Auto · County · Illinois
Auto repair and car care businesses in Ford County, IL
How Ford County, IL compares with other counties and the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 20 out of 100: Low
Ranked #2,274 of 2,401 scored counties
#87 of 87 scored counties in Illinois
- Listings
- 37
- 5 chain locations (14%)
- Official establishments
- 12
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $6.2M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,062 a household
- Spending per listing
- $167K
- 38% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 63.5
- 78% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 13,216
- −2.2% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in Ford County
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 Ford County. 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
Ford County scores 20 (low) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses, ranking #2,274 of 2,401 scored counties and #87 of 87 scored counties in Illinois. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 37 auto repair and car care businesses in Ford County. Of those, 5 are chain locations, or 14%, against 24% across the U.S. That comes to 63.5 for every 10,000 households, 78% above the U.S. rate of 35.7.
Households in Ford County spend about $6.2M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $1,062 per household, 11% above the U.S. average. That works out to $167K per business, 38% below the U.S. figure of $269K.
In 2023, official counts showed 12 businesses with payroll in Ford County classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers. That is one for every 486 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Population estimates put the population change in Ford County from 2020 to 2025 at −2.2%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Ford County 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.
| Measure | Ford County | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 63.5 | 33.1 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $167K | $294K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 486 | 626 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +2.0% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.2% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,062 | $975 | $958 |
| Median household income | $62,439 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 20 | 44 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 13 → 12
- Employees, 2023
- 44
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 20Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 375 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 23The 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 Ford County, 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 Ford County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 13,216−2.2% since 2020
- Households
- 5,828
- Median age
- 41.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 486 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 28
- Median household income
- $62,439+19.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $79,163
- Median home value
- $122,000
- Jobs located here
- 5,845
- Daytime population
- 12,564Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Ford County?
These figures cover the whole county. 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 Ford County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardAuto repair and car care across Illinois
Every Illinois market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Illinois for auto repair and car care businesses, numbered among those based in Illinois, with Ford County marked.
Top counties in Illinois
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Piatt County, IL | 83 | 15 | 21.7 | $597K | +0.6% | #73 of 2,401 |
| 2Kendall County, IL | 82 | 133 | 29.3 | $441K | +9.9% | #91 of 2,401 |
| 3Greene County, IL | 74 | 12 | 27.0 | $432K | −5.1% | #243 of 2,401 |
| 4Marshall County, IL | 73 | 17 | 33.4 | $349K | −2.0% | #273 of 2,401 |
| 5Woodford County, IL | 72 | 47 | 32.0 | $383K | −0.8% | #294 of 2,401 |
| 6Boone County, IL | 72 | 69 | 35.5 | $338K | +0.4% | #303 of 2,401 |
| 7Crawford County, IL | 71 | 28 | 37.4 | $306K | +0.1% | #346 of 2,401 |
| 8Lawrence County, IL | 66 | 14 | 25.6 | $403K | −9.7% | #487 of 2,401 |
| 9Menard County, IL | 65 | 14 | 26.8 | $414K | −3.3% | #519 of 2,401 |
| 10Lake County, IL | 65 | 862 | 33.4 | $356K | +0.8% | #524 of 2,401 |
| 87Ford County, IL | 20 | 37 | 63.5 | $167K | −2.2% | #2,274 of 2,401 |
Other business types in Ford County
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 care20
- Auto repair shops20
- Collision repair and body shops15
- Car washes and detailing21
- Tire shops
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations35
- Insurance agencies20
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 and car care businesses are in Ford County, IL?
Ford County has 37 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 5 of them (14%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 12 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023. Official counts also show 20 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Ford County, IL spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $6.2M a year, or $1,062 per household. That is 11% above the U.S. average (an index of 111, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 37 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $167K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 5,828 households in Ford County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Ford County, IL compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
Ford County has 63.5 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 78% above the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $167K, 38% below the U.S. figure of $269K. At the national ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, Ford County would have about 23, against 37 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 486 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S.
How fast is Ford County, IL growing?
Population estimates put Ford County at 13,216 people in 2025, down 2.2% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 5,828 households. Median household income in Ford County is $62,439, 23% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 19.9%, 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. 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. Ford County scores 20 for auto repair and car care businesses (low), #2,274 of 2,401 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Ford County. 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 Ford County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Ford County?
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 Ford County. 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.