Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Illinois

Fast food and sandwich shops in Will County, IL

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for fast food and sandwich shops in Will County, IL, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 60 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #737 of 2,222 scored counties
#23 of 80 scored counties in Illinois

Listings
333
295 chain locations (89%)
Official establishments
567
All limited-service restaurants · +8.6% since 2019
Household spending a year
$1.2B
On food away from home · $4,802 a household
Spending per listing
$3.5M
15% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
13.6
2% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
712,253
+2.2% since 2020

See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Will 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 Will 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

As of September 2026, map listings count 333 fast food and sandwich shops in Will County. Chain locations make up 89% of them, against 79% across the U.S. That comes to 13.6 for every 10,000 households, 2% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.

At $4,802 per household (18% above the U.S. average), households in Will County spend about $1.2B a year on food away from home. That works out to $3.5M per shop, 15% 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.

Official counts show 567 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Will County in 2023, up 8.6% from 2019. That is one for every 431 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. Another 101 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 22 SBA-backed loans worth $9.9M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Will County.

Population estimates show Will County grew 2.2% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Will County scores 60 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, ranking #737 of 2,222 scored counties and #23 of 80 scored counties in Illinois.

How Will 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 Will County, IL compared with Illinois and the U.S.
MeasureWill CountyIllinoisU.S.
Listings per 10k households13.613.613.3
Spending per listing$3.5M$3.1M$3.1M
Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants)431474478
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+8.6%+2.0%+6.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+2.2%−0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$4,802$4,215$4,070
Median household income$109,984$83,390$80,734
Groundwork market score6041

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
522 → 567All limited-service restaurants · +8.6% over the period
Employees, 2023
11,758
Annual payroll, 2023
$224.3M
One-person businesses, 2023
101All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
333295 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
385The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
22
Amount
$9.9M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Will 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 Will County

Population, 2025 estimate
712,253+2.2% since 2020
Households
244,273
Median age
39.7
Homes lived in by their owners
83%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
836 sq. mi.
People per square mile
839
Median household income
$109,984+26.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$134,183
Median home value
$319,600
Jobs located here
272,349
Daytime population
615,002Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Will 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 Will 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 Will 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
23Will County, IL6033313.6$3.5M+2.2%#737 of 2,222

Other business types in Will County

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

Funeral services

Questions

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

Will County has 333 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 295 of them (89%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 567 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 8.6% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Official counts list 101 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Will County, IL spend on food away from home?

About $1.2B a year, or $4,802 per household. That is 18% above the U.S. average (an index of 118, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 333 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $3.5M 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 244,273 households in Will County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Will County has 13.6 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 2% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $3.5M, 15% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Will County would have about 385, against 333 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 431 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 8.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.

How fast is Will County, IL growing?

Population estimates put Will County at 712,253 people in 2025, up 2.2% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 244,273 households. The median household income in Will County is $109,984 a year, 36% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 26.5% 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. Will County scores 60 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #737 of 2,222 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Will County?

A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.

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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.