Automotive Repair & Maintenance — profit margin & cost structure (U.S.)

For the U.S. automotive repair & maintenance industry, IRS tax data shows an estimated 8.0% net margin on an owner-operator basis (national, sole proprietorships, tax year 2023). That figure — what a self-employed owner keeps per sales dollar before paying themselves — is the number this page exists to report; read the note below on how it's measured.

8.0%net margin · owner-operator basis

National as of tax year 2023 Moderate confidence source ↗

Owner-operator basis (IRS SOI sole proprietorships, TY2023): net income less deficit ÷ business receipts, at NAICS 8111 (Automotive Repair & Maintenance). Sole-proprietor labor is not expensed, so this overstates corporate-style profit.

Cost structure

National, from IRS Statistics of Income (weighted sample). Where a component is not separately reported, it is shown as insufficient data — never estimated.

Component	Value
Cost of goods sold (% of receipts)	35.8%	National source ↗
Labor / officer compensation (% of receipts)	7.7%	National source ↗

Business size distribution (national)

Share of U.S. automotive repair & maintenance establishments by number of employees (Census County Business Patterns, 2023). 60% have fewer than 5 employees.

1–4 emp102,158 (60%)

5–9 emp39,562 (23%)

10–19 emp20,641 (12%)

20–49 emp6,198 (4%)

50–99 emp818 (0%)

100+ emp195 (0%)

Where this industry operates — all 51 states

Establishment counts, employment, and wages are available for free elsewhere too (e.g. Data USA). States ordered by number of establishments — pick one for local context:

Full cost-structure breakdown by business-size class and side-by-side industry comparison are available to subscribers. This page shows the current-year national headline plus the multi-year establishment trend.

Frequently asked

What is the average profit margin for automotive repair & maintenance businesses?

About 8.0% net margin on an owner-operator basis (national, IRS SOI sole proprietorships, tax year 2023). This counts the owner's own labor as profit, so it overstates corporate-style margin — see the note above.

How many automotive repair & maintenance businesses are there in the U.S.?

169,572 establishments with paid employees (Census County Business Patterns, 2023).

What is the average wage in the automotive repair & maintenance industry?

$1,042 per week (BLS QCEW 2024, private sector) — about $54,184/year.

Run a automotive repair & maintenance business?

mewayz runs your website, bookings, payments, invoicing, CRM and back office in one place — one login, one price, no per-seat fees. Built for how a automotive repair & maintenance business actually works, so you stop paying for five disconnected tools that don’t talk to each other.

Start free →14-day free trial · no card to build · cancel anytime

Download the free Automotive Repair & Maintenance benchmark sheet (CSV) — a starter P&L pre-filled with these numbers · Pro workbook →

machine-readable JSON · NAICS 8111

Related industries

Beauty Salons General Automotive Repair Other Services (except Public Administration)Personal & Laundry Services Religious, Grantmaking, Civic & Professional Orgs