Food and drink · Small-town market · Illinois
Fast food and sandwich shops in the Pontiac, IL area
How the Pontiac, 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 56 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #224 of 537 scored small-town markets
#9 of 20 scored small-town markets based in Illinois
- Listings
- 23
- 21 chain locations (91%)
- Official establishments
- 22
- All limited-service restaurants
- Household spending a year
- $55.6M
- On food away from home · $3,804 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.4M
- 21% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 15.7
- 18% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 35,057
- −2.1% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in the Pontiac 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 Pontiac 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 23 fast food and sandwich shops in the Pontiac area. 21 of them (91%) are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. That is 15.7 per 10,000 households, 18% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.
At $3,804 per household (7% below the U.S. average), households in the Pontiac area spend about $55.6M a year on food away from home. That works out to $2.4M per shop, 21% 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 Pontiac area was 22 in 2023. That is one for every 664 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 the Pontiac area from 2020 to 2025 at −2.1%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops in the Pontiac area is 56 (upper middle), #224 of 537 scored small-town markets and #9 of 20 scored small-town markets based in Illinois.
How the Pontiac 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 | Pontiac area | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 15.7 | 13.6 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $2.4M | $3.1M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 664 | 474 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +2.0% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.1% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,804 | $4,215 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $73,790 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 56 | 41 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 22All limited-service restaurants
- Employees, 2023
- 365
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $6.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 2321 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 the Pontiac 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 Pontiac area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 35,057−2.1% since 2020
- Households
- 14,615
- Median age
- 41.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 74%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 1,044 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 34
- Median household income
- $73,790+33.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $91,317
- Median home value
- $142,200
- Jobs located here
- 12,813
- Daytime population
- 32,838Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Pontiac 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 Pontiac 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 Pontiac 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 Pontiac area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes53
- Sit-down restaurants48
- Fast food and sandwich shops56
- Pizza42
- Coffee shops and cafes67
- Bakeries and dessert shops74
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 Pontiac, IL area?
The Pontiac area has 23 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 21 of them (91%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 22 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops.
How much do households in the Pontiac, IL area spend on food away from home?
About $55.6M a year, or $3,804 per household. That is 7% below the U.S. average (an index of 93, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 23 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $2.4M 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 14,615 households in the Pontiac area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Pontiac, IL area compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
The Pontiac area has 15.7 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 18% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2.4M, 21% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, the Pontiac area would have about 18, against 23 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 664 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S.
How fast is the Pontiac, IL area growing?
Population estimates put the Pontiac area at 35,057 people in 2025, down 2.1% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 14,615 households. The median household income in the Pontiac area is $73,790 a year, 9% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 33.8% 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. 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 Pontiac area scores 56 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #224 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 Pontiac 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 Pontiac area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Pontiac 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 Pontiac 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.