Food and drink · Small-town market · Illinois
Fast food and sandwich shops in the Ottawa, IL area
How the Ottawa, 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 58 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #201 of 537 scored small-town markets
#8 of 20 scored small-town markets based in Illinois
- Listings
- 82
- 72 chain locations (88%)
- Official establishments
- 105
- All limited-service restaurants · +19.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $232.2M
- On food away from home · $3,753 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.8M
- 7% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 13.3
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 145,902
- −1.6% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in the Ottawa 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 Ottawa 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
At $3,753 per household (8% below the U.S. average), households in the Ottawa area spend about $232.2M a year on food away from home. Spread across 82 fast food and sandwich shops, that is $2.8M per shop, 7% 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 82 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in the Ottawa area as of September 2026. Of those, 72 are chain locations, or 88%, against 79% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 13.3, in line with the U.S. rate of 13.3.
Official counts show 105 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in the Ottawa area in 2023, up 19.8% from 2019. That is one for every 589 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 list 18 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $702K has gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the Ottawa area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Ottawa area from 2020 to 2025 at −1.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops in the Ottawa area is 58 (upper middle), #201 of 537 scored small-town markets and #8 of 20 scored small-town markets based in Illinois.
How the Ottawa 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 | Ottawa area | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 13.3 | 13.6 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $2.8M | $3.1M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 589 | 474 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +19.8% | +2.0% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.6% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,753 | $4,215 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $72,230 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 58 | 41 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 105All limited-service restaurants · +19.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,866
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $33.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 18All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 8272 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 76The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $702K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the Ottawa 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 Ottawa area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 145,902−1.6% since 2020
- Households
- 61,866
- Median age
- 43.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 75%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 2,164 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 68
- Median household income
- $72,230+24.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $91,689
- Median home value
- $156,400
- Jobs located here
- 52,301
- Daytime population
- 131,372Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Ottawa 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 Ottawa 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 Ottawa 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 |
Other business types in the Ottawa area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes35
- Sit-down restaurants32
- Fast food and sandwich shops58
- Pizza40
- Coffee shops and cafes57
- Bakeries and dessert shops54
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 Ottawa, IL area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 82 fast food and sandwich shops in the Ottawa area. 72 of them (88%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 105 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 19.8% 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 also show 18 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Ottawa, IL area spend on food away from home?
About $232.2M a year, or $3,753 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 82 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $2.8M 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 61,866 households in the Ottawa area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Ottawa, IL area compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
The Ottawa area has 13.3 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2.8M, 7% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, the Ottawa area would have about 76, against 82 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 589 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 19.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Ottawa, IL area growing?
Population estimates put the Ottawa area at 145,902 people in 2025, down 1.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 61,866 households. Median household income in the Ottawa area is $72,230, 11% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 24.2%, 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 Ottawa area scores 58 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #201 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 Ottawa 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 Ottawa area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Ottawa 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 Ottawa 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.