Auto · County · Missouri
Auto repair and car care businesses in Cole County, MO
How Cole County, MO 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 49 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,273 of 2,401 scored counties
#42 of 85 scored counties in Missouri
- Listings
- 134
- 33 chain locations (25%)
- Official establishments
- 50
- +8.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $33.9M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,091 a household
- Spending per listing
- $253K
- 6% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 43.1
- 21% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 77,908
- +1.7% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in Cole 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 Cole 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
At $1,091 per household (14% above the U.S. average), households in Cole County spend about $33.9M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That is about $253K of household spending for each business on map listings, 6% below the U.S. figure of $269K.
Cole County has 134 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 33 of them (25%) are chain locations, against 24% across the U.S. That comes to 43.1 for every 10,000 households, 21% above the U.S. rate of 35.7.
Official counts show 50 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Cole County in 2023, up 8.7% from 2019. That is one for every 622 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Official counts also show 78 one-person businesses without payroll.
Population estimates put the population change in Cole County from 2020 to 2025 at +1.7%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For auto repair and car care businesses, Cole County has a Groundwork market score of 49 (lower middle): #1,273 of 2,401 scored counties and #42 of 85 scored counties in Missouri.
How Cole County compares
The same measures for Missouri 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 | Cole County | Missouri | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 43.1 | 37.9 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $253K | $279K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 622 | 613 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +8.7% | +2.8% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.7% | +1.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,091 | $1,058 | $958 |
| Median household income | $74,876 | $70,702 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 49 | 42 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 46 → 50+8.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 410
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $20.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 78Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 13433 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 126The 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 Cole 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 Cole County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 77,908+1.7% since 2020
- Households
- 31,086
- Median age
- 40.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 392 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 197
- Median household income
- $74,876+24.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $95,025
- Median home value
- $229,600
- Jobs located here
- 56,757
- Daytime population
- 96,838Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Cole 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 Cole 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 Missouri
Every Missouri market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Missouri for auto repair and car care businesses, numbered among those based in Missouri, with Cole County marked.
Top counties in Missouri
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Platte County, MO | 88 | 111 | 25.3 | $465K | +6.7% | #29 of 2,401 |
| 2Warren County, MO | 84 | 52 | 37.6 | $343K | +9.2% | #67 of 2,401 |
| 3Johnson County, MO | 80 | 71 | 33.7 | $340K | +4.9% | #129 of 2,401 |
| 4Stone County, MO | 76 | 42 | 31.0 | $357K | +4.1% | #203 of 2,401 |
| 5Osage County, MO | 74 | 15 | 28.4 | $477K | +2.7% | #241 of 2,401 |
| 6Cass County, MO | 74 | 163 | 37.7 | $331K | +7.1% | #256 of 2,401 |
| 7Andrew County, MO | 73 | 24 | 34.3 | $359K | +0.7% | #272 of 2,401 |
| 8Boone County, MO | 73 | 244 | 31.9 | $334K | +4.2% | #279 of 2,401 |
| 9St. Charles County, MO | 72 | 564 | 35.0 | $343K | +4.9% | #302 of 2,401 |
| 10Clay County, MO | 69 | 321 | 31.4 | $353K | +4.3% | #382 of 2,401 |
| 42Cole County, MO | 49 | 134 | 43.1 | $253K | +1.7% | #1,273 of 2,401 |
Other business types in Cole 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 care49
- Auto repair shops59
- Collision repair and body shops64
- Car washes and detailing30
- Tire shops51
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations53
- Insurance agencies18
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 Cole County, MO?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 134 auto repair and car care businesses in Cole County. 33 of them (25%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 50 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, up 8.7% from 2019. Another 78 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Cole County, MO spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $33.9M a year, or $1,091 per household. That is 14% above the U.S. average (an index of 114, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 134 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $253K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 31,086 households in Cole County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Cole County, MO compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
Cole County has 43.1 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 21% above the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $253K, 6% below the U.S. figure of $269K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, Cole County would have about 126, against 134 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 622 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count rose 8.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Cole County, MO growing?
Population estimates put Cole County at 77,908 people in 2025, up 1.7% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 31,086 households. The median household income in Cole County is $74,876 a year, 7% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 24.7% 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. Cole County scores 49 for auto repair and car care businesses (lower middle), #1,273 of 2,401 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Cole 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 Cole County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Cole 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 Cole 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.