Auto repair shops in Kentucky: 1,001 locations, -0.6% jobs
Official counts for auto repair shops in Kentucky, 2026 Q1: how many there are, whether they are adding jobs, what they pay, and how Kentucky compares with the other states. From the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Census Bureau, refreshed each quarter.
Kentucky against the country · 2026 Q1
| Kentucky | United States | |
|---|---|---|
| Auto repair shops with employees | 1,001 | 86,416 |
| Per 100,000 residents | 21.8 | 25.4 |
| Jobs | 4,271 | 396,968 |
| Jobs, year over year | -0.6% | -0.2% |
| Locations, year over year | +1.6% | +1.1% |
| Average weekly wage | $1,064 | $1,155 |
| Rank among states, density | 40 of 50 | |
| Rank among states, job growth | 36 of 50 |
What the numbers say
Kentucky has 1,001 auto repair shops with payroll, employing 4,271 people. At 21.8 per 100,000 residents the market is close to the national average, number 40 among the 50 states with published data. Jobs fell 0.6% over the year, against -0.2% nationally. Locations grew faster than jobs, which usually means more and smaller operators entering: the kind of market where the cheapest service gets crowded first.
Average pay at auto repair shops in Kentucky is $1,064 a week, 8% below the national figure of $1,155. Budget labor from this number, not from a national guide.
Over five years, from 2021 to 2025, the number of auto repair shops in Kentucky moved +5.6%, from 935 to 987.
Auto repair shops in Kentucky, annual average
- 2021935
- 2022962
- 2023979
- 2024996
- 2025987
Jobs at auto repair shops in Kentucky
- 20213,704
- 20224,022
- 20234,191
- 20244,297
- 20254,303
What counts as auto repair shops here
General automotive repair: engine, transmission, brake and electrical work on cars and light trucks. Body shops, oil-change chains and glass are counted separately. The code is NAICS 811111. BLS counts establishments that report payroll, so a one-person business with no employees is not in these figures; in trades with many solo operators the true number of businesses is higher.
Before you open one in Kentucky
A statewide figure tells you which way the wind blows. It does not tell you whether the corner you are looking at has the households, the income and the gap in competition to support one more. A counts the auto repair shops within reach of one address in Kentucky, reads the county trend from the same BLS table, and scores the plan. The saturation check does a city-level version for free.
Questions people ask
How many auto repair shops are there in Kentucky?
BLS counted 1,001 auto repair shops with employees in Kentucky in 2026 Q1, employing 4,271 people. Owner-only businesses with no payroll are not in that count. That is 21.8 per 100,000 residents, against 25.4 nationally.
Are auto repair shops growing in Kentucky?
Not at the moment. Jobs at auto repair shops in Kentucky changed -0.6% over the year to 2026 Q1, and the number of locations changed +1.6%. That ranks Kentucky 36 of 50 states for job growth in this business type. Over five years the location count moved +5.6%.
Is Kentucky a crowded market for auto repair shops?
Kentucky has 21.8 auto repair shops per 100,000 residents, close to the national average, ranking 40 of 50 states. Density is a statewide average; a Neur report counts the competitors around one address.
Auto repair shops in every state
Densest first. The number is auto repair shops per 100,000 residents in 2026 Q1.
Other business types in Kentucky
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private sector, NAICS 811111, 2026 Q1 (quarterly) and annual averages (five-year series); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year population estimates. This page is generated from those feeds and rewritten when a new quarter publishes. All 14 business types in Kentucky · Growth ranking for Kentucky · Auto repair shops by state