Auto · Small-town market · Missouri
Auto repair and car care businesses in the Poplar Bluff, MO area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for auto repair and car care businesses in the Poplar Bluff, MO area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 28 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #464 of 538 scored small-town markets
#16 of 17 scored small-town markets based in Missouri
- Listings
- 82
- 21 chain locations (26%)
- Official establishments
- 29
- +16.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $15.5M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $936 a household
- Spending per listing
- $189K
- 29% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 49.4
- 38% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 41,904
- −0.4% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in the Poplar Bluff 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 Poplar Bluff 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 Poplar Bluff area scores 28 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses, ranking #464 of 538 scored small-town markets and #16 of 17 scored small-town markets based in Missouri. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.
Households in the Poplar Bluff area spend about $15.5M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $936 per household, 2% below the U.S. average. Spread across 82 auto repair and car care businesses, that is $189K per business, 29% below the U.S. figure of $269K.
There are 82 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings in the Poplar Bluff area as of September 2026. 21 of them (26%) are chain locations, against 24% across the U.S. That is 49.4 per 10,000 households, 38% above the U.S. rate of 35.7.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Poplar Bluff area was 29 in 2023, up 16.0% from 2019. That is one for every 572 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $3.8M have gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Poplar Bluff area. Population estimates show the Poplar Bluff area declined 0.4% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Poplar Bluff area 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 | Poplar Bluff area | Missouri | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 49.4 | 37.9 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $189K | $279K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 572 | 613 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +16.0% | +2.8% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.4% | +1.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $936 | $1,058 | $958 |
| Median household income | $49,089 | $70,702 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 28 | 42 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 29+16.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 185
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $8.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 113Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 8221 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 58The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $3.8M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Poplar Bluff 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 Poplar Bluff area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 41,904−0.4% since 2020
- Households
- 16,594
- Median age
- 40.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 65%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 695 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 60
- Median household income
- $49,089
- Average household income
- $67,066
- Median home value
- $145,100
- Jobs located here
- 18,059
- Daytime population
- 43,334Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Poplar Bluff 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 Poplar Bluff 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 Missouri
Every Missouri market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Missouri for auto repair and car care businesses, numbered among those based in Missouri, with the Poplar Bluff area marked.
Top small-town markets in Missouri
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Warrensburg, MO | 89 | 71 | 33.7 | $340K | +4.9% | #4 of 538 |
| 2Fort Leonard Wood, MO | 69 | 67 | 39.8 | $267K | +0.8% | #93 of 538 |
| 3Mexico, MO | 63 | 36 | 39.0 | $272K | −1.0% | #155 of 538 |
| 4Branson, MO | 59 | 93 | 40.8 | $257K | +1.7% | #189 of 538 |
| 5Farmington, MO | 48 | 123 | 49.6 | $213K | +2.1% | #295 of 538 |
| 6Maryville, MO | 45 | 37 | 43.7 | $260K | −4.0% | #317 of 538 |
| 7Hannibal, MO | 44 | 66 | 43.2 | $251K | +0.4% | #331 of 538 |
| 8Sikeston, MO | 41 | 102 | 51.5 | $203K | −0.3% | #369 of 538 |
| 9Kirksville, MO | 37 | 54 | 51.8 | $209K | +1.9% | #402 of 538 |
| 10Lebanon, MO | 37 | 84 | 57.7 | $183K | +2.5% | #405 of 538 |
| 16Poplar Bluff, MO | 28 | 82 | 49.4 | $189K | −0.4% | #464 of 538 |
Other business types in the Poplar Bluff 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 care28
- Auto repair shops28
- Collision repair and body shops41
- Car washes and detailing38
- Tire shops37
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations38
- Insurance agencies37
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 Poplar Bluff, MO area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 82 auto repair and car care businesses in the Poplar Bluff area. 21 of them (26%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 29 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, up 16.0% from 2019. Official counts also show 113 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Poplar Bluff, MO area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $15.5M a year, or $936 per household. That is 2% below the U.S. average (an index of 98, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 82 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $189K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 16,594 households in the Poplar Bluff area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Poplar Bluff, MO area compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
The Poplar Bluff area has 49.4 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 38% above the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $189K, 29% below the U.S. figure of $269K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, the Poplar Bluff area would have about 58, against 82 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 572 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count rose 16.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Poplar Bluff, MO area growing?
Population estimates put the Poplar Bluff area at 41,904 people in 2025, down 0.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 16,594 households. The median household income in the Poplar Bluff area is $49,089 a year, 39% 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 Poplar Bluff area scores 28 for auto repair and car care businesses (lower middle), #464 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 Poplar Bluff 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 Poplar Bluff area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Poplar Bluff 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 Poplar Bluff 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.