Food and drink · County · Illinois
Fast food and sandwich shops in McHenry County, IL
How McHenry 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 70 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #355 of 2,222 scored counties
#6 of 80 scored counties in Illinois
- Listings
- 133
- 109 chain locations (82%)
- Official establishments
- 236
- All limited-service restaurants · +3.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $554.6M
- On food away from home · $4,716 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.2M
- 37% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.3
- 15% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 317,751
- +2.5% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in McHenry 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 McHenry 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 133 fast food and sandwich shops in McHenry County. Chain locations make up 82% of them, against 79% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 11.3, 15% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.
At $4,716 per household (16% above the U.S. average), households in McHenry County spend about $554.6M a year on food away from home. That is about $4.2M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 37% 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.
In 2023, official counts showed 236 businesses with payroll in McHenry County classed as limited-service restaurants, up 3.1% from 2019. That is one for every 498 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 also show 36 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 20 SBA-backed loans worth $8.2M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in McHenry County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of McHenry County grew 2.5%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops in McHenry County is 70 (upper middle), #355 of 2,222 scored counties and #6 of 80 scored counties in Illinois. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How McHenry 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 | McHenry County | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 11.3 | 13.6 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $4.2M | $3.1M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 498 | 474 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +3.1% | +2.0% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.5% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,716 | $4,215 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $104,802 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 70 | 41 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 229 → 236All limited-service restaurants · +3.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 4,091
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $81.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 36All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 133109 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 182The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 20
- Amount
- $8.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in McHenry 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 McHenry County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 317,751+2.5% since 2020
- Households
- 117,594
- Median age
- 41.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 83%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 603 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 518
- Median household income
- $104,802+20.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $130,520
- Median home value
- $308,100
- Jobs located here
- 93,473
- Daytime population
- 243,217Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in McHenry 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 McHenry 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 McHenry 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 |
Other business types in McHenry County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes67
- Sit-down restaurants67
- Fast food and sandwich shops70
- Pizza63
- Coffee shops and cafes74
- Bakeries and dessert shops58
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 McHenry County, IL?
There are 133 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in McHenry County as of September 2026. 109 of them (82%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 236 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 3.1% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Another 36 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in McHenry County, IL spend on food away from home?
About $554.6M a year, or $4,716 per household. That is 16% above the U.S. average (an index of 116, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 133 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $4.2M 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 117,594 households in McHenry County and national spending patterns by income.
How does McHenry County, IL compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
McHenry County has 11.3 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 15% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $4.2M, 37% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, McHenry County would have about 182, against 133 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 498 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 3.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is McHenry County, IL growing?
Population estimates put McHenry County at 317,751 people in 2025, up 2.5% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 117,594 households. The median household income in McHenry County is $104,802 a year, 30% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 20.7% 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. McHenry County scores 70 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #355 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in McHenry 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 McHenry County
Screening a site or an acquisition in McHenry 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 McHenry 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.