Auto · Small-town market · Illinois
Collision repair and body shops in the Sterling, IL area
The collision repair and body shops in the Sterling, IL area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 44 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #241 of 387 scored small-town markets
#7 of 16 scored small-town markets based in Illinois
- Listings
- 9
- 1 chain location (11%)
- Official establishments
- 7
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $23.9M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,036 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.7M
- 14% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 3.9
- 26% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 54,121
- −2.6% since 2020
See the collision repair and body shops around any address in the Sterling area
The site report maps the collision repair and body 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 Sterling 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
Households in the Sterling area spend about $23.9M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $1,036 per household, 8% above the U.S. average. That works out to $2.7M per shop, 14% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only collision repair and body shops.
The Sterling area has 9 collision repair and body shops on map listings as of September 2026. One of them (11%) is a chain location, against 14% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 3.9, 26% above the U.S. rate of 3.1.
In 2023, official counts showed 7 businesses with payroll in the Sterling area classed as automotive body, paint and interior repair. That is one for every 3,303 households, against one for every 3,689 across the U.S.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Sterling area declined 2.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Sterling area scores 44 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for collision repair and body shops, ranking #241 of 387 scored small-town markets and #7 of 16 scored small-town markets based in Illinois.
How the Sterling 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 collision repair and body 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 | Sterling area | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 3.9 | 3.2 | 3.1 |
| Spending per listing | $2.7M | $3M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment | 3,303 | 3,283 | 3,689 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −5.8% | −0.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.6% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,036 | $975 | $958 |
| Median household income | $67,500 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 44 | 33 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 7
- Employees, 2023
- 40
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 91 chain location
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 8The 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 automotive body, paint and interior repair in the Sterling 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 Sterling area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 54,121−2.6% since 2020
- Households
- 23,120
- Median age
- 43.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 77%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 684 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 80
- Median household income
- $67,500+24.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $86,592
- Median home value
- $127,100
- Jobs located here
- 20,819
- Daytime population
- 50,543Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Sterling 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 collision repair and body shops on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of the Sterling area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardCollision repair and body shops across Illinois
Every Illinois market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Illinois for collision repair and body shops, numbered among those based in Illinois, with the Sterling area marked.
Top small-town markets in Illinois
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Canton, IL | 57 | 5 | 3.6 | $2.9M | −2.0% | #138 of 387 |
| 2Marion-Herrin, IL | 56 | 12 | 4.1 | $2.5M | +0.2% | #144 of 387 |
| 3Rochelle, IL | 53 | 6 | 2.9 | $3.8M | −0.7% | #158 of 387 |
| 4Galesburg, IL | 52 | 6 | 2.9 | $3.3M | −4.1% | #167 of 387 |
| 5Carbondale, IL | 50 | 8 | 3.5 | $2.6M | −1.5% | #187 of 387 |
| 6Dixon, IL | 48 | 5 | 3.7 | $2.9M | −3.4% | #205 of 387 |
| 7Sterling, IL | 44 | 9 | 3.9 | $2.7M | −2.6% | #241 of 387 |
| 8Pontiac, IL | 42 | 6 | 4.1 | $2.6M | −2.1% | #253 of 387 |
| 9Ottawa, IL | 42 | 25 | 4.0 | $2.6M | −1.6% | #254 of 387 |
| 10Effingham, IL | 41 | 8 | 4.4 | $2.7M | −0.9% | #261 of 387 |
Other business types in the Sterling area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
- Auto repair and car care41
- Auto repair shops44
- Collision repair and body shops44
- Car washes and detailing32
- Tire shops69
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations53
- Insurance agencies15
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many collision repair and body shops are in the Sterling, IL area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 9 collision repair and body shops in the Sterling area. One of them (11%) is a chain location. The listings count collision repair and auto body shops. Official counts show 7 businesses with payroll classed as automotive body, paint and interior repair in 2023.
How much do households in the Sterling, IL area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $23.9M a year, or $1,036 per household. That is 8% above the U.S. average (an index of 108, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 9 collision repair and body shops on map listings, it comes to $2.7M per shop. That spending covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, which collision repair and body shops share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 23,120 households in the Sterling area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Sterling, IL area compare with the U.S. for collision repair and body shops?
The Sterling area has 3.9 collision repair and body shops per 10,000 households, 26% above the U.S. rate of 3.1. Spending per shop is $2.7M, 14% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of collision repair and body shops to household spending, the Sterling area would have about 8, against 9 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,303 households, against one for every 3,689 across the U.S.
How fast is the Sterling, IL area growing?
Population estimates put the Sterling area at 54,121 people in 2025, down 2.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 23,120 households. Median household income in the Sterling area is $67,500, 16% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 24.5%, 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 Sterling area scores 44 for collision repair and body shops (lower middle), #241 of 387 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Sterling area. It maps the collision repair and body 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 collision repair and body shops · All 56 business types in the Sterling area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Sterling 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 Sterling 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.