Under-served services in Austin, TX
Name a city. Neur ranks 41 local service types, from HVAC to pet grooming, by how many businesses the county has per 100,000 residents against the rest of the state, from the Census Bureau’s County Business Patterns, then checks the thinnest 6 on Google Maps. Free, no sign-up.
Most under-served in Austin
2 of 41 service types have less than two-thirds of the Texas rate in Travis County.
Supply index 100 means the county has exactly as many of a service per person as Texas does; 42 means less than half. The thinnest 6 were also searched on Google Maps today, so you can see what is listed in the city itself and how many of those have 10 or more reviews. When Google Maps shows plenty, the row comes off the list.
- 01Check this at your address
Auto body & collision
Supply index 98 — about the Texas rate. 8.8 per 100,000 people in Travis County, 9 across Texas, 10.5 nationally.
113 employer businesses on record in the county · about 116 at the state rate
- 02Check this at your address
Insurance agencies
Supply index 100 — about the Texas rate. 42 per 100,000 people in Travis County, 42.1 across Texas, 40.8 nationally.
541 employer businesses on record in the county · about 542 at the state rate
- 03Check this at your address
Child care centers
Supply index 103 — about the Texas rate. 20.9 per 100,000 people in Travis County, 20.3 across Texas, 24.2 nationally.
270 employer businesses on record in the county · about 262 at the state rate
- 04Check this at your address
Quick-service restaurants & taquerias
Supply index 104 — about the Texas rate. 84.5 per 100,000 people in Travis County, 81.2 across Texas, 80.1 nationally.
1,089 employer businesses on record in the county · about 1,046 at the state rate
- 05Check this at your address
Towing
Supply index 110 — about the Texas rate. 3.3 per 100,000 people in Travis County, 3 across Texas, 3.2 nationally.
43 employer businesses on record in the county · about 39 at the state rate
- 06Check this at your address
Bakeries
Supply index 110 — about the Texas rate. 2.6 per 100,000 people in Travis County, 2.3 across Texas, 2.7 nationally.
33 employer businesses on record in the county · about 30 at the state rate
- 07Check this at your address
Self storage
Supply index 113 — about the Texas rate. 8.8 per 100,000 people in Travis County, 7.8 across Texas, 5.5 nationally.
114 employer businesses on record in the county · about 101 at the state rate
- 08Check this at your address
Electricians
Supply index 116 — 16% above the Texas rate. 23.4 per 100,000 people in Travis County, 20.2 across Texas, 24.7 nationally.
301 employer businesses on record in the county · about 261 at the state rate
- 09Check this at your address
Full-service restaurants
Supply index 120 — 20% above the Texas rate. 83.2 per 100,000 people in Travis County, 69.2 across Texas, 77.7 nationally.
1,072 employer businesses on record in the county · about 892 at the state rate
- 10Check this at your address
Locksmiths
Supply index 121 — 21% above the Texas rate. 1.3 per 100,000 people in Travis County, 1.1 across Texas, 1.2 nationally.
17 employer businesses on record in the county · about 14 at the state rate
Thin on paper, not on the map: equipment & crane rental (index 46, but Google Maps lists 17+ in Austin, 13 with 10+ reviews); tire shops (index 62, but Google Maps lists 20+ in Austin, 20 with 10+ reviews); laundromats (index 87, but Google Maps lists 20+ in Austin, 19 with 10+ reviews); hvac & plumbing contractors (index 90, but Google Maps lists 20+ in Austin, 17 with 10+ reviews); tax preparers & cpas (index 91, but Google Maps lists 19+ in Austin, 17 with 10+ reviews); pest control (index 92, but Google Maps lists 20+ in Austin, 20 with 10+ reviews); auto repair shops (index 94, but Google Maps lists 20+ in Austin, 20 with 10+ reviews); car washes & detailing (index 97, but Google Maps lists 20+ in Austin, 20 with 10+ reviews). The Census count covers employer businesses only, so trades that run without staff barely register. Left off the list.
Most crowded in Austin
- 01Check this at your address
Food trucks
Supply index 378 — more than double the Texas rate. 14.5 per 100,000 people in Travis County, 3.8 across Texas, 3.5 nationally.
187 employer businesses on record in the county · about 49 at the state rate
- 02Check this at your address
Movers
Supply index 217 — more than double the Texas rate. 5.7 per 100,000 people in Travis County, 2.6 across Texas, 3 nationally.
74 employer businesses on record in the county · about 34 at the state rate
- 03Check this at your address
Barber shops
Supply index 216 — more than double the Texas rate. 3.9 per 100,000 people in Travis County, 1.8 across Texas, 2.2 nationally.
50 employer businesses on record in the county · about 23 at the state rate
- 04Check this at your address
Nail salons
Supply index 193 — 93% above the Texas rate. 12.3 per 100,000 people in Travis County, 6.4 across Texas, 10.2 nationally.
159 employer businesses on record in the county · about 82 at the state rate
- 05Check this at your address
Tutoring centers
Supply index 192 — 92% above the Texas rate. 5.8 per 100,000 people in Travis County, 3 across Texas, 3.1 nationally.
75 employer businesses on record in the county · about 39 at the state rate
Crowded on average can still have an empty neighborhood. The report counts competitors from one address, not the whole county.
All 41 service types, thinnest first show
How this works
Each service type is a NAICS industry code. The Census Bureau’s County Business Patterns (2022 reference year, released 2024) counts the employer businesses in that code for every county, state and the country. Neur divides by population from the ACS 5-year estimates to get businesses per 100,000 residents, then divides the county’s rate by the state’s. That ratio, times 100, is the supply index.
For the thinnest 6 services, one Google Maps search (“pressure washing in Austin, TX”) counts what is listed inside the city on the first page of results and how many of those have 10 or more reviews. Results are kept for 30 days, so the date shown is the day of the search.
What this page cannot know. It does not see search demand, prices, quality, or who is busy. Census counts employer businesses only, so one-person operators are missing everywhere equally; a city with many solo pressure washers can still look thin. The county is not the city, and a thin county can be thin because nobody there wants the service. The paid report counts competitors from a specific address, reads what customers complain about near you, and scores the plan.
Writers and chambers: cite these numbers with a link to this page. The saturation check for one business type is at neur.co/tools/saturation.
More free tools
Which local services are under-served?
Name a city. About 40 service types ranked by businesses per 100,000 residents against the state, with Google Maps counts for the thinnest. Census data, instant.
Find the gapsWhat business should I open?
Give Neur a city, a budget and what you like doing. It ranks about a hundred business types by room in your county, cost and fit, and picks five.
Let Neur pickIs my city saturated?
Establishments per 100,000 residents in your county against the state and the US, for 14 business types. Census data, instant.
Check a cityFastest-growing businesses by state
Fourteen business types ranked by jobs added over the year, for all 50 states, from BLS employment data. Updated each quarter.
See the rankingsWhat it costs to build, by state
Apartments, a duplex or fourplex, a hotel, self storage, a retail center, a car wash, a gas station or a medical office: cost to build, the loan a lender would size and whether it pencils, for all 50 states. 2026 cost surveys and Census data.
Pick a project and a stateA widget for your website
One line of HTML shows your state’s five fastest-growing small businesses on your site. For chambers, SBDCs, lenders and brokers.
Get the code