Food and drink · County · Illinois
Fast food and sandwich shops in Winnebago County, IL
How Winnebago 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 34 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,702 of 2,222 scored counties
#64 of 80 scored counties in Illinois
- Listings
- 184
- 161 chain locations (88%)
- Official establishments
- 245
- All limited-service restaurants · +6.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $419.6M
- On food away from home · $3,617 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.3M
- 25% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 15.9
- 20% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 283,674
- −0.4% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Winnebago 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 Winnebago 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
For fast food and sandwich shops, Winnebago County has a Groundwork market score of 34 (lower middle): #1,702 of 2,222 scored counties and #64 of 80 scored counties in Illinois. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 184 fast food and sandwich shops in Winnebago County. 161 of them (88%) are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. That is 15.9 per 10,000 households, 20% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.
Household spending on food away from home in Winnebago County comes to about $419.6M a year: $3,617 per household, 11% below the U.S. average. That works out to $2.3M per shop, 25% 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 Winnebago County was 245 in 2023, up 6.1% from 2019. That is one for every 474 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. Since fiscal 2022, 7 SBA-backed loans worth $3.1M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Winnebago County. Population estimates put the population change in Winnebago County from 2020 to 2025 at −0.4%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Winnebago 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 | Winnebago County | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 15.9 | 13.6 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $2.3M | $3.1M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 474 | 474 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +6.1% | +2.0% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.4% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,617 | $4,215 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $65,837 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 34 | 41 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 231 → 245All limited-service restaurants · +6.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 5,414
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $98.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 39All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 184161 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 138The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 7
- Amount
- $3.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Winnebago 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 Winnebago County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 283,674−0.4% since 2020
- Households
- 116,014
- Median age
- 40.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 513 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 552
- Median household income
- $65,837+20.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $86,474
- Median home value
- $164,500
- Jobs located here
- 121,867
- Daytime population
- 276,449Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Winnebago 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 Winnebago 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 Winnebago 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 |
| 64Winnebago County, IL | 34 | 184 | 15.9 | $2.3M | −0.4% | #1,702 of 2,222 |
Other business types in Winnebago County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes42
- Sit-down restaurants45
- Fast food and sandwich shops34
- Pizza45
- Coffee shops and cafes62
- Bakeries and dessert shops56
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 Winnebago County, IL?
There are 184 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in Winnebago County as of September 2026. 161 of them (88%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 245 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 6.1% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Official counts list 39 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Winnebago County, IL spend on food away from home?
About $419.6M a year, or $3,617 per household. That is 11% below the U.S. average (an index of 89, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 184 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $2.3M 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 116,014 households in Winnebago County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Winnebago County, IL compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Winnebago County has 15.9 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 20% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2.3M, 25% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Winnebago County would have about 138, against 184 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 474 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 6.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Winnebago County, IL growing?
Population estimates put Winnebago County at 283,674 people in 2025, down 0.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 116,014 households. The median household income in Winnebago County is $65,837 a year, 18% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 20.8% 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. 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. Winnebago County scores 34 for fast food and sandwich shops (lower middle), #1,702 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Winnebago 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 Winnebago County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Winnebago 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 Winnebago 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.