Food and drink · County · Illinois
Fast food and sandwich shops in Clay County, IL
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for fast food and sandwich shops in Clay County, IL, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 53 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #1,011 of 2,222 scored counties
#32 of 80 scored counties in Illinois
- Listings
- 5
- 5 chain locations (100%)
- Official establishments
- 8
- All limited-service restaurants
- Household spending a year
- $17.9M
- On food away from home · $3,368 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.6M
- 17% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 9.4
- 29% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 12,793
- −3.6% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Clay County
The site report maps the fast food and sandwich shops 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 Clay 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 5 fast food and sandwich shops in Clay County. All of them are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. That comes to 9.4 for every 10,000 households, 29% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.
At $3,368 per household (17% below the U.S. average), households in Clay County spend about $17.9M a year on food away from home. That works out to $3.6M per shop, 17% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. That spending covers all food away from home, which fast food and sandwich shops share with other businesses in the trade.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Clay County was 8 in 2023. That is one for every 664 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count takes in all limited-service restaurants, not only fast food and sandwich shops: pizza places are counted too.
Population estimates put the population change in Clay County from 2020 to 2025 at −3.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops in Clay County is 53 (upper middle), #1,011 of 2,222 scored counties and #32 of 80 scored counties in Illinois.
How Clay 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 fast food and sandwich shops 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 | Clay County | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 9.4 | 13.6 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $3.6M | $3.1M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 664 | 474 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +2.0% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −3.6% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,368 | $4,215 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $60,417 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 53 | 41 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 10 → 8All limited-service restaurants
- Employees, 2023
- 152
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 55 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 6The 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 limited-service restaurants in Clay 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 limited-service restaurants, not only fast food and sandwich shops.
Population and households in Clay County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 12,793−3.6% since 2020
- Households
- 5,311
- Median age
- 41.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 79%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 468 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 28
- Median household income
- $60,417+24.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $78,530
- Median home value
- $97,400
- Jobs located here
- 4,511
- Daytime population
- 12,012Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Clay 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 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Clay County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardFast food and sandwich shops across Illinois
Every Illinois market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Illinois for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in Illinois, with Clay County marked.
Top counties in Illinois
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Piatt County, IL | 80 | 7 | 10.1 | $4.2M | +0.6% | #130 of 2,222 |
| 2Woodford County, IL | 79 | 13 | 8.9 | $4.9M | −0.8% | #142 of 2,222 |
| 3Moultrie County, IL | 73 | 5 | 8.6 | $4.3M | −0.8% | #277 of 2,222 |
| 4Bond County, IL | 71 | 5 | 8.1 | $4.5M | +0.6% | #326 of 2,222 |
| 5Kendall County, IL | 71 | 56 | 12.3 | $3.9M | +9.9% | #331 of 2,222 |
| 6McHenry County, IL | 70 | 133 | 11.3 | $4.2M | +2.5% | #355 of 2,222 |
| 7Bureau County, IL | 68 | 12 | 8.6 | $4.3M | −2.1% | #423 of 2,222 |
| 8Monroe County, IL | 68 | 17 | 12.3 | $3.8M | −0.3% | #431 of 2,222 |
| 9Clinton County, IL | 68 | 20 | 13.7 | $3M | +0.6% | #452 of 2,222 |
| 10Macoupin County, IL | 67 | 16 | 9.1 | $4.2M | −2.6% | #465 of 2,222 |
| 32Clay County, IL | 53 | 5 | 9.4 | $3.6M | −3.6% | #1,011 of 2,222 |
Other business types in Clay County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes44
- Sit-down restaurants53
- Fast food and sandwich shops53
- Pizza33
- Coffee shops and cafes
- Bakeries and dessert shops22
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many fast food and sandwich shops are in Clay County, IL?
There are 5 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in Clay County as of September 2026. 5 of them (100%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 8 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops.
How much do households in Clay County, IL spend on food away from home?
About $17.9M a year, or $3,368 per household. That is 17% below the U.S. average (an index of 83, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 5 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $3.6M per shop. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only fast food and sandwich shops. It is estimated from the incomes of the 5,311 households in Clay County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Clay County, IL compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Clay County has 9.4 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 29% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $3.6M, 17% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Clay County would have about 6, against 5 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 664 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S.
How fast is Clay County, IL growing?
Population estimates put Clay County at 12,793 people in 2025, down 3.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 5,311 households. The median household income in Clay County is $60,417 a year, 25% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 24.6% 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. Clay County scores 53 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #1,011 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Clay County. It maps the fast food and sandwich shops 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 fast food and sandwich shops · All 56 business types in Clay County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Clay 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 Clay 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.