Auto · Metro area · Illinois
Auto repair and car care businesses in the Rockford, IL metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for auto repair and car care businesses in the Rockford, IL metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 34 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #308 of 387 scored metro areas
#7 of 8 scored metro areas based in Illinois
- Listings
- 546
- 136 chain locations (25%)
- Official establishments
- 229
- +0.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $134.7M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $994 a household
- Spending per listing
- $247K
- 8% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 40.3
- 13% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 337,242
- −0.3% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in the Rockford metro 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 Rockford metro 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
For auto repair and car care businesses, the Rockford metro area has a Groundwork market score of 34 (lower middle): #308 of 387 scored metro areas and #7 of 8 scored metro areas based in Illinois. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.
Households in the Rockford metro area spend about $134.7M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $994 per household, 4% above the U.S. average. That is about $247K of household spending for each business on map listings, 8% below the U.S. figure of $269K.
The Rockford metro area has 546 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 136 are chain locations, or 25%, against 24% across the U.S. That comes to 40.3 for every 10,000 households, 13% above the U.S. rate of 35.7.
In 2023, official counts showed 229 businesses with payroll in the Rockford metro area classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers, up 0.4% from 2019. That is one for every 592 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 6 SBA-backed loans worth $877K have gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Rockford metro area. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Rockford metro area declined 0.3%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Rockford metro 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 | Rockford metro area | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 40.3 | 33.1 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $247K | $294K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 592 | 626 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +0.4% | +2.0% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.3% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $994 | $975 | $958 |
| Median household income | $68,033 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 34 | 44 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 229+0.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,269
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $59.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 290Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 546136 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 502The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 6
- Amount
- $877K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Rockford metro 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 Rockford metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 337,242−0.3% since 2020
- Households
- 135,474
- Median age
- 40.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 794 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 424
- Median household income
- $68,033+21.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $89,321
- Median home value
- $171,300
- Jobs located here
- 135,218
- Daytime population
- 319,715Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Rockford metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 Rockford metro 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 metro areas 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 Rockford metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Illinois
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Bloomington, IL | 66 | 213 | 30.3 | $337K | +0.1% | #76 of 387 |
| 2Champaign-Urbana, IL | 62 | 309 | 31.5 | $292K | +1.5% | #103 of 387 |
| 3Springfield, IL | 60 | 282 | 31.3 | $317K | −1.2% | #121 of 387 |
| St. Louis, MO-IL | 58 | 3,808 | 32.8 | $318K | −0.2% | #133 of 387 |
| 4Peoria, IL | 53 | 511 | 33.2 | $310K | −1.3% | #177 of 387 |
| Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL | 49 | 580 | 35.9 | $289K | −0.9% | #208 of 387 |
| 5Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 48 | 11,419 | 31.3 | $305K | 0.0% | #217 of 387 |
| 6Decatur, IL | 36 | 153 | 35.2 | $264K | −4.3% | #295 of 387 |
| Cape Girardeau, MO-IL | 36 | 170 | 44.4 | $243K | +1.7% | #299 of 387 |
| 7Rockford, IL | 34 | 546 | 40.3 | $247K | −0.3% | #308 of 387 |
Other business types in the Rockford metro 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 care34
- Auto repair shops29
- Collision repair and body shops34
- Car washes and detailing65
- Tire shops47
- Oil change and quick lube32
- Gas stations21
- Insurance agencies16
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 Rockford, IL metro area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 546 auto repair and car care businesses in the Rockford metro area. 136 of them (25%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 229 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, up 0.4% from 2019. Another 290 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Rockford, IL metro area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $134.7M a year, or $994 per household. That is 4% above the U.S. average (an index of 104, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 546 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $247K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 135,474 households in the Rockford metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Rockford, IL metro area compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
The Rockford metro area has 40.3 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 13% above the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $247K, 8% below the U.S. figure of $269K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, the Rockford metro area would have about 502, against 546 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 592 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count rose 0.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Rockford, IL metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Rockford metro area at 337,242 people in 2025, down 0.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 135,474 households. The median household income in the Rockford metro area is $68,033 a year, 16% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 21.4% 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. The Rockford metro area scores 34 for auto repair and car care businesses (lower middle), #308 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Rockford metro 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 Rockford metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Rockford metro 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 Rockford metro 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.