Auto · County · Nebraska
Auto repair and car care businesses in Howard County, NE
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for auto repair and car care businesses in Howard County, NE, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score
Not scored
Counties under 10,000 people aren’t scored, since a few businesses can swing their figures.
- Listings
- 13
- 4 chain locations (31%)
- Official establishments
- 6
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $3.5M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,386 a household
- Spending per listing
- $267K
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 51.9
- 45% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 6,538
- +0.8% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in Howard 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 Howard 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 13 auto repair and car care businesses in Howard County. 4 of them (31%) are chain locations, against 24% across the U.S. That comes to 51.9 for every 10,000 households, 45% above the U.S. rate of 35.7.
Households in Howard County spend about $3.5M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $1,386 per household, 45% above the U.S. average. That works out to $267K per business, in line with the U.S. figure of $269K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Howard County was 6 in 2023. That is one for every 417 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Another 19 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
Population estimates show Howard County grew 0.8% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Counties under 10,000 people aren’t given a market score, since a few businesses can swing their figures.
How Howard County compares
The same measures for Nebraska 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 | Howard County | Nebraska | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 51.9 | 40.8 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $267K | $281K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 417 | 497 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +5.6% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.8% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,386 | $1,146 | $958 |
| Median household income | $76,767 | $76,475 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | Not scored | 48 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 8 → 6
- Employees, 2023
- 17
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $879K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 19Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 134 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 13The 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 Howard 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 Howard County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 6,538+0.8% since 2020
- Households
- 2,504
- Median age
- 41.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 78%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.4
- Land area
- 569 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 11
- Median household income
- $76,767
- Average household income
- $96,174
- Median home value
- $209,100
- Jobs located here
- 1,618
- Daytime population
- 4,828Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Howard 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 Howard 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 Nebraska
Every Nebraska market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Nebraska for auto repair and car care businesses, numbered among those based in Nebraska, with Howard County marked.
Top counties in Nebraska
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Sarpy County, NE | 80 | 235 | 31.7 | $385K | +9.0% | #121 of 2,401 |
| 2Saunders County, NE | 72 | 23 | 25.8 | $519K | +6.0% | #289 of 2,401 |
| 3Cass County, NE | 70 | 38 | 35.1 | $384K | +3.9% | #354 of 2,401 |
| 4Douglas County, NE | 66 | 775 | 32.5 | $317K | +3.6% | #504 of 2,401 |
| 5Saline County, NE | 64 | 28 | 54.4 | $265K | +1.9% | #596 of 2,401 |
| 6Seward County, NE | 58 | 29 | 42.7 | $308K | +2.3% | #829 of 2,401 |
| 7Otoe County, NE | 58 | 29 | 45.4 | $281K | +3.9% | #845 of 2,401 |
| 8Lancaster County, NE | 57 | 491 | 36.6 | $291K | +3.4% | #877 of 2,401 |
| 9Washington County, NE | 53 | 41 | 48.6 | $276K | +1.8% | #1,087 of 2,401 |
| 10Dawson County, NE | 46 | 47 | 51.4 | $251K | +1.5% | #1,388 of 2,401 |
| Howard County, NE | Not scored | 13 | 51.9 | $267K | +0.8% |
Other business types in Howard County
None has a Groundwork market score here. Counties under 10,000 people aren’t scored, since a few businesses can swing their figures.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
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 Howard County, NE?
Howard County has 13 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 4 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 6 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023. Official counts list 19 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Howard County, NE spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $3.5M a year, or $1,386 per household. That is 45% above the U.S. average (an index of 145, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 13 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $267K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 2,504 households in Howard County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Howard County, NE compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
Howard County has 51.9 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 45% above the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $267K, in line with 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 417 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S.
How fast is Howard County, NE growing?
Population estimates put Howard County at 6,538 people in 2025, up 0.8% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 2,504 households. Median household income in Howard County is $76,767, 5% 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. 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 score leaves out counties under 10,000 people, where a handful of businesses would swing it.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Howard 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 Howard County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Howard 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 Howard 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.