Auto · County · North Carolina
Oil change and quick-lube shops in Buncombe County, NC
The oil change and quick-lube shops in Buncombe County, NC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 19 out of 100: Low
Ranked #452 of 479 scored counties
#24 of 24 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 22
- 12 chain locations (55%)
- Official establishments
- 16
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $91.7M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $900 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.2M
- 70% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 2.2
- 3.1 times the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 277,417
- +2.9% since 2020
See the oil change and quick-lube shops around any address in Buncombe County
The site report maps the oil change and quick-lube 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 Buncombe 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
The Groundwork market score for oil change and quick-lube shops in Buncombe County is 19 (low), #452 of 479 scored counties and #24 of 24 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 22 oil change and quick-lube shops in Buncombe County. Chain locations make up 55% of them, against 73% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 2.2, 3.1 times the U.S. rate of 0.7.
At $900 per household (6% below the U.S. average), households in Buncombe County spend about $91.7M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That works out to $4.2M per shop, 70% below the U.S. figure of $13.7M. That spending covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, which oil change and quick-lube shops share with other businesses in the trade.
In 2023, official counts showed 16 businesses with payroll in Buncombe County classed as oil change and lubrication shops. That is one for every 6,366 households, against one for every 14,222 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Buncombe County grew 2.9%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Buncombe County compares
The same measures for North Carolina and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all vehicle maintenance and repairs by the oil change and quick-lube 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 | Buncombe County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 2.2 | 0.8 | 0.7 |
| Spending per listing | $4.2M | $11.6M | $13.7M |
| Households per official establishment | 6,366 | 12,977 | 14,222 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +17.9% | +12.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.9% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $900 | $939 | $958 |
| Median household income | $74,436 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 19 | 45 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 14 → 16
- Employees, 2023
- 125
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $5.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 2212 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 7The 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 oil change and lubrication shops in Buncombe 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 Buncombe County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 277,417+2.9% since 2020
- Households
- 101,855
- Median age
- 43.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 657 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 418
- Median household income
- $74,436+42.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $105,560
- Median home value
- $391,800
- Jobs located here
- 142,929
- Daytime population
- 299,325Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Buncombe 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 oil change and quick-lube shops on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Buncombe County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardOil change and quick lube across North Carolina
Every North Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in North Carolina for oil change and quick-lube shops, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with Buncombe County marked.
Top counties in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Durham County, NC | 74 | 5 | 0.4 | $23.3M | +7.7% | #37 of 479 |
| 2Union County, NC | 70 | 8 | 0.9 | $12.1M | +11.7% | #74 of 479 |
| 3Brunswick County, NC | 69 | 6 | 0.9 | $11.1M | +26.5% | #81 of 479 |
| 4Johnston County, NC | 67 | 6 | 0.7 | $15.2M | +17.9% | #95 of 479 |
| 5Gaston County, NC | 65 | 8 | 0.9 | $10.9M | +7.8% | #115 of 479 |
| 6Catawba County, NC | 63 | 6 | 0.9 | $10.9M | +5.8% | #131 of 479 |
| 7Wake County, NC | 60 | 27 | 0.6 | $16.2M | +11.2% | #152 of 479 |
| 8Randolph County, NC | 58 | 5 | 0.9 | $11.7M | +3.5% | #180 of 479 |
| 9Rowan County, NC | 57 | 6 | 1.0 | $9.6M | +5.6% | #195 of 479 |
| 10Onslow County, NC | 56 | 6 | 0.8 | $11.4M | +6.0% | #202 of 479 |
| 24Buncombe County, NC | 19 | 22 | 2.2 | $4.2M | +2.9% | #452 of 479 |
Other business types in Buncombe 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 care33
- Auto repair shops40
- Collision repair and body shops55
- Car washes and detailing42
- Tire shops32
- Oil change and quick lube19
- Gas stations61
- Insurance agencies64
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many oil change and quick-lube shops are in Buncombe County, NC?
There are 22 oil change and quick-lube shops on map listings in Buncombe County as of September 2026. 12 of them (55%) are chain locations. The listings count oil change and quick-lube shops. Official counts show 16 businesses with payroll classed as oil change and lubrication shops in 2023.
How much do households in Buncombe County, NC spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $91.7M a year, or $900 per household. That is 6% below the U.S. average (an index of 94, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 22 oil change and quick-lube shops on map listings, it comes to $4.2M per shop. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only oil change and quick-lube shops. It is estimated from the incomes of the 101,855 households in Buncombe County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Buncombe County, NC compare with the U.S. for oil change and quick-lube shops?
Buncombe County has 2.2 oil change and quick-lube shops per 10,000 households, 3.1 times the U.S. rate of 0.7. Spending per shop is $4.2M, 70% below the U.S. figure of $13.7M. At the national ratio of oil change and quick-lube shops to household spending, Buncombe County would have about 7, against 22 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 6,366 households, against one for every 14,222 across the U.S.
How fast is Buncombe County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Buncombe County at 277,417 people in 2025, up 2.9% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 101,855 households. The median household income in Buncombe County is $74,436 a year, 8% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 42.6% 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. Buncombe County scores 19 for oil change and quick-lube shops (low), #452 of 479 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Buncombe County. It maps the oil change and quick-lube 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 oil change and quick-lube shops · All 56 business types in Buncombe County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Buncombe 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 Buncombe 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.