{"id":75,"date":"2026-08-06T08:18:06","date_gmt":"2026-08-06T08:18:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.way.com\/auto-repair-software\/resources\/states-with-the-most-auto-repair-shops-per-capital\/"},"modified":"2026-08-06T08:18:06","modified_gmt":"2026-08-06T08:18:06","slug":"states-with-the-most-auto-repair-shops-per-capital","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.way.com\/auto-repair-software\/blog\/states-with-the-most-auto-repair-shops-per-capital\/","title":{"rendered":"States with the most auto repair shops per capital"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Take a wild guess\u00a0at\u00a0the state with the most\u00a0auto\u00a0repair shops.\u00a0If you\u00a0said California,\u00a0you\u2019d\u00a0be wrong.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Here\u2019s\u00a0what the data shows.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"none\">California has the highest number of repair shops, at 20,998, but compared with its population of 39,355,309, the state ranks #24.\u00a0 <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:279,&quot;335559991&quot;:360}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"none\">Wyoming has 494 establishments,\u00a0but with the population\u00a0count of 588,753,\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0all the way at the #1 position.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"none\">Texas\u00a0has\u00a0the\u00a0second-highest\u00a0number of auto repair shops, 14,614, but\u00a0ranks\u00a0#42 due to its\u00a0population\u00a0of 31,709,821.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"none\">Mississippi lands close to the middle with a\u00a0population\u00a0of 2,954,160\u00a0and 1,573 repair shops.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335551550&quot;:0,&quot;335551620&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"none\">Arizona sits at the other end. Its\u00a0population\u00a0of 7,623,818\u00a0is more than 12 times Wyoming\u2019s, but with\u00a0only 3,230 shops, it lands at #50, the lowest-ranked\u00a0state.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335551550&quot;:0,&quot;335551620&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">According\u00a0to the\u00a0U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics,\u00a0176,403 automotive repair and maintenance establishments were\u00a0operating\u00a0in\u00a0the\u00a0U.S.\u00a0as of the fourth quarter of 2025.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335551550&quot;:0,&quot;335551620&quot;:0,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">To see where those 176,000-plus shops\u00a0actually are\u00a0and where\u00a0they\u2019re\u00a0scarce,\u00a0Way\u00a0pulled state-level data from\u00a0BLS\u2019s\u00a0Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) for NAICS 8111, Automotive Repair and Maintenance, and measured\u00a0the\u00a0shop density relative to each\u00a0state\u2019s\u00a0population.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-595 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/dev.way.com\/auto-repair-software\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/States-with-the-most-auto-repair-shops.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1062\" height=\"1384\" \/><\/p>\n<p><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">National average: establishments\/population x 100,000 = 51.6 per 100,000.<\/span><\/i><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">District\u00a0of Columbia is included in the table above for reference but is not a state.\u00a0Puerto Rico (853 establishments) and the U.S. Virgin Islands (16 establishments)\u00a0are not included.<\/span><\/i><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 aria-level=\"2\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">What the table\u00a0shows<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;134245418&quot;:true,&quot;134245529&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:160,&quot;335559739&quot;:80,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Wyoming, South Dakota, Montana, Vermont, New Hampshire, and North Dakota\u00a0have two things in common: they\u00a0are all large in land\u00a0area\u00a0and sparsely populated.\u00a0In places like these,\u00a0you need a car\u00a0to get by\u00a0and a shop nearby\u00a0for repairs.\u00a0T<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">hese are also states where residents log some of the highest vehicle miles, suggesting that the density can reflect how dependent they are on cars in their daily life. For instance, t<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">he FHWA\u2019s Traffic Volume Trends 2025 report shows that Wyoming logged 742 million vehicle miles traveled (VMT) in November alone. That is a <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">high traffic volume for a state\u00a0of under\u00a0600,000 people.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">There\u2019s\u00a0also a\u00a0larger\u00a0reason why\u00a0the number of\u00a0auto repair shops matters, wherever you live in the\u00a0U.S.\u00a0According to the\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">Federal Highway Administration, <\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">the total number of registered motor vehicles in the U.S. in 2024<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0was\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">297,525,836.\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">Vehicles are also getting older, with the average age being 12.8 years, and the price of buying a new car has gone up too. Kelley Blue Book reports that the average price paid by a driver was <\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">$49,814\u00a0in November 2025<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">, which\u00a0is 1.3% more than a year earlier.\u00a0At the same time,\u00a0repairs\u00a0cost more than they\u00a0used to. As per the Bureau of Transportation Statistics\u2019 CPI tracking, vehicle maintenance and repair prices were up 5.4% year-over-year as of December 2025,\u00a0and\u00a0roughly 51%\u00a0higher than they were in January 2019.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">From this, we can assume that\u00a0Americans are\u00a0clearly\u00a0holding on to their cars longer,\u00a0and\u00a0when something goes wrong,\u00a0most drivers\u00a0aren\u2019t\u00a0trying to fix it themselves.\u00a0Instead,\u00a0they\u2019re\u00a0calling a mechanic, but\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">where you live decides how many options you have when it\u2019s finally time to book an appointment. <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 aria-level=\"2\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">What does this mean\u00a0for\u00a0you?\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134245418&quot;:true,&quot;134245529&quot;:true,&quot;335559738&quot;:160,&quot;335559739&quot;:80}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><strong>Shop owner\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Hiring will be the biggest challenge you\u2019ll face, as more than 800,000 technician job openings are expected across the states every year until 2034. The number of shops per 100,000 people alone won\u2019t tell you whether a market is worth doing business in, but it\u2019s a good place to start. Just make sure to consider the local labor rates and shop rent prices as well. <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Driver\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">The shop density will affect your choices and prices. A state with a low shop density means you\u2019ll have fewer choices nearby, and the wait times will be longer during high-demand seasons. On the other hand, if you live in a high-density state, you\u2019re likely to have more options with more affordable pricing. It\u2019s important to keep in mind that not every shop is equal. It\u2019s worth checking the reviews and asking around before you decide to book. <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em>Sources\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/data.bls.gov\/cew\/apps\/table_maker\/v4\/table_maker.htm#type=0&amp;year=2025&amp;qtr=4&amp;own=5&amp;ind=8111&amp;supp=0\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (Q4, 2025)<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.statsamerica.org\/sip\/rank_list.aspx?rank_label=pop1\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Population Estimate (2025)<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fhwa.dot.gov\/policyinformation\/statistics\/2024\/vm1.cfm\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Highway Statistics (2024)<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/highways.dot.gov\/media\/116841\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Traffic Volume Trends (December 2025)<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\" https:\/\/data.bts.gov\/stories\/s\/jrb8-y6mq\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Transportation Economic Trends<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bls.gov\/ooh\/installation-maintenance-and-repair\/automotive-service-technicians-and-mechanics.htm\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics Quick Facts<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\" https:\/\/www.kbb.com\/car-news\/average-new-car-price-flirts-with-50000\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Average Price of New Car (2025)<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Which US state has the most auto repair shops per capita? See where your state stands as we rank all 50 U.S. states.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":76,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-75","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-car-repair-maintenance"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.way.com\/auto-repair-software\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.way.com\/auto-repair-software\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.way.com\/auto-repair-software\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.way.com\/auto-repair-software\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.way.com\/auto-repair-software\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=75"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dev.way.com\/auto-repair-software\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.way.com\/auto-repair-software\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/76"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.way.com\/auto-repair-software\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=75"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.way.com\/auto-repair-software\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=75"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.way.com\/auto-repair-software\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=75"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}