Food and drink · County · Illinois
Coffee shops and cafes in DeKalb County, IL
How DeKalb County, IL compares with other counties and the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 59 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #663 of 2,063 scored counties
#26 of 74 scored counties in Illinois
- Listings
- 41
- 18 chain locations (44%)
- Official establishments
- 14
- All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
- Household spending a year
- $151.2M
- On food away from home · $3,824 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.7M
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 10.4
- 5% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 101,835
- +1.5% since 2020
See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in DeKalb County
The site report maps the coffee shops and cafes 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 DeKalb 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
At $3,824 per household (6% below the U.S. average), households in DeKalb County spend about $151.2M a year on food away from home. That works out to $3.7M per cafe, in line with the U.S. figure of $3.7M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only coffee shops and cafes.
DeKalb County has 41 coffee shops and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 18 are chain locations, or 44%, against 39% across the U.S. That is 10.4 per 10,000 households, 5% below the U.S. rate of 11.0.
In 2023, official counts showed 14 businesses with payroll in DeKalb County classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars. That is one for every 2,825 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S. That count covers all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars (bakeries and dessert shops included), not only coffee shops and cafes. Official counts also show 5 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $1.2M have gone to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in DeKalb County.
Population estimates show DeKalb County grew 1.5% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for coffee shops and cafes in DeKalb County is 59 (upper middle), #663 of 2,063 scored counties and #26 of 74 scored counties in Illinois.
How DeKalb County compares
The same measures for Illinois and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all food away from home by the coffee shops and cafes 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 | DeKalb County | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 10.4 | 10.3 | 11.0 |
| Spending per listing | $3.7M | $4.1M | $3.7M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars) | 2,825 | 1,881 | 1,518 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +22.5% | +24.3% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.5% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,824 | $4,215 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $70,724 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 59 | 57 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 12 → 14All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
- Employees, 2023
- 190
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 5All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4118 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 41The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $1.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in DeKalb 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. These official figures cover all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars, not only coffee shops and cafes.
Population and households in DeKalb County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 101,835+1.5% since 2020
- Households
- 39,550
- Median age
- 35.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 61%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 631 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 160
- Median household income
- $70,724+11.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $90,834
- Median home value
- $243,600
- Jobs located here
- 34,194
- Daytime population
- 89,501Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in DeKalb 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 coffee shops and cafes on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of DeKalb County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardCoffee shops and cafes across Illinois
Every Illinois market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Illinois for coffee shops and cafes, numbered among those based in Illinois, with DeKalb County marked.
Top counties in Illinois
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Boone County, IL | 77 | 11 | 5.7 | $7.4M | +0.4% | #150 of 2,063 |
| 2Ogle County, IL | 75 | 14 | 6.7 | $5.9M | −0.7% | #187 of 2,063 |
| 3McHenry County, IL | 74 | 99 | 8.4 | $5.6M | +2.5% | #206 of 2,063 |
| 4Kendall County, IL | 73 | 42 | 9.3 | $5.2M | +9.9% | #240 of 2,063 |
| 5Effingham County, IL | 72 | 8 | 5.7 | $6.9M | −0.5% | #245 of 2,063 |
| 6Macoupin County, IL | 71 | 10 | 5.7 | $6.7M | −2.6% | #264 of 2,063 |
| 7Clinton County, IL | 71 | 13 | 8.9 | $4.6M | +0.6% | #279 of 2,063 |
| 8Will County, IL | 68 | 206 | 8.4 | $5.7M | +2.2% | #348 of 2,063 |
| 9St. Clair County, IL | 67 | 73 | 7.2 | $5.4M | −2.5% | #381 of 2,063 |
| 10Madison County, IL | 66 | 85 | 7.7 | $5.1M | −1.0% | #402 of 2,063 |
| 26DeKalb County, IL | 59 | 41 | 10.4 | $3.7M | +1.5% | #663 of 2,063 |
Other business types in DeKalb County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes48
- Sit-down restaurants54
- Fast food and sandwich shops45
- Pizza38
- Coffee shops and cafes59
- Bakeries and dessert shops48
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 coffee shops and cafes are in DeKalb County, IL?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 41 coffee shops and cafes in DeKalb County. 18 of them (44%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 14 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in 2023. The official count takes in all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars, not only coffee shops and cafes: bakeries and dessert shops are counted too. Another 5 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in DeKalb County, IL spend on food away from home?
About $151.2M a year, or $3,824 per household. That is 6% below the U.S. average (an index of 94, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 41 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $3.7M per cafe. That spending covers all food away from home, which coffee shops and cafes share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 39,550 households in DeKalb County and national spending patterns by income.
How does DeKalb County, IL compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?
DeKalb County has 10.4 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 5% below the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $3.7M, in line with the U.S. figure of $3.7M. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,825 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S.
How fast is DeKalb County, IL growing?
Population estimates put DeKalb County at 101,835 people in 2025, up 1.5% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 39,550 households. Median household income in DeKalb County is $70,724, 12% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 11.7%, 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. DeKalb County scores 59 for coffee shops and cafes (upper middle), #663 of 2,063 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in DeKalb County. It maps the coffee shops and cafes 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 coffee shops and cafes · All 56 business types in DeKalb County
Screening a site or an acquisition in DeKalb 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 DeKalb 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.