Auto · County · Kentucky
Auto repair shops in Nelson County, KY
The auto repair shops in Nelson County, KY, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 71 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #323 of 2,378 scored counties
#10 of 99 scored counties in Kentucky
- Listings
- 38
- 5 chain locations (13%)
- Official establishments
- 13
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $19.4M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,014 a household
- Spending per listing
- $511K
- 15% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 19.8
- 8% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 49,036
- +4.8% since 2020
See the auto repair shops around any address in Nelson 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 Nelson 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
At $1,014 per household (6% above the U.S. average), households in Nelson County spend about $19.4M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That works out to $511K per shop, 15% above the U.S. figure of $445K. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops.
Nelson County has 38 auto repair shops on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 13% of them, against 16% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 19.8, 8% below the U.S. rate of 21.5.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Nelson County was 13 in 2023. That is one for every 1,473 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Another 45 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $25K has gone to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Nelson County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Nelson County grew 4.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Nelson County scores 71 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair shops, ranking #323 of 2,378 scored counties and #10 of 99 scored counties in Kentucky. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Nelson 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 | Nelson County | Kentucky | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 19.8 | 21.1 | 21.5 |
| Spending per listing | $511K | $420K | $445K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,473 | 1,206 | 955 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −1.2% | +2.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.8% | +2.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,014 | $889 | $958 |
| Median household income | $69,562 | $63,726 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 71 | 46 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 11 → 13
- Employees, 2023
- 32
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 45Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 385 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 44The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $25K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Nelson 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 Nelson County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 49,036+4.8% since 2020
- Households
- 19,150
- Median age
- 40.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 78%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 419 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 114
- Median household income
- $69,562+15.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $87,639
- Median home value
- $238,000
- Jobs located here
- 18,213
- Daytime population
- 41,912Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Nelson 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 Nelson 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 Nelson 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 |
Other business types in Nelson 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 Nelson County, KY?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 38 auto repair shops in Nelson County. 5 of them (13%) 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 list 45 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Nelson County, KY spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $19.4M a year, or $1,014 per household. That is 6% above the U.S. average (an index of 106, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 38 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $511K 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 19,150 households in Nelson County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Nelson County, KY compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?
Nelson County has 19.8 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $511K, 15% above the U.S. figure of $445K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, Nelson County would have about 44, against 38 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,473 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S.
How fast is Nelson County, KY growing?
Population estimates put Nelson County at 49,036 people in 2025, up 4.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 19,150 households. Median household income in Nelson County is $69,562, 14% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 15.7%, 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. Nelson County scores 71 for auto repair shops (upper middle), #323 of 2,378 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Nelson 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 Nelson County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Nelson 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 Nelson 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.