Groundwork

Auto · Small-town market · Arkansas

Auto repair and car care businesses in the Searcy, AR area

The auto repair and car care businesses in the Searcy, AR area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 27 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #473 of 538 scored small-town markets
#13 of 14 scored small-town markets based in Arkansas

Listings
158
38 chain locations (24%)
Official establishments
61
+29.8% since 2019
Household spending a year
$25.7M
On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $868 a household
Spending per listing
$163K
39% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
53.3
49% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
80,085
+4.2% since 2020

See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in the Searcy area

The site report maps the auto repair and car care businesses 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 the Searcy area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

The Searcy area scores 27 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses, ranking #473 of 538 scored small-town markets and #13 of 14 scored small-town markets based in Arkansas. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.

Households in the Searcy area spend about $25.7M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $868 per household, 9% below the U.S. average. That works out to $163K per business, 39% below the U.S. figure of $269K.

The Searcy area has 158 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 38 are chain locations, or 24%, against 24% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 53.3, 49% above the U.S. rate of 35.7.

Official counts show 61 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Searcy area in 2023, up 29.8% from 2019. That is one for every 486 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $2.8M has gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Searcy area. Population estimates show the Searcy area grew 4.2% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How the Searcy area compares

The same measures for Arkansas and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all vehicle maintenance and repairs by the auto repair and car care businesses counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.

Auto repair and car care in Searcy, AR area compared with Arkansas and the U.S.
MeasureSearcy areaArkansasU.S.
Listings per 10k households53.339.435.7
Spending per listing$163K$225K$269K
Households per official establishment486707681
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+29.8%+10.6%+4.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+4.2%+3.3%+3.1%
Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs$868$886$958
Median household income$55,249$60,773$80,734
Groundwork market score2738

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
61+29.8% over the period
Employees, 2023
374
Annual payroll, 2023
$16.1M
One-person businesses, 2023
159Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
15838 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
96The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$2.8M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Searcy area, 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 the Searcy area

Population, 2025 estimate
80,085+4.2% since 2020
Households
29,629
Median age
39.5
Homes lived in by their owners
69%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
1,034 sq. mi.
People per square mile
75
Median household income
$55,249+25.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$73,679
Median home value
$163,600
Jobs located here
25,976
Daytime population
72,590Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Searcy area?

These figures cover the whole small-town market. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the auto repair and car care businesses on map listings by name and distance.

Or open the report at the center of the Searcy area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Auto repair and car care across Arkansas

Every Arkansas market ranked →

The highest-scoring small-town markets in Arkansas for auto repair and car care businesses, numbered among those based in Arkansas, with the Searcy area marked.

Top small-town markets in Arkansas

Small-town markets in Arkansas ranked for auto repair and car care businesses by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Malvern, AR644032.5$284K+1.1%#135 of 538
2Harrison, AR547942.6$224K+2.4%#231 of 538
3Paragould, AR536636.7$231K+3.4%#242 of 538
4Batesville, AR476141.7$219K+2.2%#305 of 538
5Blytheville, AR425434.9$231K−6.7%#349 of 538
6Magnolia, AR423744.0$213K−3.7%#356 of 538
7Camden, AR404038.8$223K−3.6%#376 of 538
8Mountain Home, AR408745.0$188K+3.1%#383 of 538
9Pine Bluff, AR3910137.5$220K−5.6%#388 of 538
10Russellville, AR3615146.2$197K+1.6%#412 of 538
13Searcy, AR2715853.3$163K+4.2%#473 of 538

Other business types in the Searcy area

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many auto repair and car care businesses are in the Searcy, AR area?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 158 auto repair and car care businesses in the Searcy area. 38 of them (24%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 61 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, up 29.8% from 2019. Official counts list 159 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in the Searcy, AR area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?

About $25.7M a year, or $868 per household. That is 9% below the U.S. average (an index of 91, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 158 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $163K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 29,629 households in the Searcy area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the Searcy, AR area compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?

The Searcy area has 53.3 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 49% above the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $163K, 39% below the U.S. figure of $269K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, the Searcy area would have about 96, against 158 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 486 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count rose 29.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.

How fast is the Searcy, AR area growing?

Population estimates put the Searcy area at 80,085 people in 2025, up 4.2% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 29,629 households. The median household income in the Searcy area is $55,249 a year, 32% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 25.5% 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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. The Searcy area scores 27 for auto repair and car care businesses (lower middle), #473 of 538 scored small-town markets.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Searcy area. It maps the auto repair and car care businesses 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 auto repair and car care businesses · All 56 business types in the Searcy area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Searcy area?

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 the Searcy area. 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.