Food and drink · Small-town market · Illinois
Fast food and sandwich shops in the Freeport, IL area
How the Freeport, IL area compares with other small-town markets and the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 54 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #242 of 537 scored small-town markets
#11 of 20 scored small-town markets based in Illinois
- Listings
- 27
- 15 chain locations (56%)
- Official establishments
- 24
- All limited-service restaurants · +14.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $67.4M
- On food away from home · $3,481 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.5M
- 18% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 13.9
- 5% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 43,220
- −3.0% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in the Freeport area
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 the Freeport 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 27 fast food and sandwich shops in the Freeport area. 15 of them (56%) are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. That comes to 13.9 for every 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.
Household spending on food away from home in the Freeport area comes to about $67.4M a year: $3,481 per household, 14% below the U.S. average. That is about $2.5M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 18% 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.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in the Freeport area was 24 in 2023, up 14.3% from 2019. That is one for every 807 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. Official counts list 6 one-person businesses without payroll.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Freeport area declined 3.0%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Freeport area scores 54 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, ranking #242 of 537 scored small-town markets and #11 of 20 scored small-town markets based in Illinois.
How the Freeport area 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 | Freeport area | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 13.9 | 13.6 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $2.5M | $3.1M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 807 | 474 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +14.3% | +2.0% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −3.0% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,481 | $4,215 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $64,043 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 54 | 41 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 24All limited-service restaurants · +14.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 517
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $8.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 6All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 2715 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 22The 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 the Freeport 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. These official figures cover all limited-service restaurants, not only fast food and sandwich shops.
Population and households in the Freeport area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 43,220−3.0% since 2020
- Households
- 19,358
- Median age
- 45.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 564 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 78
- Median household income
- $64,043+31.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $79,920
- Median home value
- $134,900
- Jobs located here
- 17,326
- Daytime population
- 40,359Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Freeport area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 the Freeport area. 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 small-town markets in Illinois for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in Illinois, with the Freeport area marked.
Top small-town markets in Illinois
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Rochelle, IL | 73 | 24 | 11.5 | $3.4M | −0.7% | #68 of 537 |
| 2Canton, IL | 70 | 11 | 8.0 | $4.3M | −2.0% | #84 of 537 |
| 3Taylorville, IL | 68 | 13 | 9.6 | $3.6M | −1.5% | #102 of 537 |
| 4Quincy, IL-MO | 64 | 35 | 11.3 | $3.2M | −2.0% | #143 of 537 |
| 5Lincoln, IL | 64 | 13 | 11.5 | $3.1M | −2.5% | #144 of 537 |
| 6Dixon, IL | 63 | 17 | 12.7 | $2.9M | −3.4% | #152 of 537 |
| 7Sterling, IL | 60 | 29 | 12.5 | $2.9M | −2.6% | #177 of 537 |
| 8Ottawa, IL | 58 | 82 | 13.3 | $2.8M | −1.6% | #201 of 537 |
| 9Pontiac, IL | 56 | 23 | 15.7 | $2.4M | −2.1% | #224 of 537 |
| 10Centralia, IL | 55 | 16 | 10.3 | $3.3M | −3.4% | #227 of 537 |
| 11Freeport, IL | 54 | 27 | 13.9 | $2.5M | −3.0% | #242 of 537 |
Other business types in the Freeport area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes62
- Sit-down restaurants56
- Fast food and sandwich shops54
- Pizza58
- Coffee shops and cafes62
- Bakeries and dessert shops43
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 the Freeport, IL area?
The Freeport area has 27 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 15 of them (56%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 24 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 14.3% 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 the Freeport, IL area spend on food away from home?
About $67.4M a year, or $3,481 per household. That is 14% below the U.S. average (an index of 86, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 27 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $2.5M 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 19,358 households in the Freeport area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Freeport, IL area compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
The Freeport area has 13.9 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2.5M, 18% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, the Freeport area would have about 22, against 27 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 807 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 14.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Freeport, IL area growing?
Population estimates put the Freeport area at 43,220 people in 2025, down 3.0% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 19,358 households. The median household income in the Freeport area is $64,043 a year, 21% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.2% 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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 Freeport area scores 54 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #242 of 537 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Freeport area. 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 the Freeport area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Freeport 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 Freeport 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.