Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Illinois

Coffee shops and cafes in McDonough County, IL

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for coffee shops and cafes in McDonough County, IL, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 24 out of 100: Low

Ranked #1,904 of 2,063 scored counties
#67 of 74 scored counties in Illinois

Listings
14
2 chain locations (14%)
Official establishments
6
All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
Household spending a year
$38.5M
On food away from home · $3,251 a household
Spending per listing
$2.8M
26% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
11.8
7% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
25,916
−4.5% since 2020

See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in McDonough 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 McDonough 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

McDonough County scores 24 (low) on the Groundwork market score for coffee shops and cafes, ranking #1,904 of 2,063 scored counties and #67 of 74 scored counties in Illinois. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

Households in McDonough County spend about $38.5M a year on food away from home, or $3,251 per household, 20% below the U.S. average. Spread across 14 coffee shops and cafes, that is $2.8M per cafe, 26% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only coffee shops and cafes.

There are 14 coffee shops and cafes on map listings in McDonough County as of September 2026. 2 of them (14%) are chain locations, against 39% across the U.S. That is 11.8 per 10,000 households, 7% above the U.S. rate of 11.0.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in McDonough County was 6 in 2023. That is one for every 1,976 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. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of McDonough County declined 4.5%, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How McDonough 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.

Coffee shops and cafes in McDonough County, IL compared with Illinois and the U.S.
MeasureMcDonough CountyIllinoisU.S.
Listings per 10k households11.810.311.0
Spending per listing$2.8M$4.1M$3.7M
Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars)1,9761,8811,518
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+22.5%+24.3%
Population growth, 2020–2025−4.5%−0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,251$4,215$4,070
Median household income$52,795$83,390$80,734
Groundwork market score2457

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
4 → 6All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
Employees, 2023
60
Annual payroll, 2023
$743K
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
10The 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 McDonough 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 McDonough County

Population, 2025 estimate
25,916−4.5% since 2020
Households
11,856
Median age
38.4
Homes lived in by their owners
63%
Vehicles per household
1.7
Land area
589 sq. mi.
People per square mile
46
Median household income
$52,795+18.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$71,521
Median home value
$107,500
Jobs located here
9,784
Daytime population
25,631Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

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

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Coffee 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 McDonough County marked.

Top counties in Illinois

Counties in Illinois ranked for coffee shops and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Boone County, IL77115.7$7.4M+0.4%#150 of 2,063
2Ogle County, IL75146.7$5.9M−0.7%#187 of 2,063
3McHenry County, IL74998.4$5.6M+2.5%#206 of 2,063
4Kendall County, IL73429.3$5.2M+9.9%#240 of 2,063
5Effingham County, IL7285.7$6.9M−0.5%#245 of 2,063
6Macoupin County, IL71105.7$6.7M−2.6%#264 of 2,063
7Clinton County, IL71138.9$4.6M+0.6%#279 of 2,063
8Will County, IL682068.4$5.7M+2.2%#348 of 2,063
9St. Clair County, IL67737.2$5.4M−2.5%#381 of 2,063
10Madison County, IL66857.7$5.1M−1.0%#402 of 2,063
67McDonough County, IL241411.8$2.8M−4.5%#1,904 of 2,063

Other business types in McDonough County

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

Questions

How many coffee shops and cafes are in McDonough County, IL?

As of September 2026, map listings count 14 coffee shops and cafes in McDonough County. 2 of them (14%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 6 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 McDonough County, IL spend on food away from home?

About $38.5M a year, or $3,251 per household. That is 20% below the U.S. average (an index of 80, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 14 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $2.8M 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 11,856 households in McDonough County and national spending patterns by income.

How does McDonough County, IL compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?

McDonough County has 11.8 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 7% above the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $2.8M, 26% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the U.S. ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, McDonough County would have about 10, against 14 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,976 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S.

How fast is McDonough County, IL growing?

Population estimates put McDonough County at 25,916 people in 2025, down 4.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 11,856 households. Median household income in McDonough County is $52,795, 35% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 18.7%, 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. McDonough County scores 24 for coffee shops and cafes (low), #1,904 of 2,063 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in McDonough 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 McDonough 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.