Auto · County · Kentucky
Auto repair shops in Carter County, KY
The auto repair shops in Carter County, KY, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 34 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,878 of 2,378 scored counties
#74 of 99 scored counties in Kentucky
- Listings
- 28
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- 13
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $10.8M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,004 a household
- Spending per listing
- $387K
- 13% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 25.9
- 20% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 26,149
- −1.7% since 2020
See the auto repair shops around any address in Carter 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 Carter 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
The Groundwork market score for auto repair shops in Carter County is 34 (lower middle), #1,878 of 2,378 scored counties and #74 of 99 scored counties in Kentucky. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in Carter County comes to about $10.8M a year: $1,004 per household, 5% above the U.S. average. That works out to $387K per shop, 13% below the U.S. figure of $445K. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops.
There are 28 auto repair shops on map listings in Carter County as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations, against 16% across the U.S. That comes to 25.9 for every 10,000 households, 20% above the U.S. rate of 21.5.
Official counts show 13 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Carter County in 2023. That is one for every 830 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Carter County declined 1.7%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Carter County 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 | Carter County | Kentucky | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 25.9 | 21.1 | 21.5 |
| Spending per listing | $387K | $420K | $445K |
| Households per official establishment | 830 | 1,206 | 955 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −1.2% | +2.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.7% | +2.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,004 | $889 | $958 |
| Median household income | $51,235 | $63,726 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 34 | 46 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 12 → 13
- Employees, 2023
- 57
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 63Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 280 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 24The 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 Carter 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 Carter County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 26,149−1.7% since 2020
- Households
- 10,794
- Median age
- 41.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 80%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.2
- Land area
- 410 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 64
- Median household income
- $51,235+47.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $69,045
- Median home value
- $132,800
- Jobs located here
- 6,014
- Daytime population
- 23,638Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Carter 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 Carter 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 Kentucky
Every Kentucky market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Kentucky for auto repair shops, numbered among those based in Kentucky, with Carter County marked.
Top counties in Kentucky
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Spencer County, KY | 96 | 10 | 13.7 | $957K | +7.7% | #3 of 2,378 |
| 2Allen County, KY | 82 | 11 | 13.7 | $716K | +9.5% | #82 of 2,378 |
| 3Oldham County, KY | 81 | 38 | 16.5 | $720K | +4.9% | #99 of 2,378 |
| 4Pendleton County, KY | 78 | 6 | 11.0 | $956K | +1.1% | #142 of 2,378 |
| 5Owen County, KY | 76 | 5 | 11.8 | $827K | +2.6% | #184 of 2,378 |
| 6Breckinridge County, KY | 76 | 16 | 19.8 | $532K | +5.2% | #202 of 2,378 |
| 7Edmonson County, KY | 75 | 7 | 13.7 | $708K | +5.0% | #204 of 2,378 |
| 8Meade County, KY | 71 | 19 | 17.3 | $589K | +2.2% | #312 of 2,378 |
| 9Garrard County, KY | 71 | 12 | 17.9 | $549K | +7.3% | #317 of 2,378 |
| 10Nelson County, KY | 71 | 38 | 19.8 | $511K | +4.8% | #323 of 2,378 |
| 74Carter County, KY | 34 | 28 | 25.9 | $387K | −1.7% | #1,878 of 2,378 |
Other business types in Carter 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 Carter County, KY?
As of September 2026, map listings count 28 auto repair shops in Carter County. None of them are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 13 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023. Official counts also show 63 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Carter County, KY spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $10.8M a year, or $1,004 per household. That is 5% above the U.S. average (an index of 105, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 28 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $387K 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 10,794 households in Carter County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Carter County, KY compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?
Carter County has 25.9 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 20% above the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $387K, 13% below the U.S. figure of $445K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, Carter County would have about 24, against 28 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 830 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S.
How fast is Carter County, KY growing?
Population estimates put Carter County at 26,149 people in 2025, down 1.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 10,794 households. Median household income in Carter County is $51,235, 37% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 47.5%, 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. Carter County scores 34 for auto repair shops (lower middle), #1,878 of 2,378 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Carter 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 Carter County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Carter 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 Carter 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.