Auto · Small-town market · Kansas
Auto repair and car care businesses in the Liberal, KS area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for auto repair and car care businesses in the Liberal, KS area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 18 out of 100: Low
Ranked #515 of 538 scored small-town markets
#12 of 13 scored small-town markets based in Kansas
- Listings
- 48
- 11 chain locations (23%)
- Official establishments
- 18
- −18.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $7.9M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,084 a household
- Spending per listing
- $164K
- 39% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 66.1
- 85% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 21,073
- −3.6% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in the Liberal 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 Liberal area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
The Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses in the Liberal area is 18 (low), #515 of 538 scored small-town markets and #12 of 13 scored small-town markets based in Kansas. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.
At $1,084 per household (13% above the U.S. average), households in the Liberal area spend about $7.9M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That works out to $164K per business, 39% below the U.S. figure of $269K.
The Liberal area has 48 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 11 are chain locations, or 23%, against 24% across the U.S. That is 66.1 per 10,000 households, 85% above the U.S. rate of 35.7.
Official counts show 18 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Liberal area in 2023, down 18.2% from 2019. That is one for every 403 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Liberal area declined 3.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Liberal area compares
The same measures for Kansas 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.
| Measure | Liberal area | Kansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 66.1 | 38.7 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $164K | $295K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 403 | 617 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −18.2% | +3.6% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −3.6% | +1.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,084 | $1,140 | $958 |
| Median household income | $63,827 | $74,275 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 18 | 55 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 18−18.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 76
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 40Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4811 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 29The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Liberal 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 Liberal area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 21,073−3.6% since 2020
- Households
- 7,257
- Median age
- 32.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 62%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 640 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 34
- Median household income
- $63,827+29.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $81,284
- Median home value
- $136,500
- Jobs located here
- 10,899
- Daytime population
- 22,008Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Liberal 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 Liberal area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardAuto repair and car care across Kansas
Every Kansas market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Kansas for auto repair and car care businesses, numbered among those based in Kansas, with the Liberal area marked.
Top small-town markets in Kansas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Ottawa, KS | 64 | 44 | 42.3 | $292K | +1.1% | #134 of 538 |
| 2Atchison, KS | 60 | 26 | 45.3 | $247K | −0.9% | #183 of 538 |
| 3Hutchinson, KS | 59 | 91 | 35.6 | $314K | −0.6% | #186 of 538 |
| 4Pittsburg, KS | 57 | 61 | 38.5 | $274K | +0.1% | #201 of 538 |
| 5Arkansas City-Winfield, KS | 56 | 58 | 43.3 | $257K | −0.4% | #209 of 538 |
| 6Emporia, KS | 53 | 59 | 40.3 | $268K | +0.4% | #234 of 538 |
| 7McPherson, KS | 42 | 68 | 55.9 | $216K | −0.4% | #355 of 538 |
| 8Salina, KS | 41 | 123 | 49.3 | $219K | −1.4% | #365 of 538 |
| 9Hays, KS | 39 | 72 | 58.8 | $207K | +0.4% | #389 of 538 |
| 10Dodge City, KS | 33 | 75 | 63.6 | $185K | −0.6% | #434 of 538 |
| 12Liberal, KS | 18 | 48 | 66.1 | $164K | −3.6% | #515 of 538 |
Other business types in the Liberal area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
- Auto repair and car care18
- Auto repair shops19
- Collision repair and body shops
- Car washes and detailing20
- Tire shops22
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations25
- Insurance agencies9
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many auto repair and car care businesses are in the Liberal, KS area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 48 auto repair and car care businesses in the Liberal area. 11 of them (23%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 18 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, down 18.2% from 2019. Official counts list 40 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Liberal, KS area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $7.9M a year, or $1,084 per household. That is 13% above the U.S. average (an index of 113, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 48 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $164K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 7,257 households in the Liberal area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Liberal, KS area compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
The Liberal area has 66.1 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 85% above the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $164K, 39% below the U.S. figure of $269K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, the Liberal area would have about 29, against 48 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 403 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count fell 18.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Liberal, KS area growing?
Population estimates put the Liberal area at 21,073 people in 2025, down 3.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 7,257 households. The median household income in the Liberal area is $63,827 a year, 21% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 29.5% 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 Liberal area scores 18 for auto repair and car care businesses (low), #515 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 Liberal 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 Liberal area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Liberal 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 Liberal 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.