Groceries and convenience · County · Illinois
Grocery and convenience stores in Clay County, IL
The grocery and convenience stores in Clay County, IL, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 53 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #1,052 of 2,402 scored counties
#43 of 85 scored counties in Illinois
- Listings
- 6
- 4 chain locations (67%)
- Official establishments
- n/a
- Fewer than 3, or not published
- Household spending a year
- $29.6M
- On groceries · $5,568 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.9M
- 45% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.3
- 40% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 12,793
- −3.6% since 2020
See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in Clay County
The site report maps the grocery and convenience stores 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 Clay 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
Household spending on groceries in Clay County comes to about $29.6M a year: $5,568 per household, 12% below the U.S. average. Spread across 6 grocery and convenience stores, that is $4.9M per store, 45% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M.
There are 6 grocery and convenience stores on map listings in Clay County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 67% of them, against 42% across the U.S. That is 11.3 per 10,000 households, 40% below the U.S. rate of 18.7.
Official counts don’t publish a figure for grocery and convenience stores in Clay County, since they leave out counts under 3. Official counts list 3 one-person businesses without payroll.
Population estimates put the population change in Clay County from 2020 to 2025 at −3.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for grocery and convenience stores in Clay County is 53 (upper middle), #1,052 of 2,402 scored counties and #43 of 85 scored counties in Illinois.
How Clay County compares
The same measures for Illinois and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all groceries by the grocery and convenience stores 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 | Clay County | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 11.3 | 15.0 | 18.7 |
| Spending per listing | $4.9M | $4.2M | $3.4M |
| Households per official establishment | n/a | 1,442 | 1,293 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +4.8% | +7.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −3.6% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,568 | $6,290 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $60,417 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 53 | 60 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- n/a
- Employees, 2023
- n/a
- Annual payroll, 2023
- n/a
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 3Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 64 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 9The 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 grocery and convenience stores in Clay 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.
Population and households in Clay County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 12,793−3.6% since 2020
- Households
- 5,311
- Median age
- 41.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 79%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 468 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 28
- Median household income
- $60,417+24.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $78,530
- Median home value
- $97,400
- Jobs located here
- 4,511
- Daytime population
- 12,012Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Clay 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 grocery and convenience stores on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Clay County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardGrocery and convenience stores across Illinois
Every Illinois market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Illinois for grocery and convenience stores, numbered among those based in Illinois, with Clay County marked.
Top counties in Illinois
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Kendall County, IL | 94 | 46 | 10.1 | $6.8M | +9.9% | #14 of 2,402 |
| 2Grundy County, IL | 83 | 33 | 16.0 | $4M | +2.9% | #135 of 2,402 |
| 3Will County, IL | 81 | 307 | 12.6 | $5.4M | +2.2% | #156 of 2,402 |
| 4McHenry County, IL | 80 | 142 | 12.1 | $5.6M | +2.5% | #176 of 2,402 |
| 5Monroe County, IL | 79 | 22 | 15.9 | $4.2M | −0.3% | #204 of 2,402 |
| 6Boone County, IL | 77 | 18 | 9.2 | $6.8M | +0.4% | #234 of 2,402 |
| 7Kane County, IL | 76 | 260 | 14.1 | $4.8M | +1.8% | #261 of 2,402 |
| 8Tazewell County, IL | 75 | 72 | 13.3 | $4.6M | −0.9% | #287 of 2,402 |
| 9DeKalb County, IL | 75 | 56 | 14.2 | $4.2M | +1.5% | #292 of 2,402 |
| 10Lake County, IL | 74 | 339 | 13.1 | $5.3M | +0.8% | #309 of 2,402 |
| 43Clay County, IL | 53 | 6 | 11.3 | $4.9M | −3.6% | #1,052 of 2,402 |
Other business types in Clay County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores53
- Grocery stores
- Convenience stores
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many grocery and convenience stores are in Clay County, IL?
As of September 2026, map listings count 6 grocery and convenience stores in Clay County. 4 of them (67%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. No official count is published for grocery and convenience stores in Clay County: counts under 3 are left out. Official counts also show 3 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Clay County, IL spend on groceries?
About $29.6M a year, or $5,568 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 6 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $4.9M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 5,311 households in Clay County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Clay County, IL compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?
Clay County has 11.3 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 40% below the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $4.9M, 45% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, Clay County would have about 9, against 6 on map listings.
How fast is Clay County, IL growing?
Population estimates put Clay County at 12,793 people in 2025, down 3.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 5,311 households. The median household income in Clay County is $60,417 a year, 25% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 24.6% 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. Clay County scores 53 for grocery and convenience stores (upper middle), #1,052 of 2,402 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Clay County. It maps the grocery and convenience stores 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 grocery and convenience stores · All 56 business types in Clay County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Clay 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 Clay 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.