Auto · Metro area · Pennsylvania
Collision repair and body shops in the Reading, PA metro area
The collision repair and body shops in the Reading, PA metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 47 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #213 of 381 scored metro areas
#4 of 16 scored metro areas based in Pennsylvania
- Listings
- 42
- 7 chain locations (17%)
- Official establishments
- 47
- +14.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $150.2M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $920 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.6M
- 16% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 2.6
- 16% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 440,072
- +2.7% since 2020
See the collision repair and body shops around any address in the Reading 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 Reading metro area. 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
At $920 per household (4% below the U.S. average), households in the Reading metro area spend about $150.2M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That works out to $3.6M per shop, 16% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only collision repair and body shops.
There are 42 collision repair and body shops on map listings in the Reading metro area as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 17% of them, against 14% across the U.S. That is 2.6 per 10,000 households, 16% below the U.S. rate of 3.1.
Official counts show 47 businesses with payroll classed as automotive body, paint and interior repair in the Reading metro area in 2023, up 14.6% from 2019. That is one for every 3,473 households, against one for every 3,689 across the U.S.
Population estimates put the population change in the Reading metro area from 2020 to 2025 at +2.7%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). The Reading metro area scores 47 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for collision repair and body shops, ranking #213 of 381 scored metro areas and #4 of 16 scored metro areas based in Pennsylvania.
How the Reading metro area compares
The same measures for Pennsylvania 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 | Reading metro area | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 2.6 | 3.4 | 3.1 |
| Spending per listing | $3.6M | $2.5M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment | 3,473 | 3,443 | 3,689 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +14.6% | −3.0% | −0.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.7% | +0.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $920 | $837 | $958 |
| Median household income | $79,777 | $77,971 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 47 | 17 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 47+14.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 238
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $14M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 427 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 49The 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 Reading 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 Reading metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 440,072+2.7% since 2020
- Households
- 163,236
- Median age
- 40.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 856 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 506
- Median household income
- $79,777+25.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $103,265
- Median home value
- $257,300
- Jobs located here
- 179,513
- Daytime population
- 404,462Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Reading 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 Reading metro area. 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 Pennsylvania
Every Pennsylvania market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Pennsylvania for collision repair and body shops, numbered among those based in Pennsylvania, with the Reading metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Pennsylvania
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA | 55 | 72 | 2.9 | $3M | +4.2% | #165 of 381 |
| 2State College, PA | 49 | 14 | 2.4 | $3.5M | −0.4% | #207 of 381 |
| 3York-Hanover, PA | 48 | 50 | 2.8 | $3.5M | +3.6% | #210 of 381 |
| 4Reading, PA | 47 | 42 | 2.6 | $3.6M | +2.7% | #213 of 381 |
| 5Lebanon, PA | 46 | 15 | 2.6 | $3.4M | +2.2% | #222 of 381 |
| 6Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ | 39 | 115 | 3.4 | $2.7M | +3.0% | #272 of 381 |
| 7Chambersburg, PA | 34 | 25 | 3.9 | $2.5M | +3.0% | #306 of 381 |
| 8Gettysburg, PA | 32 | 17 | 4.2 | $2.5M | +3.6% | #313 of 381 |
| 9Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 27 | 746 | 3.0 | $2.7M | +1.4% | #334 of 381 |
| 10Pittsburgh, PA | 22 | 346 | 3.3 | $2.5M | −1.3% | #351 of 381 |
Other business types in the Reading metro area
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 care34
- Auto repair shops26
- Collision repair and body shops47
- Car washes and detailing62
- Tire shops62
- Oil change and quick lube66
- Gas stations65
- Insurance agencies59
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 the Reading, PA metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 42 collision repair and body shops in the Reading metro area. 7 of them (17%) are chain locations. The listings count collision repair and auto body shops. Official counts show 47 businesses with payroll classed as automotive body, paint and interior repair in 2023, up 14.6% from 2019.
How much do households in the Reading, PA metro area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $150.2M a year, or $920 per household. That is 4% below the U.S. average (an index of 96, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 42 collision repair and body shops on map listings, it comes to $3.6M 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 163,236 households in the Reading metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Reading, PA metro area compare with the U.S. for collision repair and body shops?
The Reading metro area has 2.6 collision repair and body shops per 10,000 households, 16% below the U.S. rate of 3.1. Spending per shop is $3.6M, 16% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of collision repair and body shops to household spending, the Reading metro area would have about 49, against 42 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,473 households, against one for every 3,689 across the U.S. The official count rose 14.6% from 2019 to 2023, against −0.8% for the U.S.
How fast is the Reading, PA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Reading metro area at 440,072 people in 2025, up 2.7% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 163,236 households. Median household income in the Reading metro area is $79,777, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.2%, 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 Reading metro area scores 47 for collision repair and body shops (lower middle), #213 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 Reading 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 Reading metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Reading 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 Reading 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.