Food and drink · Small-town market · Illinois
Coffee shops and cafes in the Sterling, IL area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for coffee shops and cafes in the Sterling, IL area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 41 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #361 of 529 scored small-town markets
#14 of 20 scored small-town markets based in Illinois
- Listings
- 26
- 4 chain locations (15%)
- Official establishments
- 11
- All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
- Household spending a year
- $82.7M
- On food away from home · $3,576 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.2M
- 14% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.2
- 2% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 54,121
- −2.6% since 2020
See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in the Sterling 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 Sterling 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
Households in the Sterling area spend about $82.7M a year on food away from home, or $3,576 per household, 12% below the U.S. average. That is about $3.2M of household spending for each cafe on map listings, 14% 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 26 coffee shops and cafes on map listings in the Sterling area as of September 2026. Of those, 4 are chain locations, or 15%, against 39% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 11.2, 2% above the U.S. rate of 11.0.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in the Sterling area was 11 in 2023. That is one for every 2,102 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 3 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $158K has gone to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in the Sterling area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Sterling area declined 2.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for coffee shops and cafes in the Sterling area is 41 (lower middle), #361 of 529 scored small-town markets and #14 of 20 scored small-town markets based in Illinois.
How the Sterling 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 | Sterling area | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 11.2 | 10.3 | 11.0 |
| Spending per listing | $3.2M | $4.1M | $3.7M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars) | 2,102 | 1,881 | 1,518 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +22.5% | +24.3% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.6% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,576 | $4,215 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $67,500 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 41 | 57 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 11All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
- Employees, 2023
- 61
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 3All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 264 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 22The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $158K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in the Sterling 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 Sterling area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 54,121−2.6% since 2020
- Households
- 23,120
- Median age
- 43.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 77%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 684 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 80
- Median household income
- $67,500+24.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $86,592
- Median home value
- $127,100
- Jobs located here
- 20,819
- Daytime population
- 50,543Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Sterling 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 Sterling 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 Sterling 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 |
| 14Sterling, IL | 41 | 26 | 11.2 | $3.2M | −2.6% | #361 of 529 |
Other business types in the Sterling area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes47
- Sit-down restaurants46
- Fast food and sandwich shops60
- Pizza53
- Coffee shops and cafes41
- Bakeries and dessert shops50
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 Sterling, IL area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 26 coffee shops and cafes in the Sterling area. 4 of them (15%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 11 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 3 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Sterling, IL area spend on food away from home?
About $82.7M a year, or $3,576 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 26 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $3.2M 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 23,120 households in the Sterling area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Sterling, IL area compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?
The Sterling area has 11.2 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 2% above the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $3.2M, 14% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the U.S. ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, the Sterling area would have about 22, against 26 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,102 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S.
How fast is the Sterling, IL area growing?
Population estimates put the Sterling area at 54,121 people in 2025, down 2.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 23,120 households. Median household income in the Sterling area is $67,500, 16% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 24.5%, 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 Sterling area scores 41 for coffee shops and cafes (lower middle), #361 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 Sterling 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 Sterling area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Sterling 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 Sterling 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.