Food and drink · County · Illinois
Fast food and sandwich shops in Ford County, IL
How Ford 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 58 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #816 of 2,222 scored counties
#26 of 80 scored counties in Illinois
- Listings
- 6
- 5 chain locations (83%)
- Official establishments
- 7
- All limited-service restaurants
- Household spending a year
- $20.3M
- On food away from home · $3,490 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.4M
- 11% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 10.3
- 23% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 13,216
- −2.2% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Ford 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 Ford 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
At $3,490 per household (14% below the U.S. average), households in Ford County spend about $20.3M a year on food away from home. That works out to $3.4M per shop, 11% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only fast food and sandwich shops.
Ford County has 6 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 5 are chain locations, or 83%, against 79% across the U.S. That comes to 10.3 for every 10,000 households, 23% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.
In 2023, official counts showed 7 businesses with payroll in Ford County classed as limited-service restaurants. That is one for every 833 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. Official counts also show 3 one-person businesses without payroll.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Ford County declined 2.2%, against +3.1% for the U.S. Ford County scores 58 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, ranking #816 of 2,222 scored counties and #26 of 80 scored counties in Illinois.
How Ford 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 | Ford County | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 10.3 | 13.6 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $3.4M | $3.1M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 833 | 474 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +2.0% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.2% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,490 | $4,215 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $62,439 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 58 | 41 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 8 → 7All limited-service restaurants
- Employees, 2023
- 144
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 3All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 65 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 7The 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 Ford 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 Ford County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 13,216−2.2% since 2020
- Households
- 5,828
- Median age
- 41.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 486 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 28
- Median household income
- $62,439+19.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $79,163
- Median home value
- $122,000
- Jobs located here
- 5,845
- Daytime population
- 12,564Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Ford 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 Ford 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 Ford 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 |
| 26Ford County, IL | 58 | 6 | 10.3 | $3.4M | −2.2% | #816 of 2,222 |
Other business types in Ford County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes39
- Sit-down restaurants24
- Fast food and sandwich shops58
- Pizza32
- Coffee shops and cafes39
- Bakeries and dessert shops33
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 Ford County, IL?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 6 fast food and sandwich shops in Ford County. 5 of them (83%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 7 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023. The official count takes in all limited-service restaurants, not only fast food and sandwich shops: pizza places are counted too. Another 3 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Ford County, IL spend on food away from home?
About $20.3M a year, or $3,490 per household. That is 14% below the U.S. average (an index of 86, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 6 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $3.4M 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 5,828 households in Ford County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Ford County, IL compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Ford County has 10.3 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 23% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $3.4M, 11% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Ford County would have about 7, against 6 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 833 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S.
How fast is Ford County, IL growing?
Population estimates put Ford County at 13,216 people in 2025, down 2.2% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 5,828 households. Median household income in Ford County is $62,439, 23% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 19.9%, 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. Ford County scores 58 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #816 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Ford 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 Ford County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Ford 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 Ford 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.