Health care · Metro area · Illinois
Optometrists and eye clinics in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for optometrists and eye clinics in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 50 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #201 of 386 scored metro areas
#7 of 8 scored metro areas based in Illinois
- Listings
- 1,838
- 435 chain locations (24%)
- Official establishments
- 650
- −0.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $5.8B
- On medical and dental services · $1,581 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.1M
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.0
- 22% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 9,434,123
- 0.0% since 2020
See the optometrists and eye clinics around any address in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro area
The site report maps the optometrists and eye clinics 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 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 1,838 optometrists and eye clinics in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro area. 435 of them (24%) are chain locations, against 20% across the U.S. That is 5.0 per 10,000 households, 22% above the U.S. rate of 4.1.
At $1,581 per household (23% above the U.S. average), households in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro area spend about $5.8B a year on medical and dental services. That is about $3.1M of household spending for each practice on map listings, in line with the U.S. figure of $3.1M. That spending covers all medical and dental services, which optometrists and eye clinics share with other businesses in the trade.
Official counts show 650 businesses with payroll classed as offices of optometrists in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro area in 2023, down 0.5% from 2019. That is one for every 5,606 households, against one for every 5,742 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 10 SBA-backed loans worth $3M have gone to businesses classed as offices of optometrists in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro area held about level, against +3.1% for the U.S. For optometrists and eye clinics, the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro area has a Groundwork market score of 50 (upper middle): #201 of 386 scored metro areas and #7 of 8 scored metro areas based in Illinois.
How the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro area compares
The same measures for Illinois and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all medical and dental services by the optometrists and eye clinics 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 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro area | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.0 | 4.6 | 4.1 |
| Spending per listing | $3.1M | $3.3M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment | 5,606 | 5,802 | 5,742 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −0.5% | +3.1% | +0.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | 0.0% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on medical and dental services | $1,581 | $1,517 | $1,288 |
| Median household income | $90,887 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 50 | 53 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 650−0.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 4,151
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $208.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,838435 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,839The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 10
- Amount
- $3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as offices of optometrists in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro 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.
Population and households in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 9,434,1230.0% since 2020
- Households
- 3,643,783
- Median age
- 39.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 6,923 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,354
- Median household income
- $90,887
- Average household income
- $125,950
- Median home value
- $323,000
- Jobs located here
- 4,599,202
- Daytime population
- 9,509,530Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the optometrists and eye clinics on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardOptometrists and eye care across Illinois
Every Illinois market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Illinois for optometrists and eye clinics, numbered among those based in Illinois (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Illinois
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Bloomington, IL | 82 | 20 | 2.8 | $5.2M | +0.1% | #6 of 386 |
| 2Springfield, IL | 79 | 23 | 2.6 | $5.6M | −1.2% | #12 of 386 |
| 3Champaign-Urbana, IL | 73 | 29 | 3.0 | $4.6M | +1.5% | #29 of 386 |
| Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL | 69 | 48 | 3.0 | $4.7M | −0.9% | #49 of 386 |
| 4Peoria, IL | 64 | 65 | 4.2 | $3.3M | −1.3% | #89 of 386 |
| 5Kankakee, IL | 60 | 18 | 4.4 | $3.2M | −1.7% | #108 of 386 |
| 6Rockford, IL | 59 | 57 | 4.2 | $3.2M | −0.3% | #115 of 386 |
| Cape Girardeau, MO-IL | 52 | 13 | 3.4 | $3.9M | +1.7% | #175 of 386 |
| St. Louis, MO-IL | 51 | 506 | 4.4 | $3.4M | −0.2% | #188 of 386 |
| 7Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 50 | 1,838 | 5.0 | $3.1M | 0.0% | #201 of 386 |
Other business types in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
- Doctors, dentists and clinics38
- Dentists and orthodontists39
- Primary care and pediatrics50
- Urgent care and walk-in clinics64
- Chiropractors56
- Physical therapy43
- Optometrists and eye care50
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many optometrists and eye clinics are in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area?
The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro area has 1,838 optometrists and eye clinics on map listings as of September 2026. 435 of them (24%) are chain locations. The listings count optometrists and eye clinics. Official counts show 650 businesses with payroll classed as offices of optometrists in 2023, down 0.5% from 2019.
How much do households in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area spend on medical and dental services?
About $5.8B a year, or $1,581 per household. That is 23% above the U.S. average (an index of 123, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,838 optometrists and eye clinics on map listings, it comes to $3.1M per practice. The spending figure covers all medical and dental services, not only optometrists and eye clinics. It is estimated from the incomes of the 3,643,783 households in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area compare with the U.S. for optometrists and eye clinics?
The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro area has 5.0 optometrists and eye clinics per 10,000 households, 22% above the U.S. rate of 4.1. Spending per practice is $3.1M, in line with the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of optometrists and eye clinics to household spending, the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro area would have about 1,839, against 1,838 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 5,606 households, against one for every 5,742 across the U.S. The official count fell 0.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +0.2% for the U.S.
How fast is the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro area at 9,434,123 people in 2025, unchanged since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 3,643,783 households. The median household income in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro area is $90,887 a year, 13% above the U.S. median of $80,734.
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. The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro area scores 50 for optometrists and eye clinics (upper middle), #201 of 386 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro area. It maps the optometrists and eye clinics 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 optometrists and eye clinics · All 56 business types in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro 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 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro 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.