Auto · Small-town market · Illinois
Auto repair shops in the Effingham, IL area
How the Effingham, IL area compares with other small-town markets and the U.S. for auto repair shops: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 31 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #455 of 538 scored small-town markets
#17 of 20 scored small-town markets based in Illinois
- Listings
- 63
- 8 chain locations (13%)
- Official establishments
- 46
- +12.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $21.2M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,172 a household
- Spending per listing
- $337K
- 24% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 34.8
- 62% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 44,727
- −0.9% since 2020
See the auto repair shops around any address in the Effingham 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 Effingham 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 shops, the Effingham area has a Groundwork market score of 31 (lower middle): #455 of 538 scored small-town markets and #17 of 20 scored small-town markets based in Illinois. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.
As of September 2026, map listings count 63 auto repair shops in the Effingham area. Chain locations make up 13% of them, against 16% across the U.S. That comes to 34.8 for every 10,000 households, 62% above the U.S. rate of 21.5.
Households in the Effingham area spend about $21.2M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $1,172 per household, 22% above the U.S. average. That works out to $337K per shop, 24% below the U.S. figure of $445K. That spending covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, which auto repair shops share with other businesses in the trade.
In 2023, official counts showed 46 businesses with payroll in the Effingham area classed as mechanical, body and glass repair, up 12.5% from 2019. That is one for every 394 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Effingham area declined 0.9%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Effingham 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 | Effingham area | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 34.8 | 20.3 | 21.5 |
| Spending per listing | $337K | $479K | $445K |
| Households per official establishment | 394 | 840 | 955 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +12.5% | −1.1% | +2.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.9% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,172 | $975 | $958 |
| Median household income | $79,157 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 31 | 38 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 46+12.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 289
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $15.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 38Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 638 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 48The 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 Effingham 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 Effingham area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 44,727−0.9% since 2020
- Households
- 18,128
- Median age
- 41.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 80%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 825 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 54
- Median household income
- $79,157
- Average household income
- $96,833
- Median home value
- $172,400
- Jobs located here
- 25,606
- Daytime population
- 48,326Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Effingham 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 Effingham 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 Effingham 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 |
| 17Effingham, IL | 31 | 63 | 34.8 | $337K | −0.9% | #455 of 538 |
Other business types in the Effingham 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 Effingham, IL area?
The Effingham area has 63 auto repair shops on map listings as of September 2026. 8 of them (13%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 46 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023, up 12.5% from 2019. Another 38 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Effingham, IL area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $21.2M a year, or $1,172 per household. That is 22% above the U.S. average (an index of 122, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 63 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $337K per shop. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops. It is estimated from the incomes of the 18,128 households in the Effingham area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Effingham, IL area compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?
The Effingham area has 34.8 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 62% above the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $337K, 24% below the U.S. figure of $445K. At the national ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, the Effingham area would have about 48, against 63 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 394 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. The official count rose 12.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +2.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Effingham, IL area growing?
Population estimates put the Effingham area at 44,727 people in 2025, down 0.9% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 18,128 households. The median household income in the Effingham area is $79,157 a year, 2% 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 Effingham area scores 31 for auto repair shops (lower middle), #455 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 Effingham 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 Effingham area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Effingham 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 Effingham 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.