Food and drink · County · Illinois
Fast food and sandwich shops in DeKalb County, IL
How DeKalb County, IL compares with other counties and the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 45 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,343 of 2,222 scored counties
#47 of 80 scored counties in Illinois
- Listings
- 58
- 43 chain locations (74%)
- Official establishments
- 84
- All limited-service restaurants · −2.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $151.2M
- On food away from home · $3,824 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.6M
- 15% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 14.7
- 11% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 101,835
- +1.5% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in DeKalb 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 DeKalb 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
Household spending on food away from home in DeKalb County comes to about $151.2M a year: $3,824 per household, 6% below the U.S. average. Spread across 58 fast food and sandwich shops, that is $2.6M per shop, 15% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only fast food and sandwich shops.
There are 58 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in DeKalb County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 74% of them, against 79% across the U.S. That comes to 14.7 for every 10,000 households, 11% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.
Official counts show 84 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in DeKalb County in 2023, down 2.3% from 2019. That is one for every 471 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Another 18 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $831K have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in DeKalb County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of DeKalb County grew 1.5%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For fast food and sandwich shops, DeKalb County has a Groundwork market score of 45 (lower middle): #1,343 of 2,222 scored counties and #47 of 80 scored counties in Illinois.
How DeKalb 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 | DeKalb County | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 14.7 | 13.6 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $2.6M | $3.1M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 471 | 474 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −2.3% | +2.0% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.5% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,824 | $4,215 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $70,724 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 45 | 41 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 86 → 84All limited-service restaurants · −2.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,600
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $28.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 18All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 5843 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 50The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $831K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in DeKalb 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 DeKalb County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 101,835+1.5% since 2020
- Households
- 39,550
- Median age
- 35.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 61%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 631 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 160
- Median household income
- $70,724+11.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $90,834
- Median home value
- $243,600
- Jobs located here
- 34,194
- Daytime population
- 89,501Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in DeKalb 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 DeKalb 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 DeKalb 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 |
| 47DeKalb County, IL | 45 | 58 | 14.7 | $2.6M | +1.5% | #1,343 of 2,222 |
Other business types in DeKalb County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes48
- Sit-down restaurants54
- Fast food and sandwich shops45
- Pizza38
- Coffee shops and cafes59
- Bakeries and dessert shops48
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 DeKalb County, IL?
As of September 2026, map listings count 58 fast food and sandwich shops in DeKalb County. 43 of them (74%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 84 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, down 2.3% from 2019. The official count takes in all limited-service restaurants, not only fast food and sandwich shops: pizza places are counted too. Official counts list 18 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in DeKalb County, IL spend on food away from home?
About $151.2M a year, or $3,824 per household. That is 6% below the U.S. average (an index of 94, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 58 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $2.6M per shop. That spending covers all food away from home, which fast food and sandwich shops share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 39,550 households in DeKalb County and national spending patterns by income.
How does DeKalb County, IL compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
DeKalb County has 14.7 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 11% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2.6M, 15% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, DeKalb County would have about 50, against 58 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 471 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count fell 2.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is DeKalb County, IL growing?
Population estimates put DeKalb County at 101,835 people in 2025, up 1.5% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 39,550 households. Median household income in DeKalb County is $70,724, 12% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 11.7%, 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. DeKalb County scores 45 for fast food and sandwich shops (lower middle), #1,343 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in DeKalb 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 DeKalb County
Screening a site or an acquisition in DeKalb 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 DeKalb 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.