Auto · Small-town market · Missouri
Auto repair shops in the Poplar Bluff, MO area
The auto repair shops in the Poplar Bluff, MO area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 28 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #472 of 538 scored small-town markets
#17 of 17 scored small-town markets based in Missouri
- Listings
- 53
- 10 chain locations (19%)
- Official establishments
- 20
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $15.5M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $936 a household
- Spending per listing
- $293K
- 34% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 31.9
- 48% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 41,904
- −0.4% since 2020
See the auto repair shops around any address in the Poplar Bluff area
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 the Poplar Bluff area. 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 Poplar Bluff area scores 28 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair shops, ranking #472 of 538 scored small-town markets and #17 of 17 scored small-town markets based in Missouri. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.
As of September 2026, map listings count 53 auto repair shops in the Poplar Bluff area. Of those, 10 are chain locations, or 19%, against 16% across the U.S. That is 31.9 per 10,000 households, 48% above the U.S. rate of 21.5.
Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in the Poplar Bluff area comes to about $15.5M a year: $936 per household, 2% below the U.S. average. That is about $293K of household spending for each shop on map listings, 34% 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 the Poplar Bluff area classed as mechanical, body and glass repair. That is one for every 830 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $261K has gone to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the Poplar Bluff area. Population estimates show the Poplar Bluff area declined 0.4% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Poplar Bluff area 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 | Poplar Bluff area | Missouri | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 31.9 | 22.3 | 21.5 |
| Spending per listing | $293K | $474K | $445K |
| Households per official establishment | 830 | 863 | 955 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +1.6% | +2.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.4% | +1.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $936 | $1,058 | $958 |
| Median household income | $49,089 | $70,702 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 28 | 48 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 20
- Employees, 2023
- 146
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $6.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 90Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 5310 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 35The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $261K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the Poplar Bluff area, 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 the Poplar Bluff area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 41,904−0.4% since 2020
- Households
- 16,594
- Median age
- 40.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 65%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 695 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 60
- Median household income
- $49,089
- Average household income
- $67,066
- Median home value
- $145,100
- Jobs located here
- 18,059
- Daytime population
- 43,334Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Poplar Bluff area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 the Poplar Bluff area. 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 small-town markets in Missouri for auto repair shops, numbered among those based in Missouri (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Poplar Bluff area marked.
Top small-town markets in Missouri
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Warrensburg, MO | 87 | 41 | 19.4 | $588K | +4.9% | #7 of 538 |
| 2Fort Leonard Wood, MO | 65 | 41 | 24.3 | $437K | +0.8% | #113 of 538 |
| 3Mexico, MO | 60 | 19 | 20.6 | $515K | −1.0% | #166 of 538 |
| 4Sikeston, MO | 55 | 51 | 25.7 | $405K | −0.3% | #226 of 538 |
| 5Branson, MO | 55 | 60 | 26.3 | $399K | +1.7% | #227 of 538 |
| 6Farmington, MO | 48 | 70 | 28.2 | $375K | +2.1% | #306 of 538 |
| 7Hannibal, MO | 42 | 40 | 26.2 | $414K | +0.4% | #358 of 538 |
| 8Sedalia, MO | 40 | 55 | 32.4 | $331K | +2.9% | #375 of 538 |
| Quincy, IL-MO | 36 | 75 | 24.1 | $429K | −2.0% | #409 of 538 |
| 9Maryville, MO | 36 | 25 | 29.6 | $385K | −4.0% | #410 of 538 |
| 17Poplar Bluff, MO | 28 | 53 | 31.9 | $293K | −0.4% | #472 of 538 |
Other business types in the Poplar Bluff area
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 the Poplar Bluff, MO area?
The Poplar Bluff area has 53 auto repair shops on map listings as of September 2026. 10 of them (19%) 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. Another 90 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Poplar Bluff, MO area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $15.5M a year, or $936 per household. That is 2% below the U.S. average (an index of 98, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 53 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $293K per shop. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops. It is estimated from the incomes of the 16,594 households in the Poplar Bluff area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Poplar Bluff, MO area compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?
The Poplar Bluff area has 31.9 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 48% above the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $293K, 34% below the U.S. figure of $445K. At the national ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, the Poplar Bluff area would have about 35, against 53 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 830 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S.
How fast is the Poplar Bluff, MO area growing?
Population estimates put the Poplar Bluff area at 41,904 people in 2025, down 0.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 16,594 households. The median household income in the Poplar Bluff area is $49,089 a year, 39% below the U.S. median of $80,734.
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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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. The Poplar Bluff area scores 28 for auto repair shops (lower middle), #472 of 538 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Poplar Bluff area. 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 the Poplar Bluff area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Poplar Bluff area?
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 the Poplar Bluff area. 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.