Auto · County · Illinois
Auto repair and car care businesses in Mercer County, IL
The auto repair and car care businesses in Mercer County, IL, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 59 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #768 of 2,401 scored counties
#18 of 87 scored counties in Illinois
- Listings
- 21
- 4 chain locations (19%)
- Official establishments
- 12
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $8.2M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,243 a household
- Spending per listing
- $389K
- 45% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 32.0
- 10% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 15,229
- −2.6% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in Mercer 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 Mercer 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
At $1,243 per household (30% above the U.S. average), households in Mercer County spend about $8.2M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That is about $389K of household spending for each business on map listings, 45% above the U.S. figure of $269K.
There are 21 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings in Mercer County as of September 2026. Of those, 4 are chain locations, or 19%, against 24% across the U.S. That comes to 32.0 for every 10,000 households, 10% below the U.S. rate of 35.7.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Mercer County was 12 in 2023. That is one for every 547 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Official counts list 16 one-person businesses without payroll.
Population estimates put the population change in Mercer County from 2020 to 2025 at −2.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S. Mercer County scores 59 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses, ranking #768 of 2,401 scored counties and #18 of 87 scored counties in Illinois.
How Mercer 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 | Mercer County | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 32.0 | 33.1 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $389K | $294K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 547 | 626 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +2.0% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.6% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,243 | $975 | $958 |
| Median household income | $74,182 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 59 | 44 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 4 → 12
- Employees, 2023
- 29
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 16Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 214 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 30The 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 Mercer 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 Mercer County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 15,229−2.6% since 2020
- Households
- 6,565
- Median age
- 43.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 84%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.2
- Land area
- 561 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 28
- Median household income
- $74,182+24.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $92,846
- Median home value
- $146,700
- Jobs located here
- 3,052
- Daytime population
- 11,354Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Mercer 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 Mercer 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 Mercer 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 |
| 18Mercer County, IL | 59 | 21 | 32.0 | $389K | −2.6% | #768 of 2,401 |
Other business types in Mercer County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
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 Mercer County, IL?
As of September 2026, map listings count 21 auto repair and car care businesses in Mercer County. 4 of them (19%) 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 16 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Mercer County, IL spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $8.2M a year, or $1,243 per household. That is 30% above the U.S. average (an index of 130, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 21 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $389K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 6,565 households in Mercer County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Mercer County, IL compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
Mercer County has 32.0 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 10% below the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $389K, 45% above the U.S. figure of $269K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, Mercer County would have about 30, against 21 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 547 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S.
How fast is Mercer County, IL growing?
Population estimates put Mercer County at 15,229 people in 2025, down 2.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 6,565 households. The median household income in Mercer County is $74,182 a year, 8% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 24.1% from the 2015–2019 survey, 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. Mercer County scores 59 for auto repair and car care businesses (upper middle), #768 of 2,401 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Mercer 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 Mercer County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Mercer 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 Mercer 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.