Groundwork

Auto · Small-town market · Illinois

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

The auto repair and car care businesses in the Rochelle, IL area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 47 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #299 of 538 scored small-town markets
#10 of 20 scored small-town markets based in Illinois

Listings
89
16 chain locations (18%)
Official establishments
42
+2.4% since 2019
Household spending a year
$22.9M
On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,101 a household
Spending per listing
$257K
4% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
42.7
20% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
51,399
−0.7% since 2020

See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in the Rochelle 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 Rochelle area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey 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 89 auto repair and car care businesses in the Rochelle area. Of those, 16 are chain locations, or 18%, against 24% across the U.S. That comes to 42.7 for every 10,000 households, 20% above the U.S. rate of 35.7.

Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in the Rochelle area comes to about $22.9M a year: $1,101 per household, 15% above the U.S. average. Spread across 89 auto repair and car care businesses, that is $257K per business, 4% below the U.S. figure of $269K.

Official counts show 42 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Rochelle area in 2023, up 2.4% from 2019. That is one for every 496 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Another 79 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $960K have gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Rochelle area.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Rochelle area declined 0.7%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses in the Rochelle area is 47 (lower middle), #299 of 538 scored small-town markets and #10 of 20 scored small-town markets based in Illinois.

How the Rochelle 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 Rochelle, IL area compared with Illinois and the U.S.
MeasureRochelle areaIllinoisU.S.
Listings per 10k households42.733.135.7
Spending per listing$257K$294K$269K
Households per official establishment496626681
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+2.4%+2.0%+4.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025−0.7%−0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs$1,101$975$958
Median household income$82,132$83,390$80,734
Groundwork market score4744

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
42+2.4% over the period
Employees, 2023
237
Annual payroll, 2023
$9.7M
One-person businesses, 2023
79Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
8916 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
85The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
2
Amount
$960K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Rochelle 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 Rochelle area

Population, 2025 estimate
51,399−0.7% since 2020
Households
20,821
Median age
42.4
Homes lived in by their owners
75%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
759 sq. mi.
People per square mile
68
Median household income
$82,132+34.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$98,173
Median home value
$189,200
Jobs located here
15,354
Daytime population
44,010Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Rochelle 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 Rochelle area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

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 Rochelle 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
10Rochelle, IL478942.7$257K−0.7%#299 of 538

Other business types in the Rochelle 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 Rochelle, IL area?

There are 89 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings in the Rochelle area as of September 2026. 16 of them (18%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 42 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, up 2.4% from 2019. Official counts list 79 one-person businesses without payroll.

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

About $22.9M a year, or $1,101 per household. That is 15% above the U.S. average (an index of 115, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 89 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $257K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 20,821 households in the Rochelle area and national spending patterns by income.

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

The Rochelle area has 42.7 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 20% above the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $257K, 4% below the U.S. figure of $269K. At the national ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, the Rochelle area would have about 85, against 89 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 496 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count rose 2.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.

How fast is the Rochelle, IL area growing?

Population estimates put the Rochelle area at 51,399 people in 2025, down 0.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 20,821 households. Median household income in the Rochelle area is $82,132, 2% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 34.7%, 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 Rochelle area scores 47 for auto repair and car care businesses (lower middle), #299 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 Rochelle 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 Rochelle area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Rochelle 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 Rochelle 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.