Auto · Small-town market · Illinois
Auto repair shops in the Canton, IL area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for auto repair shops in the Canton, IL area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 63 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #128 of 538 scored small-town markets
#2 of 20 scored small-town markets based in Illinois
- Listings
- 24
- 2 chain locations (8%)
- Official establishments
- 15
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $14.6M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,061 a household
- Spending per listing
- $610K
- 37% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 17.4
- 19% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 32,901
- −2.0% since 2020
See the auto repair shops around any address in the Canton area
The site report maps the auto repair shops 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 Canton 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
At $1,061 per household (11% above the U.S. average), households in the Canton area spend about $14.6M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That works out to $610K per shop, 37% above the U.S. figure of $445K. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops.
There are 24 auto repair shops on map listings in the Canton area as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 8% of them, against 16% across the U.S. That comes to 17.4 for every 10,000 households, 19% below the U.S. rate of 21.5.
In 2023, official counts showed 15 businesses with payroll in the Canton area classed as mechanical, body and glass repair. That is one for every 920 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Official counts list 16 one-person businesses without payroll.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Canton area declined 2.0%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Canton area scores 63 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair shops, ranking #128 of 538 scored small-town markets and #2 of 20 scored small-town markets based in Illinois. That puts it in the top quarter of small-town markets.
How the Canton 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 shops 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 | Canton area | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 17.4 | 20.3 | 21.5 |
| Spending per listing | $610K | $479K | $445K |
| Households per official establishment | 920 | 840 | 955 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −1.1% | +2.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.0% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,061 | $975 | $958 |
| Median household income | $60,599 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 63 | 38 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 15
- Employees, 2023
- 61
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 16Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 242 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 33The 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 mechanical, body and glass repair in the Canton 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 Canton area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 32,901−2.0% since 2020
- Households
- 13,795
- Median age
- 44.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 77%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 866 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 38
- Median household income
- $60,599
- Average household income
- $78,763
- Median home value
- $107,200
- Jobs located here
- 8,322
- Daytime population
- 27,980Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Canton 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 shops on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of the Canton area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardAuto repair shops across Illinois
Every Illinois market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Illinois for auto repair shops, numbered among those based in Illinois, with the Canton area marked.
Top small-town markets in Illinois
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Lincoln, IL | 68 | 19 | 16.9 | $602K | −2.5% | #84 of 538 |
| 2Canton, IL | 63 | 24 | 17.4 | $610K | −2.0% | #128 of 538 |
| 3Galesburg, IL | 63 | 33 | 15.7 | $606K | −4.1% | #129 of 538 |
| 4Marion-Herrin, IL | 63 | 68 | 23.5 | $435K | +0.2% | #138 of 538 |
| 5Carbondale, IL | 53 | 45 | 19.6 | $458K | −1.5% | #249 of 538 |
| 6Ottawa, IL | 52 | 133 | 21.5 | $498K | −1.6% | #259 of 538 |
| 7Jacksonville, IL | 52 | 33 | 21.8 | $488K | −3.1% | #260 of 538 |
| 8Taylorville, IL | 52 | 33 | 24.3 | $428K | −1.5% | #263 of 538 |
| 9Pontiac, IL | 48 | 34 | 23.3 | $468K | −2.1% | #297 of 538 |
| 10Dixon, IL | 44 | 32 | 24.0 | $448K | −3.4% | #339 of 538 |
Other business types in the Canton area
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 shops are in the Canton, IL area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 24 auto repair shops in the Canton area. 2 of them (8%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 15 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023. Official counts also show 16 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Canton, IL area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $14.6M a year, or $1,061 per household. That is 11% above the U.S. average (an index of 111, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 24 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $610K per shop. That spending covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, which auto repair shops share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 13,795 households in the Canton area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Canton, IL area compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?
The Canton area has 17.4 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 19% below the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $610K, 37% above the U.S. figure of $445K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, the Canton area would have about 33, against 24 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 920 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S.
How fast is the Canton, IL area growing?
Population estimates put the Canton area at 32,901 people in 2025, down 2.0% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 13,795 households. Median household income in the Canton area is $60,599, 25% below the U.S. median of $80,734.
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 Canton area scores 63 for auto repair shops (upper middle), #128 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 Canton area. It maps the auto repair shops 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 shops · All 56 business types in the Canton area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Canton 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 Canton 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.