Auto · Small-town market · Kansas
Auto repair shops in the Emporia, KS area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for auto repair shops in the Emporia, KS area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 51 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #272 of 538 scored small-town markets
#5 of 13 scored small-town markets based in Kansas
- Listings
- 37
- 5 chain locations (14%)
- Official establishments
- 19
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $15.8M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,080 a household
- Spending per listing
- $427K
- 4% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 25.3
- 18% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 34,838
- +0.4% since 2020
See the auto repair shops around any address in the Emporia area
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 the Emporia 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 37 auto repair shops in the Emporia area. Of those, 5 are chain locations, or 14%, against 16% across the U.S. That comes to 25.3 for every 10,000 households, 18% above the U.S. rate of 21.5.
Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in the Emporia area comes to about $15.8M a year: $1,080 per household, 13% above the U.S. average. That works out to $427K per shop, 4% below the U.S. figure of $445K. That spending covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, which auto repair shops share with other businesses in the trade.
In 2023, official counts showed 19 businesses with payroll in the Emporia area classed as mechanical, body and glass repair. That is one for every 770 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Official counts list 44 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $1.5M have gone to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the Emporia area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Emporia area from 2020 to 2025 at +0.4%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for auto repair shops in the Emporia area is 51 (upper middle), #272 of 538 scored small-town markets and #5 of 13 scored small-town markets based in Kansas.
How the Emporia area compares
The same measures for Kansas 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 | Emporia area | Kansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 25.3 | 22.8 | 21.5 |
| Spending per listing | $427K | $500K | $445K |
| Households per official establishment | 770 | 881 | 955 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −1.0% | +2.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.4% | +1.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,080 | $1,140 | $958 |
| Median household income | $59,354 | $74,275 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 51 | 59 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 19
- Employees, 2023
- 68
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 44Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 375 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 36The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $1.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the Emporia 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 Emporia area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 34,838+0.4% since 2020
- Households
- 14,628
- Median age
- 37.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 59%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 1,621 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 21
- Median household income
- $59,354+28.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $73,516
- Median home value
- $146,700
- Jobs located here
- 16,443
- Daytime population
- 32,429Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Emporia 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 shops on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of the Emporia area. 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 Kansas
Every Kansas market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Kansas for auto repair shops, numbered among those based in Kansas, with the Emporia area marked.
Top small-town markets in Kansas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Atchison, KS | 59 | 15 | 26.2 | $428K | −0.9% | #180 of 538 |
| 2Hutchinson, KS | 56 | 60 | 23.4 | $477K | −0.6% | #204 of 538 |
| 3Ottawa, KS | 56 | 29 | 27.9 | $444K | +1.1% | #207 of 538 |
| 4Pittsburg, KS | 52 | 38 | 24.0 | $440K | +0.1% | #262 of 538 |
| 5Emporia, KS | 51 | 37 | 25.3 | $427K | +0.4% | #272 of 538 |
| 6Arkansas City-Winfield, KS | 50 | 34 | 25.4 | $438K | −0.4% | #280 of 538 |
| 7Dodge City, KS | 40 | 43 | 36.5 | $323K | −0.6% | #376 of 538 |
| 8McPherson, KS | 39 | 42 | 34.5 | $350K | −0.4% | #386 of 538 |
| 9Hays, KS | 37 | 44 | 35.9 | $338K | +0.4% | #404 of 538 |
| 10Salina, KS | 37 | 86 | 34.5 | $313K | −1.4% | #405 of 538 |
Other business types in the Emporia area
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 the Emporia, KS area?
There are 37 auto repair shops on map listings in the Emporia area as of September 2026. 5 of them (14%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 19 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023. Official counts also show 44 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Emporia, KS area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $15.8M a year, or $1,080 per household. That is 13% above the U.S. average (an index of 113, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 37 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $427K per shop. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops. It is estimated from the incomes of the 14,628 households in the Emporia area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Emporia, KS area compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?
The Emporia area has 25.3 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 18% above the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $427K, 4% below the U.S. figure of $445K. At the national ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, the Emporia area would have about 36, against 37 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 770 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S.
How fast is the Emporia, KS area growing?
Population estimates put the Emporia area at 34,838 people in 2025, up 0.4% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 14,628 households. The median household income in the Emporia area is $59,354 a year, 26% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 28.4% 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. 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 Emporia area scores 51 for auto repair shops (upper middle), #272 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 Emporia area. 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 the Emporia area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Emporia 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 Emporia 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.