Auto · County · Illinois
Auto repair shops in Ford County, IL
How Ford County, IL compares with other counties and the U.S. for auto repair shops: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 20 out of 100: Low
Ranked #2,254 of 2,378 scored counties
#85 of 87 scored counties in Illinois
- Listings
- 21
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- 10
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $6.2M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,062 a household
- Spending per listing
- $295K
- 34% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 36.0
- 67% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 13,216
- −2.2% since 2020
See the auto repair shops around any address in Ford County
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 Ford County. 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
The Groundwork market score for auto repair shops in Ford County is 20 (low), #2,254 of 2,378 scored counties and #85 of 87 scored counties in Illinois. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
At $1,062 per household (11% above the U.S. average), households in Ford County spend about $6.2M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. Spread across 21 auto repair shops, that is $295K per shop, 34% below the U.S. figure of $445K. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops.
Ford County has 21 auto repair shops on map listings as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations, against 16% across the U.S. That is 36.0 per 10,000 households, 67% above the U.S. rate of 21.5.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Ford County was 10 in 2023. That is one for every 583 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Ford County declined 2.2%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Ford County 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 | Ford County | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 36.0 | 20.3 | 21.5 |
| Spending per listing | $295K | $479K | $445K |
| Households per official establishment | 583 | 840 | 955 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −1.1% | +2.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.2% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,062 | $975 | $958 |
| Median household income | $62,439 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 20 | 38 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 10 → 10
- Employees, 2023
- 39
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 16Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 210 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 14The 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 Ford County, 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 Ford County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 13,216−2.2% since 2020
- Households
- 5,828
- Median age
- 41.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 486 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 28
- Median household income
- $62,439+19.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $79,163
- Median home value
- $122,000
- Jobs located here
- 5,845
- Daytime population
- 12,564Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Ford County?
These figures cover the whole county. 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 Ford County. 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 counties in Illinois for auto repair shops, numbered among those based in Illinois, with Ford County marked.
Top counties in Illinois
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Kendall County, IL | 82 | 78 | 17.2 | $752K | +9.9% | #78 of 2,378 |
| 2Piatt County, IL | 76 | 9 | 13.0 | $994K | +0.6% | #182 of 2,378 |
| 3Woodford County, IL | 70 | 22 | 15.0 | $818K | −0.8% | #330 of 2,378 |
| 4Marshall County, IL | 70 | 8 | 15.7 | $743K | −2.0% | #332 of 2,378 |
| 5Boone County, IL | 69 | 40 | 20.6 | $583K | +0.4% | #375 of 2,378 |
| 6Menard County, IL | 68 | 8 | 15.3 | $725K | −3.3% | #401 of 2,378 |
| 7Crawford County, IL | 67 | 18 | 24.0 | $475K | +0.1% | #477 of 2,378 |
| 8Jersey County, IL | 65 | 16 | 20.1 | $599K | −1.5% | #517 of 2,378 |
| 9Greene County, IL | 64 | 8 | 18.0 | $648K | −5.1% | #550 of 2,378 |
| 10Douglas County, IL | 63 | 11 | 14.2 | $781K | +0.5% | #588 of 2,378 |
| 85Ford County, IL | 20 | 21 | 36.0 | $295K | −2.2% | #2,254 of 2,378 |
Other business types in Ford County
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 Ford County, IL?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 21 auto repair shops in Ford County. None of them are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 10 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023. Another 16 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Ford County, IL spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $6.2M a year, or $1,062 per household. That is 11% above the U.S. average (an index of 111, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 21 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $295K 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 5,828 households in Ford County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Ford County, IL compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?
Ford County has 36.0 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 67% above the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $295K, 34% below the U.S. figure of $445K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, Ford County would have about 14, against 21 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 583 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S.
How fast is Ford County, IL growing?
Population estimates put Ford County at 13,216 people in 2025, down 2.2% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 5,828 households. Median household income in Ford County is $62,439, 23% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 19.9%, 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. Ford County scores 20 for auto repair shops (low), #2,254 of 2,378 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Ford County. 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 Ford County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Ford County?
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 Ford County. 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.