Groundwork

Groceries and convenience · County · Illinois

Grocery and convenience stores in Wayne County, IL

How Wayne County, IL compares with other counties and the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 54 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #1,007 of 2,402 scored counties
#40 of 85 scored counties in Illinois

Listings
8
2 chain locations (25%)
Official establishments
n/a
Fewer than 3, or not published
Household spending a year
$37.4M
On groceries · $5,447 a household
Spending per listing
$4.7M
38% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
11.7
37% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
15,882
−1.6% since 2020

See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in Wayne 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 Wayne 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

Household spending on groceries in Wayne County comes to about $37.4M a year: $5,447 per household, 14% below the U.S. average. That is about $4.7M of household spending for each store on map listings, 38% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M.

There are 8 grocery and convenience stores on map listings in Wayne County as of September 2026. 2 of them (25%) are chain locations, against 42% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 11.7, 37% below the U.S. rate of 18.7.

Official counts don’t publish a figure for grocery and convenience stores in Wayne County, since they leave out counts under 3. Official counts list 9 one-person businesses without payroll.

Population estimates show Wayne County declined 1.6% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for grocery and convenience stores in Wayne County is 54 (upper middle), #1,007 of 2,402 scored counties and #40 of 85 scored counties in Illinois.

How Wayne 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.

Grocery and convenience stores in Wayne County, IL compared with Illinois and the U.S.
MeasureWayne CountyIllinoisU.S.
Listings per 10k households11.715.018.7
Spending per listing$4.7M$4.2M$3.4M
Households per official establishmentn/a1,4421,293
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+4.8%+7.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025−1.6%−0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on groceries$5,447$6,290$6,319
Median household income$55,521$83,390$80,734
Groundwork market score5460

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
9Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
82 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
11The 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 Wayne 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 Wayne County

Population, 2025 estimate
15,882−1.6% since 2020
Households
6,866
Median age
42.3
Homes lived in by their owners
78%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
714 sq. mi.
People per square mile
22
Median household income
$55,521+10.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$74,226
Median home value
$110,700
Jobs located here
4,153
Daytime population
13,354Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Wayne 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 Wayne County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Grocery 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 Wayne County marked.

Top counties in Illinois

Counties in Illinois ranked for grocery and convenience stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Kendall County, IL944610.1$6.8M+9.9%#14 of 2,402
2Grundy County, IL833316.0$4M+2.9%#135 of 2,402
3Will County, IL8130712.6$5.4M+2.2%#156 of 2,402
4McHenry County, IL8014212.1$5.6M+2.5%#176 of 2,402
5Monroe County, IL792215.9$4.2M−0.3%#204 of 2,402
6Boone County, IL77189.2$6.8M+0.4%#234 of 2,402
7Kane County, IL7626014.1$4.8M+1.8%#261 of 2,402
8Tazewell County, IL757213.3$4.6M−0.9%#287 of 2,402
9DeKalb County, IL755614.2$4.2M+1.5%#292 of 2,402
10Lake County, IL7433913.1$5.3M+0.8%#309 of 2,402
40Wayne County, IL54811.7$4.7M−1.6%#1,007 of 2,402

Other business types in Wayne County

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

Questions

How many grocery and convenience stores are in Wayne County, IL?

As of September 2026, map listings count 8 grocery and convenience stores in Wayne County. 2 of them (25%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. No official count is published for grocery and convenience stores in Wayne County: counts under 3 are left out. Official counts also show 9 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Wayne County, IL spend on groceries?

About $37.4M a year, or $5,447 per household. That is 14% below the U.S. average (an index of 86, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 8 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $4.7M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 6,866 households in Wayne County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Wayne County, IL compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?

Wayne County has 11.7 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 37% below the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $4.7M, 38% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, Wayne County would have about 11, against 8 on map listings.

How fast is Wayne County, IL growing?

Population estimates put Wayne County at 15,882 people in 2025, down 1.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 6,866 households. The median household income in Wayne County is $55,521 a year, 31% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 10.5% 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. Wayne County scores 54 for grocery and convenience stores (upper middle), #1,007 of 2,402 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Wayne 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 Wayne 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.