Food and drink · Small-town market · Illinois
Coffee shops and cafes in the Lincoln, IL area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for coffee shops and cafes in the Lincoln, IL area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 30 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #468 of 529 scored small-town markets
#17 of 20 scored small-town markets based in Illinois
- Listings
- 14
- 2 chain locations (14%)
- Official establishments
- 9
- All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
- Household spending a year
- $40.8M
- On food away from home · $3,621 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.9M
- 21% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 12.4
- 13% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 27,182
- −2.5% since 2020
See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in the Lincoln area
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 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
The Groundwork market score for coffee shops and cafes in the Lincoln area is 30 (lower middle), #468 of 529 scored small-town markets and #17 of 20 scored small-town markets based in Illinois. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.
Households in the Lincoln area spend about $40.8M a year on food away from home, or $3,621 per household, 11% below the U.S. average. Spread across 14 coffee shops and cafes, that is $2.9M per cafe, 21% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only coffee shops and cafes.
The Lincoln area has 14 coffee shops and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 2 of them (14%) are chain locations, against 39% across the U.S. That comes to 12.4 for every 10,000 households, 13% above the U.S. rate of 11.0.
Official counts show 9 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in the Lincoln area in 2023. That is one for every 1,252 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. Population estimates put the population change in the Lincoln area from 2020 to 2025 at −2.5%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
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 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 | Lincoln area | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 12.4 | 10.3 | 11.0 |
| Spending per listing | $2.9M | $4.1M | $3.7M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars) | 1,252 | 1,881 | 1,518 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +22.5% | +24.3% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.5% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,621 | $4,215 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $66,358 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 30 | 57 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 9All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
- Employees, 2023
- 86
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 142 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 11The 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 snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars 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. These official figures cover all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars, not only coffee shops and cafes.
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 coffee shops and cafes 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 cardCoffee shops and cafes across Illinois
Every Illinois market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Illinois for coffee shops and cafes, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Rochelle, IL | 80 | 14 | 6.7 | $5.9M | −0.7% | #9 of 529 |
| 2Effingham, IL | 76 | 10 | 5.5 | $7M | −0.9% | #20 of 529 |
| 3Charleston-Mattoon, IL | 68 | 11 | 5.3 | $6.3M | −1.0% | #68 of 529 |
| 4Dixon, IL | 68 | 9 | 6.7 | $5.5M | −3.4% | #70 of 529 |
| 5Mount Vernon, IL | 67 | 9 | 6.1 | $5.7M | −2.3% | #78 of 529 |
| 6Pontiac, IL | 67 | 12 | 8.2 | $4.6M | −2.1% | #81 of 529 |
| 7Marion-Herrin, IL | 67 | 23 | 7.9 | $4.6M | +0.2% | #82 of 529 |
| 8Freeport, IL | 62 | 9 | 4.6 | $7.5M | −3.0% | #126 of 529 |
| 9Ottawa, IL | 57 | 58 | 9.4 | $4M | −1.6% | #193 of 529 |
| 10Danville, IL | 55 | 17 | 5.7 | $5.9M | −3.7% | #212 of 529 |
| 17Lincoln, IL | 30 | 14 | 12.4 | $2.9M | −2.5% | #468 of 529 |
Other business types in the Lincoln area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes49
- Sit-down restaurants55
- Fast food and sandwich shops64
- Pizza50
- Coffee shops and cafes30
- Bakeries and dessert shops27
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 the Lincoln, IL area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 14 coffee shops and cafes in the Lincoln area. 2 of them (14%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 9 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.
How much do households in the Lincoln, IL area spend on food away from home?
About $40.8M a year, or $3,621 per household. That is 11% below the U.S. average (an index of 89, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 14 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $2.9M 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 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 coffee shops and cafes?
The Lincoln area has 12.4 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 13% above the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $2.9M, 21% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the U.S. ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, the Lincoln area would have about 11, against 14 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,252 households, against one for every 1,518 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 30 for coffee shops and cafes (lower middle), #468 of 529 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 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 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.