Auto · County · Kentucky
Auto repair and car care businesses in Barren County, KY
The auto repair and car care businesses in Barren County, KY, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 32 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,960 of 2,401 scored counties
#79 of 99 scored counties in Kentucky
- Listings
- 78
- 15 chain locations (19%)
- Official establishments
- 30
- +30.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $16M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $887 a household
- Spending per listing
- $205K
- 24% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 43.3
- 21% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 45,641
- +2.6% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in Barren County
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 Barren County. 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 Barren County is 32 (lower middle), #1,960 of 2,401 scored counties and #79 of 99 scored counties in Kentucky. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 78 auto repair and car care businesses in Barren County. Of those, 15 are chain locations, or 19%, against 24% across the U.S. That comes to 43.3 for every 10,000 households, 21% above the U.S. rate of 35.7.
Households in Barren County spend about $16M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $887 per household, 7% below the U.S. average. Spread across 78 auto repair and car care businesses, that is $205K per business, 24% below the U.S. figure of $269K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Barren County was 30 in 2023, up 30.4% from 2019. That is one for every 601 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Barren County grew 2.6%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Barren County compares
The same measures for Kentucky 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 | Barren County | Kentucky | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 43.3 | 36.5 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $205K | $243K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 601 | 819 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +30.4% | +0.7% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.6% | +2.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $887 | $889 | $958 |
| Median household income | $50,628 | $63,726 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 32 | 45 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 23 → 30+30.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 177
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $5.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 91Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 7815 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 60The 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 Barren County, 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 Barren County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 45,641+2.6% since 2020
- Households
- 18,017
- Median age
- 40.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 65%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 487 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 92
- Median household income
- $50,628+22.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $73,460
- Median home value
- $178,000
- Jobs located here
- 15,309
- Daytime population
- 41,898Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Barren County?
These figures cover the whole county. 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 Barren County. 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 Kentucky
Every Kentucky market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Kentucky for auto repair and car care businesses, numbered among those based in Kentucky, with Barren County marked.
Top counties in Kentucky
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Spencer County, KY | 95 | 17 | 23.3 | $563K | +7.7% | #2 of 2,401 |
| 2Oldham County, KY | 85 | 69 | 30.0 | $396K | +4.9% | #53 of 2,401 |
| 3Allen County, KY | 84 | 18 | 22.4 | $437K | +9.5% | #63 of 2,401 |
| 4Garrard County, KY | 82 | 18 | 26.9 | $366K | +7.3% | #95 of 2,401 |
| 5Edmonson County, KY | 78 | 9 | 17.7 | $550K | +5.0% | #152 of 2,401 |
| 6Green County, KY | 78 | 15 | 33.9 | $312K | +4.6% | #172 of 2,401 |
| 7Owen County, KY | 77 | 8 | 18.8 | $517K | +2.6% | #174 of 2,401 |
| 8Pendleton County, KY | 77 | 14 | 25.7 | $410K | +1.1% | #180 of 2,401 |
| 9Trigg County, KY | 77 | 15 | 24.8 | $384K | +3.1% | #183 of 2,401 |
| 10Lincoln County, KY | 73 | 25 | 25.8 | $362K | +4.6% | #271 of 2,401 |
| 79Barren County, KY | 32 | 78 | 43.3 | $205K | +2.6% | #1,960 of 2,401 |
Other business types in Barren County
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 care32
- Auto repair shops36
- Collision repair and body shops
- Car washes and detailing48
- Tire shops31
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations48
- Insurance agencies68
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 Barren County, KY?
Barren County has 78 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 15 of them (19%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 30 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, up 30.4% from 2019. Official counts list 91 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Barren County, KY spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $16M a year, or $887 per household. That is 7% below the U.S. average (an index of 93, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 78 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $205K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 18,017 households in Barren County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Barren County, KY compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
Barren County has 43.3 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 21% above the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $205K, 24% below the U.S. figure of $269K. At the national ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, Barren County would have about 60, against 78 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 601 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count rose 30.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Barren County, KY growing?
Population estimates put Barren County at 45,641 people in 2025, up 2.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 18,017 households. Median household income in Barren County is $50,628, 37% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 22.1%, 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. 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. Barren County scores 32 for auto repair and car care businesses (lower middle), #1,960 of 2,401 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Barren County. 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 Barren County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Barren County?
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 Barren County. 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.