Auto · County · Missouri
Auto repair shops in Howard County, MO
How Howard County, MO compares with other counties and the U.S. for auto repair shops: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 66 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #500 of 2,378 scored counties
#15 of 85 scored counties in Missouri
- Listings
- 8
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- 3
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $4.1M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,156 a household
- Spending per listing
- $518K
- 17% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 22.3
- 4% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 10,180
- +0.3% since 2020
See the auto repair shops around any address in Howard 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 Howard 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 $1,156 per household (21% above the U.S. average), households in Howard County spend about $4.1M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. Spread across 8 auto repair shops, that is $518K per shop, 17% above the U.S. figure of $445K. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops.
Howard County has 8 auto repair shops on map listings as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations, against 16% across the U.S. That is 22.3 per 10,000 households, 4% above the U.S. rate of 21.5.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Howard County was 3 in 2023. That is one for every 1,195 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Official counts also show 21 one-person businesses without payroll.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Howard County grew 0.3%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For auto repair shops, Howard County has a Groundwork market score of 66 (upper middle): #500 of 2,378 scored counties and #15 of 85 scored counties in Missouri. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Howard County compares
The same measures for Missouri 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 | Howard County | Missouri | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 22.3 | 22.3 | 21.5 |
| Spending per listing | $518K | $474K | $445K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,195 | 863 | 955 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +1.6% | +2.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.3% | +1.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,156 | $1,058 | $958 |
| Median household income | $65,938 | $70,702 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 66 | 48 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 3 → 3
- Employees, 2023
- 7
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $557K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 21Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 80 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 9The 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 Howard 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 Howard County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 10,180+0.3% since 2020
- Households
- 3,585
- Median age
- 39.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 79%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 464 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 22
- Median household income
- $65,938+25.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $83,071
- Median home value
- $159,400
- Jobs located here
- 2,720
- Daytime population
- 8,278Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Howard 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 Howard 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 Missouri
Every Missouri market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Missouri for auto repair shops, numbered among those based in Missouri, with Howard County marked.
Top counties in Missouri
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Platte County, MO | 87 | 68 | 15.5 | $759K | +6.7% | #34 of 2,378 |
| 2Johnson County, MO | 80 | 41 | 19.4 | $588K | +4.9% | #121 of 2,378 |
| 3Texas County, MO | 78 | 17 | 17.9 | $600K | +6.9% | #156 of 2,378 |
| 4Warren County, MO | 77 | 32 | 23.1 | $557K | +9.2% | #178 of 2,378 |
| 5Stone County, MO | 76 | 26 | 19.2 | $576K | +4.1% | #193 of 2,378 |
| 6Cass County, MO | 76 | 94 | 21.8 | $573K | +7.1% | #194 of 2,378 |
| 7Boone County, MO | 75 | 136 | 17.8 | $599K | +4.2% | #216 of 2,378 |
| 8St. Charles County, MO | 74 | 317 | 19.7 | $610K | +4.9% | #232 of 2,378 |
| 9Clay County, MO | 72 | 169 | 16.5 | $671K | +4.3% | #285 of 2,378 |
| 10Wayne County, MO | 71 | 6 | 13.0 | $810K | −1.4% | #303 of 2,378 |
| 15Howard County, MO | 66 | 8 | 22.3 | $518K | +0.3% | #500 of 2,378 |
Other business types in Howard 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 Howard County, MO?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 8 auto repair shops in Howard County. None of them are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 3 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023. Another 21 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Howard County, MO spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $4.1M a year, or $1,156 per household. That is 21% above the U.S. average (an index of 121, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 8 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $518K 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 3,585 households in Howard County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Howard County, MO compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?
Howard County has 22.3 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 4% above the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $518K, 17% above the U.S. figure of $445K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, Howard County would have about 9, against 8 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,195 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S.
How fast is Howard County, MO growing?
Population estimates put Howard County at 10,180 people in 2025, up 0.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 3,585 households. Median household income in Howard County is $65,938, 18% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.1%, 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. Howard County scores 66 for auto repair shops (upper middle), #500 of 2,378 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Howard 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 Howard County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Howard 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 Howard 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.