Auto · Metro area · Kentucky
Auto repair shops in the Bowling Green, KY metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for auto repair shops in the Bowling Green, KY metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 55 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #163 of 387 scored metro areas
#3 of 6 scored metro areas based in Kentucky
- Listings
- 161
- 19 chain locations (12%)
- Official establishments
- 65
- +28.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $66.3M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $904 a household
- Spending per listing
- $412K
- 7% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 22.0
- 2% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 197,180
- +9.5% since 2020
See the auto repair shops around any address in the Bowling Green metro 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 Bowling Green metro 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 161 auto repair shops in the Bowling Green metro area. Of those, 19 are chain locations, or 12%, against 16% across the U.S. That comes to 22.0 for every 10,000 households, 2% above the U.S. rate of 21.5.
Households in the Bowling Green metro area spend about $66.3M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $904 per household, 6% below the U.S. average. Spread across 161 auto repair shops, that is $412K per shop, 7% 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.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the Bowling Green metro area was 65 in 2023, up 28.0% from 2019. That is one for every 1,128 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Official counts also show 245 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 6 SBA-backed loans worth $2.3M have gone to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the Bowling Green metro area.
Population estimates show the Bowling Green metro area grew 9.5% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For auto repair shops, the Bowling Green metro area has a Groundwork market score of 55 (upper middle): #163 of 387 scored metro areas and #3 of 6 scored metro areas based in Kentucky.
How the Bowling Green metro area compares
The same measures for Kentucky 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 | Bowling Green metro area | Kentucky | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 22.0 | 21.1 | 21.5 |
| Spending per listing | $412K | $420K | $445K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,128 | 1,206 | 955 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +28.0% | −1.2% | +2.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +9.5% | +2.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $904 | $889 | $958 |
| Median household income | $63,328 | $63,726 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 55 | 46 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 65+28.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 319
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $20.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 245Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 16119 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 149The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 6
- Amount
- $2.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the Bowling Green metro 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 Bowling Green metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 197,180+9.5% since 2020
- Households
- 73,344
- Median age
- 36.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 61%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 1,614 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 116
- Median household income
- $63,328+27.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $85,606
- Median home value
- $233,700
- Jobs located here
- 78,351
- Daytime population
- 187,870Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Bowling Green metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 Bowling Green metro 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 Kentucky
Every Kentucky market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Kentucky for auto repair shops, numbered among those based in Kentucky (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Bowling Green metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Kentucky
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | 74 | 1,676 | 18.5 | $569K | +2.7% | #35 of 387 |
| Clarksville, TN-KY | 64 | 259 | 20.7 | $447K | +8.5% | #90 of 387 |
| 1Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN | 56 | 1,104 | 19.8 | $466K | +2.9% | #150 of 387 |
| 2Lexington-Fayette, KY | 55 | 417 | 19.3 | $444K | +3.4% | #159 of 387 |
| 3Bowling Green, KY | 55 | 161 | 22.0 | $412K | +9.5% | #163 of 387 |
| 4Elizabethtown, KY | 51 | 110 | 21.7 | $414K | +2.4% | #196 of 387 |
| 5Owensboro, KY | 50 | 87 | 19.2 | $467K | +1.3% | #202 of 387 |
| Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH | 45 | 300 | 19.7 | $441K | −2.6% | #249 of 387 |
| 6Paducah, KY-IL | 15 | 112 | 26.8 | $342K | −1.2% | #378 of 387 |
Other business types in the Bowling Green metro 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 Bowling Green, KY metro area?
The Bowling Green metro area has 161 auto repair shops on map listings as of September 2026. 19 of them (12%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 65 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023, up 28.0% from 2019. Another 245 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Bowling Green, KY metro area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $66.3M a year, or $904 per household. That is 6% below the U.S. average (an index of 94, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 161 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $412K per shop. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops. It is estimated from the incomes of the 73,344 households in the Bowling Green metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Bowling Green, KY metro area compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?
The Bowling Green metro area has 22.0 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 2% above the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $412K, 7% below the U.S. figure of $445K. At the national ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, the Bowling Green metro area would have about 149, against 161 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,128 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. The official count rose 28.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +2.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Bowling Green, KY metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Bowling Green metro area at 197,180 people in 2025, up 9.5% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 73,344 households. The median household income in the Bowling Green metro area is $63,328 a year, 22% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 27.4% 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. 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 Bowling Green metro area scores 55 for auto repair shops (upper middle), #163 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Bowling Green metro 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 Bowling Green metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Bowling Green metro 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 Bowling Green metro 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.