Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Illinois

Coffee shops and cafes in Winnebago County, IL

The coffee shops and cafes in Winnebago County, IL, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 62 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #531 of 2,063 scored counties
#17 of 74 scored counties in Illinois

Listings
84
30 chain locations (36%)
Official establishments
40
All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +25.0% since 2019
Household spending a year
$419.6M
On food away from home · $3,617 a household
Spending per listing
$5M
35% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
7.2
35% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
283,674
−0.4% since 2020

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

As of September 2026, map listings count 84 coffee shops and cafes in Winnebago County. Chain locations make up 36% of them, against 39% across the U.S. That comes to 7.2 for every 10,000 households, 35% below the U.S. rate of 11.0.

Households in Winnebago County spend about $419.6M a year on food away from home, or $3,617 per household, 11% below the U.S. average. That is about $5M of household spending for each cafe on map listings, 35% above the U.S. figure of $3.7M. That spending covers all food away from home, which coffee shops and cafes share with other businesses in the trade.

In 2023, official counts showed 40 businesses with payroll in Winnebago County classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars, up 25.0% from 2019. That is one for every 2,900 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S. The official count takes in all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars, not only coffee shops and cafes: bakeries and dessert shops are counted too. Official counts also show 18 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $700K has gone to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Winnebago County.

Population estimates put the population change in Winnebago County from 2020 to 2025 at −0.4%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for coffee shops and cafes in Winnebago County is 62 (upper middle), #531 of 2,063 scored counties and #17 of 74 scored counties in Illinois.

How Winnebago 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 Winnebago County, IL compared with Illinois and the U.S.
MeasureWinnebago CountyIllinoisU.S.
Listings per 10k households7.210.311.0
Spending per listing$5M$4.1M$3.7M
Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars)2,9001,8811,518
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+25.0%+22.5%+24.3%
Population growth, 2020–2025−0.4%−0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,617$4,215$4,070
Median household income$65,837$83,390$80,734
Groundwork market score6257

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
32 → 40All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +25.0% over the period
Employees, 2023
499
Annual payroll, 2023
$10M
One-person businesses, 2023
18All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
8430 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
113The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$700K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Winnebago 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 Winnebago County

Population, 2025 estimate
283,674−0.4% since 2020
Households
116,014
Median age
40.4
Homes lived in by their owners
66%
Vehicles per household
1.7
Land area
513 sq. mi.
People per square mile
552
Median household income
$65,837+20.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$86,474
Median home value
$164,500
Jobs located here
121,867
Daytime population
276,449Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Winnebago 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 Winnebago 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 Winnebago 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
17Winnebago County, IL62847.2$5M−0.4%#531 of 2,063

Other business types in Winnebago County

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

Questions

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

Winnebago County has 84 coffee shops and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 30 of them (36%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 40 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in 2023, up 25.0% from 2019. That count covers all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars (bakeries and dessert shops included), not only coffee shops and cafes. Another 18 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in Winnebago County, IL spend on food away from home?

About $419.6M a year, or $3,617 per household. That is 11% below the U.S. average (an index of 89, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 84 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $5M per cafe. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only coffee shops and cafes. It is estimated from the incomes of the 116,014 households in Winnebago County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Winnebago 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 $5M, 35% above the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the national ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, Winnebago County would have about 113, against 84 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,900 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S. The official count rose 25.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.3% for the U.S.

How fast is Winnebago County, IL growing?

Population estimates put Winnebago County at 283,674 people in 2025, down 0.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 116,014 households. The median household income in Winnebago County is $65,837 a year, 18% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 20.8% from the 2015–2019 survey, 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. Winnebago County scores 62 for coffee shops and cafes (upper middle), #531 of 2,063 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Winnebago 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 Winnebago 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.