Auto · County · Kentucky
Auto repair shops in Harlan County, KY
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for auto repair shops in Harlan County, KY, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 16 out of 100: Low
Ranked #2,314 of 2,378 scored counties
#96 of 99 scored counties in Kentucky
- Listings
- 23
- 2 chain locations (9%)
- Official establishments
- n/a
- Fewer than 3, or not published
- Household spending a year
- $8.7M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $814 a household
- Spending per listing
- $380K
- 15% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 21.4
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 24,725
- −7.6% since 2020
See the auto repair shops around any address in Harlan 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 Harlan 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 Harlan County is 16 (low), #2,314 of 2,378 scored counties and #96 of 99 scored counties in Kentucky. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 23 auto repair shops in Harlan County. Chain locations make up 9% of them, against 16% across the U.S. That is 21.4 per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 21.5.
At $814 per household (15% below the U.S. average), households in Harlan County spend about $8.7M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That is about $380K of household spending for each shop on map listings, 15% 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.
There is no official count of businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Harlan County: counts under 3 aren’t published. Population estimates put the population change in Harlan County from 2020 to 2025 at −7.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Harlan 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 | Harlan County | Kentucky | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 21.4 | 21.1 | 21.5 |
| Spending per listing | $380K | $420K | $445K |
| Households per official establishment | n/a | 1,206 | 955 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −1.2% | +2.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −7.6% | +2.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $814 | $889 | $958 |
| Median household income | $41,693 | $63,726 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 16 | 46 |
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
- 34Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 232 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 20The 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 Harlan 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 Harlan County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 24,725−7.6% since 2020
- Households
- 10,731
- Median age
- 40.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 466 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 55
- Median household income
- $41,693+57.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $55,003
- Median home value
- $73,700
- Jobs located here
- 5,743
- Daytime population
- 24,360Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Harlan 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 Harlan 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 Harlan 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 |
| 96Harlan County, KY | 16 | 23 | 21.4 | $380K | −7.6% | #2,314 of 2,378 |
Other business types in Harlan 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 Harlan County, KY?
There are 23 auto repair shops on map listings in Harlan County as of September 2026. 2 of them (9%) 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 Harlan County: counts under 3 are left out. Official counts also show 34 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Harlan County, KY spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $8.7M a year, or $814 per household. That is 15% below the U.S. average (an index of 85, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 23 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $380K per shop. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops. It is estimated from the incomes of the 10,731 households in Harlan County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Harlan County, KY compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?
Harlan County has 21.4 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $380K, 15% below the U.S. figure of $445K. At the national ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, Harlan County would have about 20, against 23 on map listings.
How fast is Harlan County, KY growing?
Population estimates put Harlan County at 24,725 people in 2025, down 7.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 10,731 households. The median household income in Harlan County is $41,693 a year, 48% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 57.5% 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. Harlan County scores 16 for auto repair shops (low), #2,314 of 2,378 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Harlan 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 Harlan County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Harlan 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 Harlan 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.