Auto · Small-town market · Nebraska
Collision repair and body shops in the Columbus, NE area
How the Columbus, NE area compares with other small-town markets and the U.S. for collision repair and body shops: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 64 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #95 of 387 scored small-town markets
#2 of 8 scored small-town markets based in Nebraska
- Listings
- 7
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- 8
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $21.1M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,218 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3M
- 2% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 4.0
- 29% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 46,583
- +3.8% since 2020
See the collision repair and body shops around any address in the Columbus area
The site report maps the collision repair and body 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 Columbus 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 7 collision repair and body shops in the Columbus area. None of them are chain locations, against 14% across the U.S. That comes to 4.0 for every 10,000 households, 29% above the U.S. rate of 3.1.
At $1,218 per household (27% above the U.S. average), households in the Columbus area spend about $21.1M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That works out to $3M per shop, 2% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. That spending covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, which collision repair and body shops share with other businesses in the trade.
Official counts show 8 businesses with payroll classed as automotive body, paint and interior repair in the Columbus area in 2023. That is one for every 2,171 households, against one for every 3,689 across the U.S.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Columbus area grew 3.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for collision repair and body shops in the Columbus area is 64 (upper middle), #95 of 387 scored small-town markets and #2 of 8 scored small-town markets based in Nebraska. That puts it in the top quarter of small-town markets.
How the Columbus 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 collision repair and body 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 | Columbus area | Nebraska | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 4.0 | 4.1 | 3.1 |
| Spending per listing | $3M | $2.8M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,171 | 2,333 | 3,689 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −1.4% | −0.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.8% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,218 | $1,146 | $958 |
| Median household income | $75,378 | $76,475 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 64 | 36 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 8
- Employees, 2023
- 23
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $996K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 70 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 7The 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 automotive body, paint and interior repair in the Columbus 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 Columbus area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 46,583+3.8% since 2020
- Households
- 17,365
- Median age
- 37.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 1,087 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 42
- Median household income
- $75,378
- Average household income
- $93,046
- Median home value
- $210,600
- Jobs located here
- 25,969
- Daytime population
- 46,840Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Columbus 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 collision repair and body shops on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of the Columbus area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardCollision repair and body shops across Nebraska
Every Nebraska market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Nebraska for collision repair and body shops, numbered among those based in Nebraska, with the Columbus area marked.
Top small-town markets in Nebraska
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1North Platte, NE | 67 | 5 | 3.3 | $3.6M | −3.6% | #72 of 387 |
| 2Columbus, NE | 64 | 7 | 4.0 | $3M | +3.8% | #95 of 387 |
| 3Kearney, NE | 50 | 11 | 4.8 | $2.5M | +1.9% | #190 of 387 |
| 4Lexington, NE | 49 | 5 | 5.0 | $2.6M | +1.1% | #198 of 387 |
| 5Hastings, NE | 49 | 9 | 5.3 | $2.3M | −0.2% | #202 of 387 |
| 6Scottsbluff, NE | 48 | 5 | 3.3 | $3.4M | −1.2% | #203 of 387 |
| 7Fremont, NE | 44 | 9 | 5.9 | $2M | +2.6% | #245 of 387 |
| 8Norfolk, NE | 36 | 11 | 5.6 | $2.1M | +1.1% | #297 of 387 |
Other business types in the Columbus area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
- Auto repair and car care47
- Auto repair shops49
- Collision repair and body shops64
- Car washes and detailing54
- Tire shops58
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations66
- Insurance agencies35
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many collision repair and body shops are in the Columbus, NE area?
There are 7 collision repair and body shops on map listings in the Columbus area as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations. The listings count collision repair and auto body shops. Official counts show 8 businesses with payroll classed as automotive body, paint and interior repair in 2023.
How much do households in the Columbus, NE area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $21.1M a year, or $1,218 per household. That is 27% above the U.S. average (an index of 127, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 7 collision repair and body shops on map listings, it comes to $3M per shop. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only collision repair and body shops. It is estimated from the incomes of the 17,365 households in the Columbus area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Columbus, NE area compare with the U.S. for collision repair and body shops?
The Columbus area has 4.0 collision repair and body shops per 10,000 households, 29% above the U.S. rate of 3.1. Spending per shop is $3M, 2% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of collision repair and body shops to household spending. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,171 households, against one for every 3,689 across the U.S.
How fast is the Columbus, NE area growing?
Population estimates put the Columbus area at 46,583 people in 2025, up 3.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 17,365 households. The median household income in the Columbus area is $75,378 a year, 7% 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 Columbus area scores 64 for collision repair and body shops (upper middle), #95 of 387 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Columbus area. It maps the collision repair and body 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 collision repair and body shops · All 56 business types in the Columbus area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Columbus 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 Columbus 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.