Auto · County · Texas
Auto repair and car care businesses in Howard County, TX
The auto repair and car care businesses in Howard County, TX, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 33 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,910 of 2,401 scored counties
#106 of 162 scored counties in Texas
- Listings
- 44
- 11 chain locations (25%)
- Official establishments
- 16
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $10.5M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $865 a household
- Spending per listing
- $240K
- 11% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 36.1
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 30,504
- −12.4% 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
Howard County scores 33 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses, ranking #1,910 of 2,401 scored counties and #106 of 162 scored counties in Texas. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
At $865 per household (10% below the U.S. average), households in Howard County spend about $10.5M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. Spread across 44 auto repair and car care businesses, that is $240K per business, 11% below the U.S. figure of $269K.
Howard County has 44 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 25% of them, against 24% across the U.S. That is 36.1 per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 35.7.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Howard County was 16 in 2023. That is one for every 762 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $3.6M has gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Howard County. Population estimates show Howard County declined 12.4% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Howard County compares
The same measures for Texas 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 | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 36.1 | 42.4 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $240K | $216K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 762 | 703 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +11.2% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −12.4% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $865 | $918 | $958 |
| Median household income | $69,649 | $78,476 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 33 | 43 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 15 → 16
- Employees, 2023
- 149
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 58Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4411 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 39The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $3.6M
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
- 30,504−12.4% since 2020
- Households
- 12,191
- Median age
- 37.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 70%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 901 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 36
- Median household income
- $69,649+28.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $90,688
- Median home value
- $155,600
- Jobs located here
- 11,735
- Daytime population
- 29,322Residents 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 Texas
Every Texas market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Texas for auto repair and car care businesses, numbered among those based in Texas, with Howard County marked.
Top counties in Texas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1San Jacinto County, TX | 87 | 17 | 15.6 | $642K | +7.1% | #33 of 2,401 |
| 2Fort Bend County, TX | 85 | 753 | 25.7 | $414K | +17.4% | #52 of 2,401 |
| 3Chambers County, TX | 85 | 57 | 33.1 | $327K | +22.6% | #59 of 2,401 |
| 4Clay County, TX | 83 | 12 | 28.0 | $389K | +5.0% | #86 of 2,401 |
| 5Wilson County, TX | 80 | 63 | 34.6 | $334K | +12.2% | #131 of 2,401 |
| 6Falls County, TX | 79 | 11 | 17.3 | $527K | +5.5% | #138 of 2,401 |
| 7Denton County, TX | 77 | 1,122 | 31.1 | $327K | +16.9% | #191 of 2,401 |
| 8Collin County, TX | 76 | 1,186 | 28.5 | $349K | +20.6% | #205 of 2,401 |
| 9Jones County, TX | 76 | 20 | 33.8 | $303K | +6.1% | #214 of 2,401 |
| 10Burleson County, TX | 72 | 24 | 30.4 | $321K | +16.2% | #310 of 2,401 |
| 106Howard County, TX | 33 | 44 | 36.1 | $240K | −12.4% | #1,910 of 2,401 |
Other business types in Howard 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 care33
- Auto repair shops45
- Collision repair and body shops
- Car washes and detailing7
- Tire shops21
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations13
- Insurance agencies39
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, TX?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 44 auto repair and car care businesses in Howard County. 11 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 16 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023. Official counts also show 58 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Howard County, TX spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $10.5M a year, or $865 per household. That is 10% below the U.S. average (an index of 90, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 44 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $240K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 12,191 households in Howard County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Howard County, TX compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
Howard County has 36.1 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $240K, 11% below the U.S. figure of $269K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, Howard County would have about 39, against 44 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 762 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S.
How fast is Howard County, TX growing?
Population estimates put Howard County at 30,504 people in 2025, down 12.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 12,191 households. The median household income in Howard County is $69,649 a year, 14% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 28.5% 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. Howard County scores 33 for auto repair and car care businesses (lower middle), #1,910 of 2,401 scored counties.
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.