Franchised light-vehicle dealerships
NADA counted 16,990 franchised light-vehicle dealerships in the United States in 2025.
Source: NADA Data 2025U.S. Automotive Dealership Statistics
Current, citable figures on dealership sales, fixed operations, staffing, payroll, advertising, and vehicle demand.
Last updated September 9, 2026. Annual figures below are for calendar year 2025 unless a statistic says otherwise.
Browse the statisticsAt a glance
A practical snapshot of the dealership business.
This page brings together the figures people most often need when writing about or evaluating U.S. automotive retail. Every statistic names its source and reporting period. It is designed to be a useful reference, not a substitute for the source material behind it.
2025 annual figures and 2026 market update
Key dealership statistics
Total dealership sales
Franchised light-vehicle dealerships generated $1.301 trillion in total sales during 2025.
Source: NADA Data 2025Average sales per dealership
Average total sales per franchised dealership reached $76.603 million in 2025.
Source: NADA Data 2025New light-duty vehicles sold
U.S. new light-duty vehicle sales totaled 16,233,363 units in 2025.
Source: NADA Data 2025Light-truck share of new sales
Light-duty trucks accounted for 83.0% of new light-duty vehicle sales in 2025.
Source: NADA Data 2025Repair orders written
Franchised dealerships wrote more than 276 million repair orders in 2025.
Source: NADA Data 2025Service and parts sales
Service and parts sales at franchised dealerships exceeded $164 billion in 2025.
Source: NADA Data 2025Dealership employees
Franchised dealerships employed 1,123,100 people in 2025, an average of 65 per dealership.
Source: NADA Data 2025Annual dealership payroll
Total annual payroll at franchised dealerships was $94.44 billion in 2025.
Source: NADA Data 2025Dealership advertising expense
Dealership advertising expenditure totaled $9.96 billion in 2025, or $586,246 per dealership on average.
Source: NADA Data 2025August 2026 sales rate
The seasonally adjusted annual rate for new light-vehicle sales reached 16.8 million units in August 2026.
Source: NADA Market Beat, September 4, 2026Average new-vehicle monthly payment
J.D. Power estimated the average new-vehicle monthly payment would reach $812 in August 2026.
Source: NADA Market Beat, September 4, 2026Dealership profitability depends on many moving parts.
Vehicle sales are the largest share of dealership revenue, while service and parts account for a meaningful, recurring part of the business. That mix makes operating discipline matter across departments, not only in the showroom.
With an average of 65 employees and more than $5.6 million in annual payroll per dealership, dealership decisions affect large teams and substantial recurring commitments. Vendor agreements, technology, network services, marketing, and billing practices all deserve the same scrutiny as a major purchase.
How this page is maintained.
NADA Data 2025 Full-Year Report
Used for the annual dealership count, total and average sales, vehicle volume and mix, repair orders, service and parts sales, employment, payroll, and advertising figures. NADA reports that its full-year publication covers calendar year 2025.
Read the NADA Data 2025 reportNADA Market Beat, September 4, 2026
Used for the August 2026 sales-rate and consumer-payment figures. These are monthly market indicators, not full-year results.
Read the September 2026 market updateAll Relative reviews this page roughly monthly and sooner when a source releases material new dealership data. We keep the statistic anchors stable so citations remain useful over time.
Suggested citation
ALL RELATIVE INC. “U.S. Automotive Dealership Statistics: 2025 Data & 2026 Update.” Updated September 9, 2026.
For a specific number, link to its numbered statistic above and cite the named original source alongside this page.