Auto · Small-town market · Kansas
Auto repair and car care businesses in the Salina, KS area
The auto repair and car care businesses in the Salina, KS area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 41 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #365 of 538 scored small-town markets
#8 of 13 scored small-town markets based in Kansas
- Listings
- 123
- 39 chain locations (32%)
- Official establishments
- 41
- −2.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $26.9M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,079 a household
- Spending per listing
- $219K
- 19% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 49.3
- 38% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 59,121
- −1.4% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in the Salina 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 Salina 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 123 auto repair and car care businesses in the Salina area. 39 of them (32%) are chain locations, against 24% across the U.S. That is 49.3 per 10,000 households, 38% above the U.S. rate of 35.7.
Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in the Salina area comes to about $26.9M a year: $1,079 per household, 13% above the U.S. average. That is about $219K of household spending for each business on map listings, 19% below the U.S. figure of $269K.
Official counts show 41 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Salina area in 2023, down 2.4% from 2019. That is one for every 608 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Official counts list 70 one-person businesses without payroll.
Population estimates put the population change in the Salina area from 2020 to 2025 at −1.4%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses in the Salina area is 41 (lower middle), #365 of 538 scored small-town markets and #8 of 13 scored small-town markets based in Kansas.
How the Salina 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 | Salina area | Kansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 49.3 | 38.7 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $219K | $295K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 608 | 617 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −2.4% | +3.6% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.4% | +1.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,079 | $1,140 | $958 |
| Median household income | $65,745 | $74,275 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 41 | 55 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 41−2.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 259
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $10.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 70Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 12339 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 100The 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 Salina 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 Salina area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 59,121−1.4% since 2020
- Households
- 24,931
- Median age
- 42.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 1,441 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 41
- Median household income
- $65,745+25.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $87,150
- Median home value
- $178,200
- Jobs located here
- 30,161
- Daytime population
- 61,857Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Salina 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 Salina 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 Salina 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 |
Other business types in the Salina 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 care41
- Auto repair shops37
- Collision repair and body shops49
- Car washes and detailing54
- Tire shops55
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations59
- Insurance agencies13
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 Salina, KS area?
The Salina area has 123 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 39 of them (32%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 41 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, down 2.4% from 2019. Official counts also show 70 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Salina, KS area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $26.9M a year, or $1,079 per household. That is 13% above the U.S. average (an index of 113, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 123 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $219K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 24,931 households in the Salina area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Salina, KS area compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
The Salina area has 49.3 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 38% above the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $219K, 19% below the U.S. figure of $269K. At the national ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, the Salina area would have about 100, against 123 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 608 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count fell 2.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Salina, KS area growing?
Population estimates put the Salina area at 59,121 people in 2025, down 1.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 24,931 households. Median household income in the Salina area is $65,745, 19% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.5%, 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 Salina area scores 41 for auto repair and car care businesses (lower middle), #365 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 Salina 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 Salina area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Salina 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 Salina 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.