. The listings count collision repair and auto body shops. Official counts show 100 businesses with payroll classed as automotive body, paint and interior repair in 2023, down 2.9% from 2019.
How much do households in Essex County, NJ spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $214.4M a year, or $670 per household. That is 30% below the U.S. average (an index of 70, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 112 collision repair and body shops on map listings, it comes to $1.9M 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 319,788 households in Essex County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Essex County, NJ compare with the U.S. for collision repair and body shops?
Essex County has 3.5 collision repair and body shops per 10,000 households, 13% above the U.S. rate of 3.1. Spending per shop is $1.9M, 38% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of collision repair and body shops to household spending, Essex County would have about 70, against 112 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,198 households, against one for every 3,689 across the U.S. The official count fell 2.9% from 2019 to 2023, against −0.8% for the U.S.
How fast is Essex County, NJ growing?
Population estimates put Essex County at 896,379 people in 2025, up 4.2% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 319,788 households. The median household income in Essex County is $80,789 a year, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.3% 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. Essex County scores 30 for collision repair and body shops (lower middle), #1,108 of 1,327 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Essex 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 Essex County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Essex 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 Essex 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.