Auto · County · Arkansas
Auto repair shops in Howard County, AR
The auto repair shops in Howard County, AR, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 49 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,206 of 2,378 scored counties
#12 of 60 scored counties in Arkansas
- Listings
- 6
- 1 chain location (17%)
- Official establishments
- 6
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $4.5M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $885 a household
- Spending per listing
- $752K
- 69% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.8
- 45% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 12,306
- −3.6% since 2020
See the auto repair shops around any address in Howard County
The site report maps the auto repair shops 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
Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in Howard County comes to about $4.5M a year: $885 per household, 8% below the U.S. average. Spread across 6 auto repair shops, that is $752K per shop, 69% above the U.S. figure of $445K. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops.
Howard County has 6 auto repair shops on map listings as of September 2026. One of them (17%) is a chain location, against 16% across the U.S. That is 11.8 per 10,000 households, 45% below the U.S. rate of 21.5.
In 2023, official counts showed 6 businesses with payroll in Howard County classed as mechanical, body and glass repair. That is one for every 850 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Official counts also show 15 one-person businesses without payroll.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Howard County declined 3.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for auto repair shops in Howard County is 49 (lower middle), #1,206 of 2,378 scored counties and #12 of 60 scored counties in Arkansas.
How Howard County compares
The same measures for Arkansas and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all vehicle maintenance and repairs by the auto repair shops 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 | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 11.8 | 22.9 | 21.5 |
| Spending per listing | $752K | $387K | $445K |
| Households per official establishment | 850 | 1,089 | 955 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +6.8% | +2.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −3.6% | +3.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $885 | $886 | $958 |
| Median household income | $45,603 | $60,773 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 49 | 43 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 8 → 6
- Employees, 2023
- 28
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 15Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 61 chain location
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 10The 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 mechanical, body and glass repair 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
- 12,306−3.6% since 2020
- Households
- 5,098
- Median age
- 38.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 587 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 21
- Median household income
- $45,603+26.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $62,719
- Median home value
- $153,900
- Jobs located here
- 6,243
- Daytime population
- 13,655Residents 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 shops 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 shops across Arkansas
Every Arkansas market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Arkansas for auto repair shops, numbered among those based in Arkansas, with Howard County marked.
Top counties in Arkansas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Madison County, AR | 78 | 12 | 18.6 | $568K | +11.2% | #158 of 2,378 |
| 2Marion County, AR | 77 | 11 | 14.4 | $652K | +4.3% | #168 of 2,378 |
| 3Benton County, AR | 74 | 225 | 20.1 | $502K | +16.0% | #244 of 2,378 |
| 4Grant County, AR | 72 | 11 | 15.8 | $631K | +4.1% | #289 of 2,378 |
| 5Washington County, AR | 67 | 178 | 18.3 | $505K | +9.9% | #474 of 2,378 |
| 6Carroll County, AR | 66 | 19 | 16.7 | $580K | +3.6% | #491 of 2,378 |
| 7Saline County, AR | 66 | 93 | 18.5 | $514K | +7.6% | #501 of 2,378 |
| 8Lonoke County, AR | 65 | 58 | 20.3 | $477K | +3.5% | #537 of 2,378 |
| 9Fulton County, AR | 51 | 12 | 25.2 | $366K | +3.7% | #1,164 of 2,378 |
| 10Crawford County, AR | 50 | 55 | 23.5 | $408K | +4.1% | #1,194 of 2,378 |
| 12Howard County, AR | 49 | 6 | 11.8 | $752K | −3.6% | #1,206 of 2,378 |
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
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 shops are in Howard County, AR?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 6 auto repair shops in Howard County. One of them (17%) is a chain location. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 6 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023. Another 15 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Howard County, AR spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $4.5M a year, or $885 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 6 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $752K per shop. That spending covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, which auto repair shops share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 5,098 households in Howard County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Howard County, AR compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?
Howard County has 11.8 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 45% below the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $752K, 69% above the U.S. figure of $445K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, Howard County would have about 10, against 6 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 850 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S.
How fast is Howard County, AR growing?
Population estimates put Howard County at 12,306 people in 2025, down 3.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 5,098 households. Median household income in Howard County is $45,603, 44% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 26.5%, 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 49 for auto repair shops (lower middle), #1,206 of 2,378 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 shops 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 shops · 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.