Auto · County · Kentucky
Auto repair shops in Whitley County, KY
The auto repair shops in Whitley County, KY, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 24 out of 100: Low
Ranked #2,176 of 2,378 scored counties
#87 of 99 scored counties in Kentucky
- Listings
- 33
- 5 chain locations (15%)
- Official establishments
- 20
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $11.4M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $838 a household
- Spending per listing
- $344K
- 23% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 24.4
- 13% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 37,297
- +1.6% since 2020
See the auto repair shops around any address in Whitley 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 Whitley 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
Whitley County scores 24 (low) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair shops, ranking #2,176 of 2,378 scored counties and #87 of 99 scored counties in Kentucky. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 33 auto repair shops in Whitley County. Of those, 5 are chain locations, or 15%, against 16% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 24.4, 13% above the U.S. rate of 21.5.
Households in Whitley County spend about $11.4M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $838 per household, 12% below the U.S. average. That works out to $344K per shop, 23% 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.
In 2023, official counts showed 20 businesses with payroll in Whitley County classed as mechanical, body and glass repair. That is one for every 677 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $438K has gone to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Whitley County. Population estimates show Whitley County grew 1.6% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Whitley 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 | Whitley County | Kentucky | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 24.4 | 21.1 | 21.5 |
| Spending per listing | $344K | $420K | $445K |
| Households per official establishment | 677 | 1,206 | 955 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −1.2% | +2.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.6% | +2.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $838 | $889 | $958 |
| Median household income | $44,615 | $63,726 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 24 | 46 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 16 → 20
- Employees, 2023
- 55
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 50Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 335 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 26The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $438K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Whitley 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 Whitley County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 37,297+1.6% since 2020
- Households
- 13,541
- Median age
- 35.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 438 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 84
- Median household income
- $44,615+14.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $63,305
- Median home value
- $131,800
- Jobs located here
- 13,221
- Daytime population
- 37,057Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Whitley 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 Whitley 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 Whitley 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 |
| 87Whitley County, KY | 24 | 33 | 24.4 | $344K | +1.6% | #2,176 of 2,378 |
Other business types in Whitley 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 Whitley County, KY?
There are 33 auto repair shops on map listings in Whitley County as of September 2026. 5 of them (15%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 20 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023. Official counts also show 50 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Whitley County, KY spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $11.4M a year, or $838 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 33 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $344K per shop. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops. It is estimated from the incomes of the 13,541 households in Whitley County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Whitley County, KY compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?
Whitley County has 24.4 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 13% above the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $344K, 23% below the U.S. figure of $445K. At the national ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, Whitley County would have about 26, against 33 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 677 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S.
How fast is Whitley County, KY growing?
Population estimates put Whitley County at 37,297 people in 2025, up 1.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 13,541 households. The median household income in Whitley County is $44,615 a year, 45% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 14.4% 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. Whitley County scores 24 for auto repair shops (low), #2,176 of 2,378 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Whitley 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 Whitley County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Whitley 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 Whitley 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.