Auto · Small-town market · Mississippi
Auto repair and car care businesses in the Columbus, MS area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for auto repair and car care businesses in the Columbus, MS area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 32 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #435 of 538 scored small-town markets
#11 of 17 scored small-town markets based in Mississippi
- Listings
- 103
- 32 chain locations (31%)
- Official establishments
- 46
- −2.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $23.6M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $877 a household
- Spending per listing
- $229K
- 15% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 38.2
- 7% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 67,144
- −2.7% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in the Columbus 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 Columbus 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 Columbus area is 32 (lower middle), #435 of 538 scored small-town markets and #11 of 17 scored small-town markets based in Mississippi. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 103 auto repair and car care businesses in the Columbus area. Chain locations make up 31% of them, against 24% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 38.2, 7% above the U.S. rate of 35.7.
Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in the Columbus area comes to about $23.6M a year: $877 per household, 8% below the U.S. average. That works out to $229K per business, 15% below the U.S. figure of $269K.
In 2023, official counts showed 46 businesses with payroll in the Columbus area classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers, down 2.2% from 2019. That is one for every 586 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $822K have gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Columbus area. Population estimates put the population change in the Columbus area from 2020 to 2025 at −2.7%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Columbus area 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.
| Measure | Columbus area | Mississippi | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 38.2 | 37.3 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $229K | $238K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 586 | 731 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −2.2% | +2.1% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.7% | −0.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $877 | $890 | $958 |
| Median household income | $51,117 | $56,447 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 32 | 32 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 46−2.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 217
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $10.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 133Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 10332 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 88The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $822K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Columbus 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 Columbus area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 67,144−2.7% since 2020
- Households
- 26,952
- Median age
- 39.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 63%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 1,201 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 56
- Median household income
- $51,117
- Average household income
- $70,782
- Median home value
- $150,900
- Jobs located here
- 26,423
- Daytime population
- 68,077Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Columbus 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 Columbus 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 Mississippi
Every Mississippi market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Mississippi for auto repair and car care businesses, numbered among those based in Mississippi, with the Columbus area marked.
Top small-town markets in Mississippi
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Starkville, MS | 73 | 59 | 22.8 | $387K | +0.8% | #59 of 538 |
| 2Oxford, MS | 73 | 77 | 32.0 | $286K | +5.3% | #63 of 538 |
| 3Picayune, MS | 64 | 84 | 38.4 | $250K | +5.6% | #141 of 538 |
| 4Greenwood, MS | 55 | 35 | 24.2 | $306K | −8.8% | #214 of 538 |
| 5Brookhaven, MS | 46 | 45 | 34.2 | $263K | +0.5% | #312 of 538 |
| 6Clarksdale, MS | 44 | 22 | 26.2 | $256K | −6.5% | #330 of 538 |
| 7McComb, MS | 40 | 76 | 37.4 | $226K | −2.6% | #375 of 538 |
| 8Laurel, MS | 40 | 127 | 40.2 | $213K | −1.5% | #378 of 538 |
| 9Cleveland, MS | 33 | 39 | 32.7 | $228K | −8.3% | #426 of 538 |
| 10Corinth, MS | 33 | 61 | 42.2 | $201K | −0.5% | #430 of 538 |
| 11Columbus, MS | 32 | 103 | 38.2 | $229K | −2.7% | #435 of 538 |
Other business types in the Columbus 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 care32
- Auto repair shops35
- Collision repair and body shops42
- Car washes and detailing32
- Tire shops39
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations28
- Insurance agencies52
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 Columbus, MS area?
There are 103 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings in the Columbus area as of September 2026. 32 of them (31%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 46 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, down 2.2% from 2019. Official counts list 133 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Columbus, MS area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $23.6M a year, or $877 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 103 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $229K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 26,952 households in the Columbus area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Columbus, MS area compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
The Columbus area has 38.2 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 7% above the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $229K, 15% below the U.S. figure of $269K. At the national ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, the Columbus area would have about 88, against 103 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 586 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count fell 2.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Columbus, MS area growing?
Population estimates put the Columbus area at 67,144 people in 2025, down 2.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 26,952 households. Median household income in the Columbus area is $51,117, 37% below the U.S. median of $80,734.
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 Columbus area scores 32 for auto repair and car care businesses (lower middle), #435 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 Columbus 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 Columbus area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Columbus 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 Columbus 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.