Auto · Small-town market · Illinois
Auto repair and car care businesses in the Ottawa, IL area
The auto repair and car care businesses in the Ottawa, IL area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 51 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #255 of 538 scored small-town markets
#7 of 20 scored small-town markets based in Illinois
- Listings
- 242
- 55 chain locations (23%)
- Official establishments
- 107
- −11.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $66.2M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,071 a household
- Spending per listing
- $274K
- 2% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 39.1
- 10% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 145,902
- −1.6% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in the Ottawa 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 Ottawa area. 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 242 auto repair and car care businesses in the Ottawa area. Of those, 55 are chain locations, or 23%, against 24% across the U.S. That is 39.1 per 10,000 households, 10% above the U.S. rate of 35.7.
Households in the Ottawa area spend about $66.2M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $1,071 per household, 12% above the U.S. average. Spread across 242 auto repair and car care businesses, that is $274K per business, 2% above the U.S. figure of $269K.
Official counts show 107 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Ottawa area in 2023, down 11.9% from 2019. That is one for every 578 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Official counts also show 133 one-person businesses without payroll.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Ottawa area declined 1.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses in the Ottawa area is 51 (upper middle), #255 of 538 scored small-town markets and #7 of 20 scored small-town markets based in Illinois.
How the Ottawa 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.
| Measure | Ottawa area | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 39.1 | 33.1 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $274K | $294K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 578 | 626 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −11.9% | +2.0% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.6% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,071 | $975 | $958 |
| Median household income | $72,230 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 51 | 44 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 107−11.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 575
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $27.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 133Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 24255 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 247The 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 Ottawa 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 Ottawa area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 145,902−1.6% since 2020
- Households
- 61,866
- Median age
- 43.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 75%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 2,164 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 68
- Median household income
- $72,230+24.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $91,689
- Median home value
- $156,400
- Jobs located here
- 52,301
- Daytime population
- 131,372Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Ottawa 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 Ottawa area. 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 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 Ottawa area marked.
Top small-town markets in Illinois
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Lincoln, IL | 67 | 34 | 30.2 | $336K | −2.5% | #102 of 538 |
| 2Canton, IL | 67 | 44 | 31.9 | $333K | −2.0% | #103 of 538 |
| 3Galesburg, IL | 63 | 58 | 27.7 | $345K | −4.1% | #147 of 538 |
| 4Marion-Herrin, IL | 60 | 120 | 41.4 | $246K | +0.2% | #184 of 538 |
| 5Jacksonville, IL | 58 | 58 | 38.4 | $278K | −3.1% | #194 of 538 |
| 6Dixon, IL | 52 | 53 | 39.7 | $271K | −3.4% | #245 of 538 |
| 7Ottawa, IL | 51 | 242 | 39.1 | $274K | −1.6% | #255 of 538 |
| 8Taylorville, IL | 51 | 54 | 39.7 | $262K | −1.5% | #256 of 538 |
| Burlington, IA-IL | 50 | 80 | 40.2 | $267K | −2.5% | #269 of 538 |
| 9Carbondale, IL | 50 | 79 | 34.4 | $261K | −1.5% | #271 of 538 |
Other business types in the Ottawa area
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 care51
- Auto repair shops52
- Collision repair and body shops42
- Car washes and detailing41
- Tire shops76
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations48
- Insurance agencies25
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 the Ottawa, IL area?
There are 242 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings in the Ottawa area as of September 2026. 55 of them (23%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 107 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, down 11.9% from 2019. Another 133 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Ottawa, IL area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $66.2M a year, or $1,071 per household. That is 12% above the U.S. average (an index of 112, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 242 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $274K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 61,866 households in the Ottawa area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Ottawa, IL area compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
The Ottawa area has 39.1 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 10% above the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $274K, 2% above the U.S. figure of $269K. At the national ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, the Ottawa area would have about 247, against 242 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 578 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count fell 11.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Ottawa, IL area growing?
Population estimates put the Ottawa area at 145,902 people in 2025, down 1.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 61,866 households. Median household income in the Ottawa area is $72,230, 11% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 24.2%, 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. 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 Ottawa area scores 51 for auto repair and car care businesses (upper middle), #255 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 Ottawa 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 Ottawa area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Ottawa 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 Ottawa 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.