Auto · Small-town market · Nebraska
Auto repair shops in the Kearney, NE area
The auto repair shops in the Kearney, NE area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 52 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #264 of 538 scored small-town markets
#5 of 9 scored small-town markets based in Nebraska
- Listings
- 65
- 13 chain locations (20%)
- Official establishments
- 50
- +19.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $27.7M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,213 a household
- Spending per listing
- $426K
- 4% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 28.5
- 33% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 57,962
- +1.9% since 2020
See the auto repair shops around any address in the Kearney 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 Kearney 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 65 auto repair shops in the Kearney area. 13 of them (20%) are chain locations, against 16% across the U.S. That is 28.5 per 10,000 households, 33% above the U.S. rate of 21.5.
At $1,213 per household (27% above the U.S. average), households in the Kearney area spend about $27.7M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That is about $426K of household spending for each shop on map listings, 4% 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 50 businesses with payroll in the Kearney area classed as mechanical, body and glass repair, up 19.5% from 2019. That is one for every 456 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Another 76 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $395K have gone to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the Kearney area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Kearney area from 2020 to 2025 at +1.9%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Kearney area scores 52 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair shops, ranking #264 of 538 scored small-town markets and #5 of 9 scored small-town markets based in Nebraska.
How the Kearney area compares
The same measures for Nebraska 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 | Kearney area | Nebraska | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 28.5 | 23.2 | 21.5 |
| Spending per listing | $426K | $495K | $445K |
| Households per official establishment | 456 | 668 | 955 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +19.5% | +3.2% | +2.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.9% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,213 | $1,146 | $958 |
| Median household income | $76,109 | $76,475 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 52 | 54 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 50+19.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 212
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $11.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 76Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 6513 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 62The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $395K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the Kearney 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 Kearney area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 57,962+1.9% since 2020
- Households
- 22,798
- Median age
- 36.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 1,484 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 39
- Median household income
- $76,109+27.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $96,670
- Median home value
- $242,600
- Jobs located here
- 29,261
- Daytime population
- 59,015Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Kearney 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 Kearney 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 Nebraska
Every Nebraska market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Nebraska for auto repair shops, numbered among those based in Nebraska, with the Kearney area marked.
Top small-town markets in Nebraska
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Lexington, NE | 66 | 23 | 23.0 | $564K | +1.1% | #102 of 538 |
| 2Hastings, NE | 57 | 44 | 25.8 | $477K | −0.2% | #196 of 538 |
| 3Beatrice, NE | 55 | 23 | 24.7 | $486K | +0.2% | #216 of 538 |
| 4Fremont, NE | 53 | 45 | 29.7 | $399K | +2.6% | #253 of 538 |
| 5Kearney, NE | 52 | 65 | 28.5 | $426K | +1.9% | #264 of 538 |
| 6Columbus, NE | 49 | 57 | 32.8 | $371K | +3.8% | #293 of 538 |
| 7Norfolk, NE | 47 | 55 | 28.0 | $416K | +1.1% | #312 of 538 |
| 8North Platte, NE | 39 | 43 | 28.3 | $414K | −3.6% | #379 of 538 |
| 9Scottsbluff, NE | 33 | 47 | 30.6 | $365K | −1.2% | #443 of 538 |
Other business types in the Kearney 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 Kearney, NE area?
There are 65 auto repair shops on map listings in the Kearney area as of September 2026. 13 of them (20%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 50 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023, up 19.5% from 2019. Official counts list 76 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Kearney, NE area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $27.7M a year, or $1,213 per household. That is 27% above the U.S. average (an index of 127, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 65 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $426K per shop. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops. It is estimated from the incomes of the 22,798 households in the Kearney area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Kearney, NE area compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?
The Kearney area has 28.5 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 33% above the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $426K, 4% below the U.S. figure of $445K. At the national ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, the Kearney area would have about 62, against 65 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 456 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. The official count rose 19.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +2.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Kearney, NE area growing?
Population estimates put the Kearney area at 57,962 people in 2025, up 1.9% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 22,798 households. The median household income in the Kearney area is $76,109 a year, 6% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 27.9% 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. 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 Kearney area scores 52 for auto repair shops (upper middle), #264 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 Kearney 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 Kearney area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Kearney 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 Kearney 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.