Groceries and convenience · County · Illinois
Convenience stores in Knox County, IL
The convenience stores in Knox County, IL, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 59 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #782 of 2,261 scored counties
#26 of 72 scored counties in Illinois
- Listings
- 11
- 6 chain locations (55%)
- Official establishments
- 3
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $115M
- On groceries · $5,484 a household
- Spending per listing
- $10.5M
- 33% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.2
- 35% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 47,767
- −4.1% since 2020
See the convenience stores around any address in Knox County
The site report maps the convenience stores 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 Knox 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 11 convenience stores in Knox County. 6 of them (55%) are chain locations, against 60% across the U.S. That is 5.2 per 10,000 households, 35% below the U.S. rate of 8.0.
At $5,484 per household (13% below the U.S. average), households in Knox County spend about $115M a year on groceries. Spread across 11 convenience stores, that is $10.5M per store, 33% above the U.S. figure of $7.9M. That spending covers all groceries, which convenience stores share with other businesses in the trade.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as convenience stores in Knox County was 3 in 2023. That is one for every 6,991 households, against one for every 3,493 across the U.S.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Knox County declined 4.1%, against +3.1% for the U.S. Knox County scores 59 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for convenience stores, ranking #782 of 2,261 scored counties and #26 of 72 scored counties in Illinois.
How Knox County compares
The same measures for Illinois and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all groceries by the convenience stores 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 | Knox County | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.2 | 5.5 | 8.0 |
| Spending per listing | $10.5M | $11.5M | $7.9M |
| Households per official establishment | 6,991 | 5,960 | 3,493 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +13.1% | +22.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −4.1% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,484 | $6,290 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $57,030 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 59 | 62 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 3
- Employees, 2023
- 7
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $188K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 116 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 15The 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 convenience stores in Knox 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.
Population and households in Knox County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 47,767−4.1% since 2020
- Households
- 20,972
- Median age
- 42.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 716 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 68
- Median household income
- $57,030+29.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $74,560
- Median home value
- $111,900
- Jobs located here
- 15,910
- Daytime population
- 44,318Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Knox 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 convenience stores on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Knox County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardConvenience stores across Illinois
Every Illinois market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Illinois for convenience stores, numbered among those based in Illinois, with Knox County marked.
Top counties in Illinois
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Kendall County, IL | 96 | 18 | 4.0 | $17.3M | +9.9% | #4 of 2,261 |
| 2Lake County, IL | 86 | 106 | 4.1 | $16.9M | +0.8% | #79 of 2,261 |
| 3McHenry County, IL | 85 | 57 | 4.8 | $13.9M | +2.5% | #86 of 2,261 |
| 4Will County, IL | 85 | 136 | 5.6 | $12.3M | +2.2% | #89 of 2,261 |
| 5Kane County, IL | 83 | 99 | 5.4 | $12.6M | +1.8% | #116 of 2,261 |
| 6DuPage County, IL | 78 | 173 | 4.9 | $14.1M | +0.3% | #210 of 2,261 |
| 7McLean County, IL | 78 | 40 | 5.7 | $10.8M | +0.1% | #218 of 2,261 |
| 8DeKalb County, IL | 78 | 22 | 5.6 | $10.7M | +1.5% | #219 of 2,261 |
| 9Boone County, IL | 76 | 8 | 4.1 | $15.3M | +0.4% | #266 of 2,261 |
| 10Woodford County, IL | 75 | 6 | 4.1 | $15.8M | −0.8% | #287 of 2,261 |
| 26Knox County, IL | 59 | 11 | 5.2 | $10.5M | −4.1% | #782 of 2,261 |
Other business types in Knox County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores46
- Grocery stores38
- Convenience stores59
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many convenience stores are in Knox County, IL?
Knox County has 11 convenience stores on map listings as of September 2026. 6 of them (55%) are chain locations. The listings count convenience stores without fuel. Official counts show 3 businesses with payroll classed as convenience stores in 2023.
How much do households in Knox County, IL spend on groceries?
About $115M a year, or $5,484 per household. That is 13% below the U.S. average (an index of 87, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 11 convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $10.5M per store. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only convenience stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 20,972 households in Knox County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Knox County, IL compare with the U.S. for convenience stores?
Knox County has 5.2 convenience stores per 10,000 households, 35% below the U.S. rate of 8.0. Spending per store is $10.5M, 33% above the U.S. figure of $7.9M. At the national ratio of convenience stores to household spending, Knox County would have about 15, against 11 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 6,991 households, against one for every 3,493 across the U.S.
How fast is Knox County, IL growing?
Population estimates put Knox County at 47,767 people in 2025, down 4.1% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 20,972 households. Median household income in Knox County is $57,030, 29% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.2%, 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. Knox County scores 59 for convenience stores (upper middle), #782 of 2,261 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Knox County. It maps the convenience stores 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 convenience stores · All 56 business types in Knox County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Knox 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 Knox 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.