Groceries and convenience · County · Illinois
Grocery and convenience stores in McLean County, IL
The grocery and convenience stores in McLean County, IL, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 69 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #457 of 2,402 scored counties
#15 of 85 scored counties in Illinois
- Listings
- 103
- 51 chain locations (50%)
- Official establishments
- 40
- +14.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $431.4M
- On groceries · $6,144 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.2M
- 24% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 14.7
- 21% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 171,419
- +0.1% since 2020
See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in McLean 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 McLean 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
At $6,144 per household (3% below the U.S. average), households in McLean County spend about $431.4M a year on groceries. Spread across 103 grocery and convenience stores, that is $4.2M per store, 24% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M.
McLean County has 103 grocery and convenience stores on map listings as of September 2026. 51 of them (50%) are chain locations, against 42% across the U.S. That is 14.7 per 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 18.7.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in McLean County was 40 in 2023, up 14.3% from 2019. That is one for every 1,756 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Another 14 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $373K has gone to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in McLean County.
Population estimates put the population change in McLean County from 2020 to 2025 at +0.1%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). McLean County scores 69 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for grocery and convenience stores, ranking #457 of 2,402 scored counties and #15 of 85 scored counties in Illinois. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How McLean 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 | McLean County | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 14.7 | 15.0 | 18.7 |
| Spending per listing | $4.2M | $4.2M | $3.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,756 | 1,442 | 1,293 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +14.3% | +4.8% | +7.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.1% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $6,144 | $6,290 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $79,905 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 69 | 60 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 35 → 40+14.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,517
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $33.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 14Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 10351 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 127The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $373K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in McLean 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 McLean County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 171,419+0.1% since 2020
- Households
- 70,220
- Median age
- 37.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 65%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 1,183 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 145
- Median household income
- $79,905+18.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $105,003
- Median home value
- $208,400
- Jobs located here
- 88,959
- Daytime population
- 180,672Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in McLean 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 McLean 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 McLean 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 |
| 15McLean County, IL | 69 | 103 | 14.7 | $4.2M | +0.1% | #457 of 2,402 |
Other business types in McLean County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores69
- Grocery stores59
- Convenience stores78
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 McLean County, IL?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 103 grocery and convenience stores in McLean County. 51 of them (50%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 40 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023, up 14.3% from 2019. Official counts list 14 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in McLean County, IL spend on groceries?
About $431.4M a year, or $6,144 per household. That is 3% below the U.S. average (an index of 97, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 103 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $4.2M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 70,220 households in McLean County and national spending patterns by income.
How does McLean County, IL compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?
McLean County has 14.7 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $4.2M, 24% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, McLean County would have about 127, against 103 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,756 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. The official count rose 14.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +7.2% for the U.S.
How fast is McLean County, IL growing?
Population estimates put McLean County at 171,419 people in 2025, up 0.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 70,220 households. The median household income in McLean County is $79,905 a year, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 18.1% 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. McLean County scores 69 for grocery and convenience stores (upper middle), #457 of 2,402 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in McLean 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 McLean County
Screening a site or an acquisition in McLean 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 McLean 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.