Food and drink · County · Illinois
Coffee shops and cafes in St. Clair County, IL
How St. Clair 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 67 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #381 of 2,063 scored counties
#9 of 74 scored counties in Illinois
- Listings
- 73
- 33 chain locations (45%)
- Official establishments
- 27
- All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
- Household spending a year
- $392.3M
- On food away from home · $3,890 a household
- Spending per listing
- $5.4M
- 45% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.2
- 35% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 250,708
- −2.5% since 2020
See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in St. Clair 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 St. Clair 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
Household spending on food away from home in St. Clair County comes to about $392.3M a year: $3,890 per household, 4% below the U.S. average. That works out to $5.4M per cafe, 45% above the U.S. figure of $3.7M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only coffee shops and cafes.
There are 73 coffee shops and cafes on map listings in St. Clair County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 45% of them, against 39% across the U.S. That is 7.2 per 10,000 households, 35% below the U.S. rate of 11.0.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in St. Clair County was 27 in 2023. That is one for every 3,735 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 9 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 7 SBA-backed loans worth $1.7M have gone to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in St. Clair County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of St. Clair County declined 2.5%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For coffee shops and cafes, St. Clair County has a Groundwork market score of 67 (upper middle): #381 of 2,063 scored counties and #9 of 74 scored counties in Illinois. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How St. Clair 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 | St. Clair County | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.2 | 10.3 | 11.0 |
| Spending per listing | $5.4M | $4.1M | $3.7M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars) | 3,735 | 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 | $3,890 | $4,215 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $73,854 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 67 | 57 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 19 → 27All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
- Employees, 2023
- 324
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $5.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 9All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 7333 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 106The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 7
- Amount
- $1.7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in St. Clair 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 St. Clair County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 250,708−2.5% since 2020
- Households
- 100,846
- Median age
- 40.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 658 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 386
- Median household income
- $73,854+33.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $96,153
- Median home value
- $180,300
- Jobs located here
- 90,959
- Daytime population
- 229,240Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in St. Clair 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 St. Clair 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 St. Clair 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 |
Other business types in St. Clair County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes51
- Sit-down restaurants52
- Fast food and sandwich shops42
- Pizza43
- Coffee shops and cafes67
- Bakeries and dessert shops68
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 St. Clair County, IL?
As of September 2026, map listings count 73 coffee shops and cafes in St. Clair County. 33 of them (45%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 27 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 9 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in St. Clair County, IL spend on food away from home?
About $392.3M a year, or $3,890 per household. That is 4% below the U.S. average (an index of 96, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 73 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $5.4M 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 100,846 households in St. Clair County and national spending patterns by income.
How does St. Clair County, IL compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?
St. Clair County has 7.2 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 35% below the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $5.4M, 45% above the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the U.S. ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, St. Clair County would have about 106, against 73 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,735 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S.
How fast is St. Clair County, IL growing?
Population estimates put St. Clair County at 250,708 people in 2025, down 2.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 100,846 households. Median household income in St. Clair County is $73,854, 9% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 33.8%, 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. 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. St. Clair County scores 67 for coffee shops and cafes (upper middle), #381 of 2,063 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in St. Clair 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 St. Clair County
Screening a site or an acquisition in St. Clair 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 St. Clair 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.