Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Illinois

Fast food and sandwich shops in Richland County, IL

The fast food and sandwich shops in Richland County, IL, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 29 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,861 of 2,222 scored counties
#71 of 80 scored counties in Illinois

Listings
8
7 chain locations (88%)
Official establishments
15
All limited-service restaurants
Household spending a year
$21.9M
On food away from home · $3,396 a household
Spending per listing
$2.7M
10% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
12.4
7% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
15,219
−3.7% since 2020

See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Richland 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 Richland County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

Richland County scores 29 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, ranking #1,861 of 2,222 scored counties and #71 of 80 scored counties in Illinois. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

Map listings as of September 2026 show 8 fast food and sandwich shops in Richland County. 7 of them (88%) are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. That comes to 12.4 for every 10,000 households, 7% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.

Households in Richland County spend about $21.9M a year on food away from home, or $3,396 per household, 17% below the U.S. average. That works out to $2.7M per shop, 10% 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 Richland County was 15 in 2023. That is one for every 430 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 show Richland County declined 3.7% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How Richland 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.

Fast food and sandwich shops in Richland County, IL compared with Illinois and the U.S.
MeasureRichland CountyIllinoisU.S.
Listings per 10k households12.413.613.3
Spending per listing$2.7M$3.1M$3.1M
Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants)430474478
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+2.0%+6.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025−3.7%−0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,396$4,215$4,070
Median household income$62,455$83,390$80,734
Groundwork market score2941

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
13 → 15All limited-service restaurants
Employees, 2023
333
Annual payroll, 2023
$5.2M
One-person businesses, 2023
0All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
87 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 Richland 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 Richland County

Population, 2025 estimate
15,219−3.7% since 2020
Households
6,443
Median age
42.1
Homes lived in by their owners
74%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
360 sq. mi.
People per square mile
43
Median household income
$62,455+27.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$77,417
Median home value
$112,000
Jobs located here
5,799
Daytime population
14,753Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Richland 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 Richland County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Fast 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 Richland County marked.

Top counties in Illinois

Counties in Illinois ranked for fast food and sandwich shops by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Piatt County, IL80710.1$4.2M+0.6%#130 of 2,222
2Woodford County, IL79138.9$4.9M−0.8%#142 of 2,222
3Moultrie County, IL7358.6$4.3M−0.8%#277 of 2,222
4Bond County, IL7158.1$4.5M+0.6%#326 of 2,222
5Kendall County, IL715612.3$3.9M+9.9%#331 of 2,222
6McHenry County, IL7013311.3$4.2M+2.5%#355 of 2,222
7Bureau County, IL68128.6$4.3M−2.1%#423 of 2,222
8Monroe County, IL681712.3$3.8M−0.3%#431 of 2,222
9Clinton County, IL682013.7$3M+0.6%#452 of 2,222
10Macoupin County, IL67169.1$4.2M−2.6%#465 of 2,222
71Richland County, IL29812.4$2.7M−3.7%#1,861 of 2,222

Other business types in Richland County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many fast food and sandwich shops are in Richland County, IL?

There are 8 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in Richland County as of September 2026. 7 of them (88%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 15 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 Richland County, IL spend on food away from home?

About $21.9M a year, or $3,396 per household. That is 17% below the U.S. average (an index of 83, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 8 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $2.7M 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 6,443 households in Richland County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Richland County, IL compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?

Richland County has 12.4 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 7% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2.7M, 10% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Richland County would have about 7, against 8 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 430 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S.

How fast is Richland County, IL growing?

Population estimates put Richland County at 15,219 people in 2025, down 3.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 6,443 households. The median household income in Richland County is $62,455 a year, 23% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 27.7% 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. Richland County scores 29 for fast food and sandwich shops (lower middle), #1,861 of 2,222 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Richland 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 Richland County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Richland 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 Richland 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.