Groundwork

Auto · County · Illinois

Auto repair shops in Winnebago County, IL

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for auto repair shops in Winnebago County, IL, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 30 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #2,019 of 2,378 scored counties
#73 of 87 scored counties in Illinois

Listings
303
59 chain locations (19%)
Official establishments
154
−1.9% since 2019
Household spending a year
$111.4M
On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $960 a household
Spending per listing
$368K
17% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
26.1
21% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
283,674
−0.4% since 2020

See the auto repair shops around any address in Winnebago 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 Winnebago County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

Winnebago County scores 30 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair shops, ranking #2,019 of 2,378 scored counties and #73 of 87 scored counties in Illinois. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

Map listings as of September 2026 show 303 auto repair shops in Winnebago County. Of those, 59 are chain locations, or 19%, against 16% across the U.S. That is 26.1 per 10,000 households, 21% above the U.S. rate of 21.5.

Households in Winnebago County spend about $111.4M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $960 per household, in line with the U.S. average. That works out to $368K per shop, 17% 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.

Official counts show 154 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Winnebago County in 2023, down 1.9% from 2019. That is one for every 753 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 6 SBA-backed loans worth $877K have gone to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Winnebago County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Winnebago County declined 0.4%, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How Winnebago 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.

Auto repair shops in Winnebago County, IL compared with Illinois and the U.S.
MeasureWinnebago CountyIllinoisU.S.
Listings per 10k households26.120.321.5
Spending per listing$368K$479K$445K
Households per official establishment753840955
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−1.9%−1.1%+2.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025−0.4%−0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs$960$975$958
Median household income$65,837$83,390$80,734
Groundwork market score3038

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
157 → 154−1.9% over the period
Employees, 2023
709
Annual payroll, 2023
$37.6M
One-person businesses, 2023
181Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
30359 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
251The 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 mechanical, body and glass repair in Winnebago 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 Winnebago County

Population, 2025 estimate
283,674−0.4% since 2020
Households
116,014
Median age
40.4
Homes lived in by their owners
66%
Vehicles per household
1.7
Land area
513 sq. mi.
People per square mile
552
Median household income
$65,837+20.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$86,474
Median home value
$164,500
Jobs located here
121,867
Daytime population
276,449Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Winnebago 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 Winnebago County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Auto 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 Winnebago County marked.

Top counties in Illinois

Counties in Illinois ranked for auto repair shops by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Kendall County, IL827817.2$752K+9.9%#78 of 2,378
2Piatt County, IL76913.0$994K+0.6%#182 of 2,378
3Woodford County, IL702215.0$818K−0.8%#330 of 2,378
4Marshall County, IL70815.7$743K−2.0%#332 of 2,378
5Boone County, IL694020.6$583K+0.4%#375 of 2,378
6Menard County, IL68815.3$725K−3.3%#401 of 2,378
7Crawford County, IL671824.0$475K+0.1%#477 of 2,378
8Jersey County, IL651620.1$599K−1.5%#517 of 2,378
9Greene County, IL64818.0$648K−5.1%#550 of 2,378
10Douglas County, IL631114.2$781K+0.5%#588 of 2,378
73Winnebago County, IL3030326.1$368K−0.4%#2,019 of 2,378

Other business types in Winnebago County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many auto repair shops are in Winnebago County, IL?

There are 303 auto repair shops on map listings in Winnebago County as of September 2026. 59 of them (19%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 154 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023, down 1.9% from 2019. Official counts also show 181 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Winnebago County, IL spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?

About $111.4M a year, or $960 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 100, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 303 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $368K per shop. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops. It is estimated from the incomes of the 116,014 households in Winnebago County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Winnebago County, IL compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?

Winnebago County has 26.1 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 21% above the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $368K, 17% below the U.S. figure of $445K. At the national ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, Winnebago County would have about 251, against 303 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 753 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. The official count fell 1.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +2.1% for the U.S.

How fast is Winnebago County, IL growing?

Population estimates put Winnebago County at 283,674 people in 2025, down 0.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 116,014 households. The median household income in Winnebago County is $65,837 a year, 18% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 20.8% 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. Winnebago County scores 30 for auto repair shops (lower middle), #2,019 of 2,378 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Winnebago 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 Winnebago County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Winnebago 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 Winnebago 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.