Auto · Metro area · South Carolina
Collision repair and body shops in the Columbia, SC metro area
The collision repair and body shops in the Columbia, SC metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 44 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #240 of 381 scored metro areas
#4 of 8 scored metro areas based in South Carolina
- Listings
- 107
- 30 chain locations (28%)
- Official establishments
- 91
- +14.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $306.2M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $902 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.9M
- 7% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 3.2
- 3% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 879,918
- +6.0% since 2020
See the collision repair and body shops around any address in the Columbia 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 Columbia 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
Households in the Columbia metro area spend about $306.2M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $902 per household, 6% below the U.S. average. Spread across 107 collision repair and body shops, that is $2.9M per shop, 7% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only collision repair and body shops.
The Columbia metro area has 107 collision repair and body shops on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 28% of them, against 14% across the U.S. That is 3.2 per 10,000 households, 3% above the U.S. rate of 3.1.
Official counts show 91 businesses with payroll classed as automotive body, paint and interior repair in the Columbia metro area in 2023, up 14.1% from 2019. That is one for every 3,732 households, against one for every 3,689 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $15K has gone to businesses classed as automotive body, paint and interior repair in the Columbia metro area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Columbia metro area grew 6.0%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For collision repair and body shops, the Columbia metro area has a Groundwork market score of 44 (lower middle): #240 of 381 scored metro areas and #4 of 8 scored metro areas based in South Carolina.
How the Columbia metro area compares
The same measures for South Carolina 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 | Columbia metro area | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 3.2 | 3.0 | 3.1 |
| Spending per listing | $2.9M | $3M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment | 3,732 | 4,314 | 3,689 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +14.1% | +5.1% | −0.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +6.0% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $902 | $907 | $958 |
| Median household income | $68,359 | $69,324 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 44 | 59 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 91+14.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 674
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $42.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 10730 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 99The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $15K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive body, paint and interior repair in the Columbia 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 Columbia metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 879,918+6.0% since 2020
- Households
- 339,601
- Median age
- 39.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 3,703 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 229
- Median household income
- $68,359+22.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $92,243
- Median home value
- $232,400
- Jobs located here
- 410,492
- Daytime population
- 894,123Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Columbia 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 Columbia 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 South Carolina
Every South Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in South Carolina for collision repair and body shops, numbered among those based in South Carolina (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Columbia metro area marked.
Top metro areas in South Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Charleston-North Charleston, SC | 66 | 84 | 2.5 | $3.7M | +10.7% | #89 of 381 |
| 2Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC | 63 | 25 | 2.6 | $3.4M | +12.0% | #109 of 381 |
| Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC | 61 | 61 | 2.6 | $3.5M | +4.7% | #123 of 381 |
| 3Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC | 59 | 113 | 2.9 | $3.2M | +9.0% | #143 of 381 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 53 | 334 | 3.1 | $3.1M | +10.1% | #182 of 381 |
| 4Columbia, SC | 44 | 107 | 3.2 | $2.9M | +6.0% | #240 of 381 |
| 5Spartanburg, SC | 44 | 52 | 3.6 | $2.6M | +14.3% | #244 of 381 |
| 6Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC | 38 | 50 | 3.1 | $2.7M | +20.9% | #275 of 381 |
| 7Sumter, SC | 31 | 17 | 4.1 | $2.1M | −0.3% | #319 of 381 |
| 8Florence, SC | 28 | 28 | 3.6 | $2.4M | +0.9% | #333 of 381 |
Other business types in the Columbia 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 care57
- Auto repair shops55
- Collision repair and body shops44
- Car washes and detailing56
- Tire shops36
- Oil change and quick lube62
- Gas stations46
- Insurance agencies58
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 Columbia, SC metro area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 107 collision repair and body shops in the Columbia metro area. 30 of them (28%) are chain locations. The listings count collision repair and auto body shops. Official counts show 91 businesses with payroll classed as automotive body, paint and interior repair in 2023, up 14.1% from 2019.
How much do households in the Columbia, SC metro area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $306.2M a year, or $902 per household. That is 6% below the U.S. average (an index of 94, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 107 collision repair and body shops on map listings, it comes to $2.9M 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 339,601 households in the Columbia metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Columbia, SC metro area compare with the U.S. for collision repair and body shops?
The Columbia metro area has 3.2 collision repair and body shops per 10,000 households, 3% 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 U.S. ratio of collision repair and body shops to household spending, the Columbia metro area would have about 99, against 107 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,732 households, against one for every 3,689 across the U.S. The official count rose 14.1% from 2019 to 2023, against −0.8% for the U.S.
How fast is the Columbia, SC metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Columbia metro area at 879,918 people in 2025, up 6.0% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 339,601 households. Median household income in the Columbia metro area is $68,359, 15% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 22.1%, 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 Columbia metro area scores 44 for collision repair and body shops (lower middle), #240 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 Columbia 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 Columbia metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Columbia 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 Columbia 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.