Groceries and convenience · County · Illinois
Convenience stores in McDonough County, IL
How McDonough County, IL compares with other counties and the U.S. for convenience stores: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 49 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,146 of 2,261 scored counties
#40 of 72 scored counties in Illinois
- Listings
- 7
- 4 chain locations (57%)
- Official establishments
- 3
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $64.5M
- On groceries · $5,437 a household
- Spending per listing
- $9.2M
- 17% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.9
- 26% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 25,916
- −4.5% since 2020
See the convenience stores around any address in McDonough 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 McDonough 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 7 convenience stores in McDonough County. 4 of them (57%) are chain locations, against 60% across the U.S. That comes to 5.9 for every 10,000 households, 26% below the U.S. rate of 8.0.
Households in McDonough County spend about $64.5M a year on groceries, or $5,437 per household, 14% below the U.S. average. That is about $9.2M of household spending for each store on map listings, 17% above the U.S. figure of $7.9M. That spending covers all groceries, which convenience stores share with other businesses in the trade.
Official counts show 3 businesses with payroll classed as convenience stores in McDonough County in 2023. That is one for every 3,952 households, against one for every 3,493 across the U.S.
Population estimates put the population change in McDonough County from 2020 to 2025 at −4.5%, against +3.1% for the U.S. McDonough County scores 49 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for convenience stores, ranking #1,146 of 2,261 scored counties and #40 of 72 scored counties in Illinois.
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 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 | McDonough County | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.9 | 5.5 | 8.0 |
| Spending per listing | $9.2M | $11.5M | $7.9M |
| Households per official establishment | 3,952 | 5,960 | 3,493 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +13.1% | +22.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −4.5% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,437 | $6,290 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $52,795 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 49 | 62 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 3
- Employees, 2023
- 6
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $106K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 74 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 8The 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 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.
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 convenience stores 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.
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 McDonough 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 |
| 40McDonough County, IL | 49 | 7 | 5.9 | $9.2M | −4.5% | #1,146 of 2,261 |
Other business types in McDonough County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores39
- Grocery stores35
- Convenience stores49
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 McDonough County, IL?
There are 7 convenience stores on map listings in McDonough County as of September 2026. 4 of them (57%) 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 McDonough County, IL spend on groceries?
About $64.5M a year, or $5,437 per household. That is 14% below the U.S. average (an index of 86, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 7 convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $9.2M per store. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only convenience stores. 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 convenience stores?
McDonough County has 5.9 convenience stores per 10,000 households, 26% below the U.S. rate of 8.0. Spending per store is $9.2M, 17% above the U.S. figure of $7.9M. At the national ratio of convenience stores to household spending, McDonough County would have about 8, against 7 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,952 households, against one for every 3,493 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 49 for convenience stores (lower middle), #1,146 of 2,261 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 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 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.