Auto · County · Illinois
Auto repair and car care businesses in Knox County, IL
How Knox 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 57 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #868 of 2,401 scored counties
#22 of 87 scored counties in Illinois
- Listings
- 58
- 17 chain locations (29%)
- Official establishments
- 25
- 0.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $20M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $954 a household
- Spending per listing
- $345K
- 28% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 27.7
- 22% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 47,767
- −4.1% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in Knox 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 Knox 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 58 auto repair and car care businesses in Knox County. 17 of them (29%) are chain locations, against 24% across the U.S. That comes to 27.7 for every 10,000 households, 22% below the U.S. rate of 35.7.
At $954 per household (in line with the U.S. average), households in Knox County spend about $20M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That is about $345K of household spending for each business on map listings, 28% above the U.S. figure of $269K.
In 2023, official counts showed 25 businesses with payroll in Knox County classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers, unchanged from 2019. That is one for every 839 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Another 34 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
Population estimates put the population change in Knox County from 2020 to 2025 at −4.1%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For auto repair and car care businesses, Knox County has a Groundwork market score of 57 (upper middle): #868 of 2,401 scored counties and #22 of 87 scored counties in Illinois.
How Knox 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 | Knox County | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 27.7 | 33.1 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $345K | $294K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 839 | 626 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | 0.0% | +2.0% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −4.1% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $954 | $975 | $958 |
| Median household income | $57,030 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 57 | 44 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 25 → 250.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 175
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $8.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 34Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 5817 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 75The 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 Knox 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 Knox County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 47,767−4.1% since 2020
- Households
- 20,972
- Median age
- 42.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 716 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 68
- Median household income
- $57,030+29.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $74,560
- Median home value
- $111,900
- Jobs located here
- 15,910
- Daytime population
- 44,318Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Knox 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 Knox 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 Knox 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 |
| 22Knox County, IL | 57 | 58 | 27.7 | $345K | −4.1% | #868 of 2,401 |
Other business types in Knox 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 care57
- Auto repair shops59
- Collision repair and body shops47
- Car washes and detailing26
- Tire shops53
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations42
- Insurance agencies14
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 Knox County, IL?
There are 58 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings in Knox County as of September 2026. 17 of them (29%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 25 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, unchanged from 2019. Official counts list 34 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Knox County, IL spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $20M a year, or $954 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 100, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 58 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $345K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 20,972 households in Knox County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Knox County, IL compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
Knox County has 27.7 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 22% below the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $345K, 28% above the U.S. figure of $269K. At the national ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, Knox County would have about 75, against 58 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 839 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count held level from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Knox County, IL growing?
Population estimates put Knox County at 47,767 people in 2025, down 4.1% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 20,972 households. Median household income in Knox County is $57,030, 29% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.2%, 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. Knox County scores 57 for auto repair and car care businesses (upper middle), #868 of 2,401 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Knox 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 Knox County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Knox 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 Knox 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.