Groundwork

Real estate · County · Illinois

Real estate businesses in Mercer County, IL

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for real estate businesses in Mercer County, IL, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 52 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #969 of 2,229 scored counties
#27 of 83 scored counties in Illinois

Listings
10
1 chain location (10%)
Official establishments
6
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$91.3M
On rent and homeowner costs · $13,910 a household
Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)
211
2.1 times the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
15.2
61% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
15,229
−2.6% since 2020

See the real estate businesses around any address in Mercer County

The site report maps the real estate businesses 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 Mercer County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

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

What this means

Map listings as of September 2026 show 10 real estate businesses in Mercer County. One of them (10%) is a chain location, against 6% across the U.S. That is 15.2 per 10,000 households, 61% below the U.S. rate of 38.5.

At $13,910 per household (17% below the U.S. average), households in Mercer County spend about $91.3M a year on rent and homeowner costs. Housing spending per office is 2.1 times the U.S. figure. That figure is all rent and homeowner costs, used as a measure of housing demand; it is not money real estate businesses take in.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in Mercer County was 6 in 2023. That is one for every 1,094 households, against one for every 414 across the U.S. Official counts list 36 one-person businesses without payroll.

Population estimates show Mercer County declined 2.6% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. Mercer County scores 52 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for real estate businesses, ranking #969 of 2,229 scored counties and #27 of 83 scored counties in Illinois.

How Mercer County compares

The same measures for Illinois and the whole U.S. Housing spending per listing divides all rent and homeowner costs by the listings counted: a measure of housing demand for each business, not money any of them take in, so it is shown against the U.S. (100) only. Households per establishment divides households by the official count.

Real estate in Mercer County, IL compared with Illinois and the U.S.
MeasureMercer CountyIllinoisU.S.
Listings per 10k households15.232.738.5
Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)211105100
Households per official establishment1,094543414
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+4.1%+15.8%
Population growth, 2020–2025−2.6%−0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on rent and homeowner costs$13,910$14,866$16,661
Median household income$74,182$83,390$80,734
Groundwork market score5243

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
6
Employees, 2023
6
Annual payroll, 2023
$260K
One-person businesses, 2023
36Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
101 chain location
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
21The 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 real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in Mercer 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 Mercer County

Population, 2025 estimate
15,229−2.6% since 2020
Households
6,565
Median age
43.9
Homes lived in by their owners
84%
Vehicles per household
2.2
Land area
561 sq. mi.
People per square mile
28
Median household income
$74,182+24.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$92,846
Median home value
$146,700
Jobs located here
3,052
Daytime population
11,354Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Mercer 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 real estate businesses on map listings by name and distance.

Or open the report at the center of Mercer County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Real estate across Illinois

Every Illinois market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Illinois for real estate businesses, numbered among those based in Illinois, with Mercer County marked.

Top counties in Illinois

Counties in Illinois ranked for real estate businesses by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsHousing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)Population growthU.S. rank
1Woodford County, IL70106.8514−0.8%#199 of 2,229
2Boone County, IL67199.8348+0.4%#286 of 2,229
3Douglas County, IL671114.2226+0.5%#304 of 2,229
4Henry County, IL66167.9405−2.2%#326 of 2,229
5Bureau County, IL66117.8394−2.1%#327 of 2,229
6Randolph County, IL641310.9279−0.6%#395 of 2,229
7Piatt County, IL641217.3201+0.6%#414 of 2,229
8Clinton County, IL632215.1223+0.6%#448 of 2,229
9Fulton County, IL62139.4314−2.0%#481 of 2,229
10Shelby County, IL61910.1304−1.6%#527 of 2,229
27Mercer County, IL521015.2211−2.6%#969 of 2,229

Other business types in Mercer County

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

Questions

How many real estate businesses are in Mercer County, IL?

There are 10 real estate businesses on map listings in Mercer County as of September 2026. One of them (10%) is a chain location. The listings count real estate agents and brokers, property managers, mortgage brokers and lenders, and home inspectors. Official counts show 6 businesses with payroll classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in 2023. Official counts also show 36 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Mercer County, IL spend on rent and homeowner costs?

About $91.3M a year, or $13,910 per household. That is 17% below the U.S. average (an index of 83, where 100 is the U.S. average). For the 10 real estate businesses on map listings, housing spending per office is 2.1 times the U.S. figure. The spending figure is all rent and homeowner costs, a measure of housing demand, not money real estate businesses take in. It is estimated from the incomes of the 6,565 households in Mercer County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Mercer County, IL compare with the U.S. for real estate businesses?

Mercer County has 15.2 real estate businesses per 10,000 households, 61% below the U.S. rate of 38.5. The index of housing spending per office is 211, where 100 is the U.S. At the national ratio of real estate businesses to household spending, Mercer County would have about 21, against 10 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,094 households, against one for every 414 across the U.S.

How fast is Mercer County, IL growing?

Population estimates put Mercer County at 15,229 people in 2025, down 2.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 6,565 households. The median household income in Mercer County is $74,182 a year, 8% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 24.1% 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. Mercer County scores 52 for real estate businesses (upper middle), #969 of 2,229 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Mercer County. It maps the real estate businesses 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 real estate businesses · All 56 business types in Mercer County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Mercer 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 Mercer 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.