Groundwork

Auto · Small-town market · Illinois

Auto repair and car care businesses in the Effingham, IL area

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for auto repair and car care businesses in the Effingham, IL area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 30 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #452 of 538 scored small-town markets
#18 of 20 scored small-town markets based in Illinois

Listings
107
29 chain locations (27%)
Official establishments
66
+22.6% since 2019
Household spending a year
$21.2M
On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,172 a household
Spending per listing
$199K
26% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
59.0
65% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
44,727
−0.9% since 2020

See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in the Effingham area

The site report maps the auto repair and car care businesses 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 Effingham area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

The Effingham area scores 30 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses, ranking #452 of 538 scored small-town markets and #18 of 20 scored small-town markets based in Illinois. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.

Households in the Effingham area spend about $21.2M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $1,172 per household, 22% above the U.S. average. Spread across 107 auto repair and car care businesses, that is $199K per business, 26% below the U.S. figure of $269K.

There are 107 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings in the Effingham area as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 27% of them, against 24% across the U.S. That comes to 59.0 for every 10,000 households, 65% above the U.S. rate of 35.7.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Effingham area was 66 in 2023, up 22.6% from 2019. That is one for every 275 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Effingham area declined 0.9%, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How the Effingham area compares

The same measures for Illinois and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all vehicle maintenance and repairs by the auto repair and car care businesses counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.

Auto repair and car care in Effingham, IL area compared with Illinois and the U.S.
MeasureEffingham areaIllinoisU.S.
Listings per 10k households59.033.135.7
Spending per listing$199K$294K$269K
Households per official establishment275626681
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+22.6%+2.0%+4.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025−0.9%−0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs$1,172$975$958
Median household income$79,157$83,390$80,734
Groundwork market score3044

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
66+22.6% over the period
Employees, 2023
500
Annual payroll, 2023
$23.5M
One-person businesses, 2023
53Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
10729 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
79The 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 repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Effingham 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 Effingham area

Population, 2025 estimate
44,727−0.9% since 2020
Households
18,128
Median age
41.4
Homes lived in by their owners
80%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
825 sq. mi.
People per square mile
54
Median household income
$79,157
Average household income
$96,833
Median home value
$172,400
Jobs located here
25,606
Daytime population
48,326Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Effingham 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 and car care businesses on map listings by name and distance.

Or open the report at the center of the Effingham area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Auto repair and car care across Illinois

Every Illinois market ranked →

The highest-scoring small-town markets in Illinois for auto repair and car care businesses, numbered among those based in Illinois (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Effingham area marked.

Top small-town markets in Illinois

Small-town markets in Illinois ranked for auto repair and car care businesses by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Lincoln, IL673430.2$336K−2.5%#102 of 538
2Canton, IL674431.9$333K−2.0%#103 of 538
3Galesburg, IL635827.7$345K−4.1%#147 of 538
4Marion-Herrin, IL6012041.4$246K+0.2%#184 of 538
5Jacksonville, IL585838.4$278K−3.1%#194 of 538
6Dixon, IL525339.7$271K−3.4%#245 of 538
7Ottawa, IL5124239.1$274K−1.6%#255 of 538
8Taylorville, IL515439.7$262K−1.5%#256 of 538
Burlington, IA-IL508040.2$267K−2.5%#269 of 538
9Carbondale, IL507934.4$261K−1.5%#271 of 538
18Effingham, IL3010759.0$199K−0.9%#452 of 538

Other business types in the Effingham area

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many auto repair and car care businesses are in the Effingham, IL area?

As of September 2026, map listings count 107 auto repair and car care businesses in the Effingham area. 29 of them (27%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 66 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, up 22.6% from 2019. Official counts list 53 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in the Effingham, IL area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?

About $21.2M a year, or $1,172 per household. That is 22% above the U.S. average (an index of 122, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 107 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $199K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 18,128 households in the Effingham area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the Effingham, IL area compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?

The Effingham area has 59.0 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 65% above the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $199K, 26% below the U.S. figure of $269K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, the Effingham area would have about 79, against 107 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 275 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count rose 22.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.

How fast is the Effingham, IL area growing?

Population estimates put the Effingham area at 44,727 people in 2025, down 0.9% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 18,128 households. The median household income in the Effingham area is $79,157 a year, 2% 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 Effingham area scores 30 for auto repair and car care businesses (lower middle), #452 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 Effingham area. It maps the auto repair and car care businesses 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 and car care businesses · All 56 business types in the Effingham area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Effingham 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 Effingham 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.