Groceries and convenience · County · Illinois
Grocery and convenience stores in Ford County, IL
The grocery and convenience stores in Ford County, IL, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 41 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,556 of 2,402 scored counties
#66 of 85 scored counties in Illinois
- Listings
- 14
- 5 chain locations (36%)
- Official establishments
- 3
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $33M
- On groceries · $5,662 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.4M
- 30% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 24.0
- 28% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 13,216
- −2.2% since 2020
See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in Ford 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 Ford 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 14 grocery and convenience stores in Ford County. 5 of them (36%) are chain locations, against 42% across the U.S. That is 24.0 per 10,000 households, 28% above the U.S. rate of 18.7.
Household spending on groceries in Ford County comes to about $33M a year: $5,662 per household, 10% below the U.S. average. Spread across 14 grocery and convenience stores, that is $2.4M per store, 30% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M.
Official counts show 3 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in Ford County in 2023. That is one for every 1,943 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Another 5 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
Population estimates show Ford County declined 2.2% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. Ford County scores 41 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for grocery and convenience stores, ranking #1,556 of 2,402 scored counties and #66 of 85 scored counties in Illinois.
How Ford 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 | Ford County | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 24.0 | 15.0 | 18.7 |
| Spending per listing | $2.4M | $4.2M | $3.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,943 | 1,442 | 1,293 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +4.8% | +7.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.2% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,662 | $6,290 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $62,439 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 41 | 60 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 3 → 3
- Employees, 2023
- 119
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 5Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 145 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 10The 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 Ford 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 Ford County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 13,216−2.2% since 2020
- Households
- 5,828
- Median age
- 41.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 486 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 28
- Median household income
- $62,439+19.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $79,163
- Median home value
- $122,000
- Jobs located here
- 5,845
- Daytime population
- 12,564Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Ford 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 Ford 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 Ford 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 |
| 66Ford County, IL | 41 | 14 | 24.0 | $2.4M | −2.2% | #1,556 of 2,402 |
Other business types in Ford County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores41
- Grocery stores
- Convenience stores30
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 Ford County, IL?
Ford County has 14 grocery and convenience stores on map listings as of September 2026. 5 of them (36%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 3 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023. Official counts list 5 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Ford County, IL spend on groceries?
About $33M a year, or $5,662 per household. That is 10% below the U.S. average (an index of 90, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 14 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $2.4M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 5,828 households in Ford County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Ford County, IL compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?
Ford County has 24.0 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 28% above the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $2.4M, 30% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the national ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, Ford County would have about 10, against 14 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,943 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S.
How fast is Ford County, IL growing?
Population estimates put Ford County at 13,216 people in 2025, down 2.2% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 5,828 households. Median household income in Ford County is $62,439, 23% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 19.9%, 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. Ford County scores 41 for grocery and convenience stores (lower middle), #1,556 of 2,402 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Ford 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 Ford County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Ford 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 Ford 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.