Washington’s Automotive Aftermarket Industry

Summary:

The automotive aftermarket industry supplies the products and services that are fundamental to the proper maintenance and repair of passenger cars, minivans, sports cars, pickups, heavy-duty and sport utility vehicles. Our industry manufactures, distributes and sells motor vehicle parts, accessories, service, tools, equipment, materials and supplies. Typically, aftermarket jobs are located in repair shops, automotive parts stores, warehouse distributors, and tire dealerships.

Washington’s aftermarket industry is vital to the state’s economy. The state employs 35,406 people in the aftermarket industry, representing roughly 1.3% of the state’s total workforce, and is home to 4.6 million vehicles. Annual aftermarket sales in Washington are approximately $5.2 billion.

Nationally, the U.S. aftermarket industry is a major contributor to the U.S. economy. It generates annual sales of approximately $267.1 billion (2.4 percent of the U.S. GDP), as it provides the products and services needed to support the nations 240 million registered vehicles and 201 million licensed drivers. In addition, the aftermarket employs 4.5 million people nationwide, representing about 2.6 percent of the workforce.

 

Aftermarket Employment Employees
Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing 2,498
Motor Vehicle Wholesalers of Parts and Supplies 3,492
Automotive Parts, Accessories and Tire Stores 10,909
Automotive Repair and Maintenance 18,507
TOTAL AFTERMARKET EMPLOYMENT 35,406

State Population 6,291,899
State Employment 2,766,451
Aftermarket Employment – Percent of State Population 0.6%
Aftermarket Employment – Percent of State Employment 1.3%

Aftermarket Establishments
Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing 81
Motor Vehicle Wholesalers of Parts and Supplies 287
Automotive Parts, Accessories and Tire Stores 1,103
Automotive Repair and Maintenance 3,445
TOTAL AFTERMARKET ESTABLISHMENTS 4,916
Number of Employees Per Establishment 7.2

Aftermarket Sales
TOTAL AFTERMARKET SALES $5,169,693,160
Registered Vehicles
Cars and Light Trucks (Classes 1-3) 4,459,823
Medium and Heavy Duty Trucks (Classes 4-8) 184,754
TOTAL REGISTERED VEHICLES 4,644,577
Vehicles Per Person 0.74