Groundwork

Groceries and convenience · County · Illinois

Convenience stores in McLean County, IL

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for convenience stores in McLean County, IL, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 78 out of 100: High

Ranked #218 of 2,261 scored counties
#7 of 72 scored counties in Illinois

Listings
40
34 chain locations (85%)
Official establishments
5
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$431.4M
On groceries · $6,144 a household
Spending per listing
$10.8M
37% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
5.7
29% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
171,419
+0.1% since 2020

See the convenience stores around any address in McLean 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 McLean County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

The Groundwork market score for convenience stores in McLean County is 78 (high), #218 of 2,261 scored counties and #7 of 72 scored counties in Illinois. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for convenience stores.

Households in McLean County spend about $431.4M a year on groceries, or $6,144 per household, 3% below the U.S. average. That works out to $10.8M per store, 37% above the U.S. figure of $7.9M. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only convenience stores.

McLean County has 40 convenience stores on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 85% of them, against 60% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 5.7, 29% below the U.S. rate of 8.0.

Official counts show 5 businesses with payroll classed as convenience stores in McLean County in 2023. That is one for every 14,044 households, against one for every 3,493 across the U.S. Population estimates show McLean County grew 0.1% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How McLean 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.

Convenience stores in McLean County, IL compared with Illinois and the U.S.
MeasureMcLean CountyIllinoisU.S.
Listings per 10k households5.75.58.0
Spending per listing$10.8M$11.5M$7.9M
Households per official establishment14,0445,9603,493
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+13.1%+22.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+0.1%−0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on groceries$6,144$6,290$6,319
Median household income$79,905$83,390$80,734
Groundwork market score7862

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
5 → 5
Employees, 2023
17
Annual payroll, 2023
$281K
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
4034 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
55The 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 McLean 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 McLean County

Population, 2025 estimate
171,419+0.1% since 2020
Households
70,220
Median age
37.0
Homes lived in by their owners
65%
Vehicles per household
1.7
Land area
1,183 sq. mi.
People per square mile
145
Median household income
$79,905+18.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$105,003
Median home value
$208,400
Jobs located here
88,959
Daytime population
180,672Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in McLean 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 McLean County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Convenience stores across Illinois

Every Illinois market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Illinois for convenience stores, numbered among those based in Illinois, with McLean County marked.

Top counties in Illinois

Counties in Illinois ranked for convenience stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Kendall County, IL96184.0$17.3M+9.9%#4 of 2,261
2Lake County, IL861064.1$16.9M+0.8%#79 of 2,261
3McHenry County, IL85574.8$13.9M+2.5%#86 of 2,261
4Will County, IL851365.6$12.3M+2.2%#89 of 2,261
5Kane County, IL83995.4$12.6M+1.8%#116 of 2,261
6DuPage County, IL781734.9$14.1M+0.3%#210 of 2,261
7McLean County, IL78405.7$10.8M+0.1%#218 of 2,261
8DeKalb County, IL78225.6$10.7M+1.5%#219 of 2,261
9Boone County, IL7684.1$15.3M+0.4%#266 of 2,261
10Woodford County, IL7564.1$15.8M−0.8%#287 of 2,261

Other business types in McLean County

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

Questions

How many convenience stores are in McLean County, IL?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 40 convenience stores in McLean County. 34 of them (85%) are chain locations. The listings count convenience stores without fuel. Official counts show 5 businesses with payroll classed as convenience stores in 2023.

How much do households in McLean County, IL spend on groceries?

About $431.4M a year, or $6,144 per household. That is 3% below the U.S. average (an index of 97, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 40 convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $10.8M per store. That spending covers all groceries, which convenience stores share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 70,220 households in McLean County and national spending patterns by income.

How does McLean County, IL compare with the U.S. for convenience stores?

McLean County has 5.7 convenience stores per 10,000 households, 29% below the U.S. rate of 8.0. Spending per store is $10.8M, 37% above the U.S. figure of $7.9M. At the U.S. ratio of convenience stores to household spending, McLean County would have about 55, against 40 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 14,044 households, against one for every 3,493 across the U.S.

How fast is McLean County, IL growing?

Population estimates put McLean County at 171,419 people in 2025, up 0.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 70,220 households. The median household income in McLean County is $79,905 a year, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 18.1% 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. McLean County scores 78 for convenience stores (high), #218 of 2,261 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in McLean 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 McLean 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.