Groundwork

Auto · County · Kentucky

Auto repair shops in Clay County, KY

The auto repair shops in Clay County, KY, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 30 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #2,004 of 2,378 scored counties
#79 of 99 scored counties in Kentucky

Listings
12
0 chain locations (0%)
Official establishments
n/a
Fewer than 3, or not published
Household spending a year
$5.7M
On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $785 a household
Spending per listing
$476K
7% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
16.5
23% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
19,465
−4.1% since 2020

See the auto repair shops around any address in Clay 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 Clay County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

For auto repair shops, Clay County has a Groundwork market score of 30 (lower middle): #2,004 of 2,378 scored counties and #79 of 99 scored counties in Kentucky. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

Map listings as of September 2026 show 12 auto repair shops in Clay County. None of them are chain locations, against 16% across the U.S. That is 16.5 per 10,000 households, 23% below the U.S. rate of 21.5.

Households in Clay County spend about $5.7M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $785 per household, 18% below the U.S. average. That is about $476K of household spending for each shop on map listings, 7% above 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.

There is no official count of businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Clay County: counts under 3 aren’t published. Population estimates put the population change in Clay County from 2020 to 2025 at −4.1%, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How Clay 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.

Auto repair shops in Clay County, KY compared with Kentucky and the U.S.
MeasureClay CountyKentuckyU.S.
Listings per 10k households16.521.121.5
Spending per listing$476K$420K$445K
Households per official establishmentn/a1,206955
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a−1.2%+2.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025−4.1%+2.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs$785$889$958
Median household income$40,900$63,726$80,734
Groundwork market score3046

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
n/a
Employees, 2023
n/a
Annual payroll, 2023
n/a
One-person businesses, 2023
31Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
120 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
13The 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 Clay 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 Clay County

Population, 2025 estimate
19,465−4.1% since 2020
Households
7,288
Median age
40.3
Homes lived in by their owners
76%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
469 sq. mi.
People per square mile
42
Median household income
$40,900+52.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$55,251
Median home value
$90,700
Jobs located here
3,637
Daytime population
17,644Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Clay 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 Clay County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Auto 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 Clay County marked.

Top counties in Kentucky

Counties in Kentucky ranked for auto repair shops by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Spencer County, KY961013.7$957K+7.7%#3 of 2,378
2Allen County, KY821113.7$716K+9.5%#82 of 2,378
3Oldham County, KY813816.5$720K+4.9%#99 of 2,378
4Pendleton County, KY78611.0$956K+1.1%#142 of 2,378
5Owen County, KY76511.8$827K+2.6%#184 of 2,378
6Breckinridge County, KY761619.8$532K+5.2%#202 of 2,378
7Edmonson County, KY75713.7$708K+5.0%#204 of 2,378
8Meade County, KY711917.3$589K+2.2%#312 of 2,378
9Garrard County, KY711217.9$549K+7.3%#317 of 2,378
10Nelson County, KY713819.8$511K+4.8%#323 of 2,378
79Clay County, KY301216.5$476K−4.1%#2,004 of 2,378

Other business types in Clay County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many auto repair shops are in Clay County, KY?

There are 12 auto repair shops on map listings in Clay County as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. No official count is published for mechanical, body and glass repair in Clay County: counts under 3 are left out. Official counts also show 31 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Clay County, KY spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?

About $5.7M a year, or $785 per household. That is 18% below the U.S. average (an index of 82, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 12 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $476K per shop. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops. It is estimated from the incomes of the 7,288 households in Clay County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Clay County, KY compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?

Clay County has 16.5 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 23% below the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $476K, 7% above the U.S. figure of $445K. At the national ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, Clay County would have about 13, against 12 on map listings.

How fast is Clay County, KY growing?

Population estimates put Clay County at 19,465 people in 2025, down 4.1% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 7,288 households. The median household income in Clay County is $40,900 a year, 49% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 52.4% 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. Clay County scores 30 for auto repair shops (lower middle), #2,004 of 2,378 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Clay 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 Clay County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Clay 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 Clay 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.