Auto · Small-town market · Illinois
Auto repair shops in the Lincoln, IL area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for auto repair shops in the Lincoln, IL area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 68 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #84 of 538 scored small-town markets
#1 of 20 scored small-town markets based in Illinois
- Listings
- 19
- 2 chain locations (11%)
- Official establishments
- 8
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $11.4M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,014 a household
- Spending per listing
- $602K
- 35% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 16.9
- 21% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 27,182
- −2.5% since 2020
See the auto repair shops around any address in the Lincoln 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 Lincoln 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 $1,014 per household (6% above the U.S. average), households in the Lincoln area spend about $11.4M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That is about $602K of household spending for each shop on map listings, 35% above the U.S. figure of $445K. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops.
There are 19 auto repair shops on map listings in the Lincoln area as of September 2026. 2 of them (11%) are chain locations, against 16% across the U.S. That is 16.9 per 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 21.5.
In 2023, official counts showed 8 businesses with payroll in the Lincoln area classed as mechanical, body and glass repair. That is one for every 1,408 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Official counts also show 17 one-person businesses without payroll.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Lincoln area declined 2.5%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Lincoln area scores 68 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair shops, ranking #84 of 538 scored small-town markets and #1 of 20 scored small-town markets based in Illinois. That puts it in the top quarter of small-town markets.
How the Lincoln 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 | Lincoln area | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 16.9 | 20.3 | 21.5 |
| Spending per listing | $602K | $479K | $445K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,408 | 840 | 955 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −1.1% | +2.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.5% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,014 | $975 | $958 |
| Median household income | $66,358 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 68 | 38 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 8
- Employees, 2023
- 34
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 17Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 192 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 26The 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 Lincoln 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 Lincoln area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 27,182−2.5% since 2020
- Households
- 11,266
- Median age
- 41.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 618 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 45
- Median household income
- $66,358+15.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $84,267
- Median home value
- $134,400
- Jobs located here
- 7,887
- Daytime population
- 25,386Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Lincoln 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 Lincoln 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 Lincoln 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 Lincoln 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 Lincoln, IL area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 19 auto repair shops in the Lincoln area. 2 of them (11%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 8 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023. Another 17 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Lincoln, IL area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $11.4M a year, or $1,014 per household. That is 6% above the U.S. average (an index of 106, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 19 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $602K 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 11,266 households in the Lincoln area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Lincoln, IL area compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?
The Lincoln area has 16.9 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $602K, 35% above the U.S. figure of $445K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, the Lincoln area would have about 26, against 19 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,408 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S.
How fast is the Lincoln, IL area growing?
Population estimates put the Lincoln area at 27,182 people in 2025, down 2.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 11,266 households. Median household income in the Lincoln area is $66,358, 18% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 15.8%, 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 Lincoln area scores 68 for auto repair shops (upper middle), #84 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 Lincoln 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 Lincoln area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Lincoln 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 Lincoln 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.