Groundwork

Auto · County · Mississippi

Auto repair and car care businesses in Clay County, MS

How Clay County, MS compares with other counties and the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 32 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,941 of 2,401 scored counties
#46 of 67 scored counties in Mississippi

Listings
25
11 chain locations (44%)
Official establishments
15
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$6.8M
On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $874 a household
Spending per listing
$273K
2% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
32.0
10% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
18,238
−2.0% since 2020

See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in Clay 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 Clay County. 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

Clay County scores 32 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses, ranking #1,941 of 2,401 scored counties and #46 of 67 scored counties in Mississippi. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

Households in Clay County spend about $6.8M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $874 per household, 9% below the U.S. average. Spread across 25 auto repair and car care businesses, that is $273K per business, 2% above the U.S. figure of $269K.

There are 25 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings in Clay County as of September 2026. 11 of them (44%) are chain locations, against 24% across the U.S. That is 32.0 per 10,000 households, 10% below the U.S. rate of 35.7.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Clay County was 15 in 2023. That is one for every 520 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $150K has gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Clay County. Population estimates put the population change in Clay County from 2020 to 2025 at −2.0%, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How Clay County compares

The same measures for Mississippi 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 Clay County, MS compared with Mississippi and the U.S.
MeasureClay CountyMississippiU.S.
Listings per 10k households32.037.335.7
Spending per listing$273K$238K$269K
Households per official establishment520731681
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+2.1%+4.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025−2.0%−0.1%+3.1%
Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs$874$890$958
Median household income$43,125$56,447$80,734
Groundwork market score3232

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
11 → 15
Employees, 2023
74
Annual payroll, 2023
$3.2M
One-person businesses, 2023
46Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
2511 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
25The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$150K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Clay 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 Clay County

Population, 2025 estimate
18,238−2.0% since 2020
Households
7,805
Median age
41.4
Homes lived in by their owners
71%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
410 sq. mi.
People per square mile
45
Median household income
$43,125+35.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$63,753
Median home value
$129,100
Jobs located here
7,035
Daytime population
17,349Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Clay 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 Clay County. 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 Mississippi

Every Mississippi market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Mississippi for auto repair and car care businesses, numbered among those based in Mississippi, with Clay County marked.

Top counties in Mississippi

Counties in Mississippi ranked for auto repair and car care businesses by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Tate County, MS782724.5$424K+2.1%#158 of 2,401
2Marshall County, MS743828.8$348K+2.6%#252 of 2,401
3Madison County, MS7310924.8$391K+6.5%#265 of 2,401
4Hancock County, MS705527.2$342K+1.6%#361 of 2,401
5Oktibbeha County, MS684118.8$460K+0.4%#412 of 2,401
6Newton County, MS652228.5$334K−1.4%#528 of 2,401
7Walthall County, MS641324.6$395K+0.4%#562 of 2,401
8George County, MS613840.9$233K+8.1%#716 of 2,401
9DeSoto County, MS6026537.3$277K+6.3%#750 of 2,401
10Yalobusha County, MS591020.0$451K−0.5%#763 of 2,401
46Clay County, MS322532.0$273K−2.0%#1,941 of 2,401

Other business types in Clay County

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 Clay County, MS?

As of September 2026, map listings count 25 auto repair and car care businesses in Clay County. 11 of them (44%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 15 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023. Official counts also show 46 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Clay County, MS spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?

About $6.8M a year, or $874 per household. That is 9% below the U.S. average (an index of 91, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 25 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $273K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 7,805 households in Clay County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Clay County, MS compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?

Clay County has 32.0 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 10% below the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $273K, 2% above the U.S. figure of $269K. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 520 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S.

How fast is Clay County, MS growing?

Population estimates put Clay County at 18,238 people in 2025, down 2.0% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 7,805 households. The median household income in Clay County is $43,125 a year, 47% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 35.5% 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. 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. Clay County scores 32 for auto repair and car care businesses (lower middle), #1,941 of 2,401 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Clay 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 Clay County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Clay 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 Clay 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.