Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Illinois

Fast food and sandwich shops in Effingham County, IL

How Effingham 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 28 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,897 of 2,222 scored counties
#73 of 80 scored counties in Illinois

Listings
28
25 chain locations (89%)
Official establishments
39
All limited-service restaurants · +11.4% since 2019
Household spending a year
$55.1M
On food away from home · $3,947 a household
Spending per listing
$2M
36% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
20.1
51% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
34,519
−0.5% since 2020

See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Effingham 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 Effingham County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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

What this means

Effingham County scores 28 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, ranking #1,897 of 2,222 scored counties and #73 of 80 scored counties in Illinois. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

As of September 2026, map listings count 28 fast food and sandwich shops in Effingham County. Chain locations make up 89% of them, against 79% across the U.S. That comes to 20.1 for every 10,000 households, 51% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.

At $3,947 per household (3% below the U.S. average), households in Effingham County spend about $55.1M a year on food away from home. That is about $2M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 36% below 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.

Official counts show 39 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Effingham County in 2023, up 11.4% from 2019. That is one for every 358 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 Effingham County from 2020 to 2025 at −0.5%, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How Effingham 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.

Fast food and sandwich shops in Effingham County, IL compared with Illinois and the U.S.
MeasureEffingham CountyIllinoisU.S.
Listings per 10k households20.113.613.3
Spending per listing$2M$3.1M$3.1M
Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants)358474478
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+11.4%+2.0%+6.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025−0.5%−0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,947$4,215$4,070
Median household income$80,404$83,390$80,734
Groundwork market score2841

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
35 → 39All limited-service restaurants · +11.4% over the period
Employees, 2023
889
Annual payroll, 2023
$18.7M
One-person businesses, 2023
6All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
2825 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
18The 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 Effingham 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 Effingham County

Population, 2025 estimate
34,519−0.5% since 2020
Households
13,951
Median age
40.4
Homes lived in by their owners
78%
Vehicles per household
2.1
Land area
479 sq. mi.
People per square mile
72
Median household income
$80,404+41.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$99,682
Median home value
$189,500
Jobs located here
22,599
Daytime population
39,935Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

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

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Fast 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 Effingham County marked.

Top counties in Illinois

Counties in Illinois ranked for fast food and sandwich shops by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Piatt County, IL80710.1$4.2M+0.6%#130 of 2,222
2Woodford County, IL79138.9$4.9M−0.8%#142 of 2,222
3Moultrie County, IL7358.6$4.3M−0.8%#277 of 2,222
4Bond County, IL7158.1$4.5M+0.6%#326 of 2,222
5Kendall County, IL715612.3$3.9M+9.9%#331 of 2,222
6McHenry County, IL7013311.3$4.2M+2.5%#355 of 2,222
7Bureau County, IL68128.6$4.3M−2.1%#423 of 2,222
8Monroe County, IL681712.3$3.8M−0.3%#431 of 2,222
9Clinton County, IL682013.7$3M+0.6%#452 of 2,222
10Macoupin County, IL67169.1$4.2M−2.6%#465 of 2,222
73Effingham County, IL282820.1$2M−0.5%#1,897 of 2,222

Other business types in Effingham County

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

Funeral services

Questions

How many fast food and sandwich shops are in Effingham County, IL?

Effingham County has 28 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 25 of them (89%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 39 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 11.4% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Official counts also show 6 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Effingham County, IL spend on food away from home?

About $55.1M a year, or $3,947 per household. That is 3% below the U.S. average (an index of 97, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 28 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $2M 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 13,951 households in Effingham County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Effingham County, IL compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?

Effingham County has 20.1 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 51% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2M, 36% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Effingham County would have about 18, against 28 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 358 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 11.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.

How fast is Effingham County, IL growing?

Population estimates put Effingham County at 34,519 people in 2025, down 0.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 13,951 households. The median household income in Effingham County is $80,404 a year, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 41.8% 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. Effingham County scores 28 for fast food and sandwich shops (lower middle), #1,897 of 2,222 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Effingham County?

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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.