Groceries and convenience · County · Illinois
Grocery stores in McDonough County, IL
The grocery stores in McDonough County, IL, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 35 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,495 of 2,070 scored counties
#53 of 67 scored counties in Illinois
- Listings
- 6
- 2 chain locations (33%)
- Official establishments
- 7
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $64.5M
- On groceries · $5,437 a household
- Spending per listing
- $10.7M
- 16% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.1
- 25% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 25,916
- −4.5% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in McDonough County
The site report maps the grocery 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 McDonough 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 6 grocery stores in McDonough County. Of those, 2 are chain locations, or 33%, against 37% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 5.1, 25% below the U.S. rate of 6.8.
Households in McDonough County spend about $64.5M a year on groceries, or $5,437 per household, 14% below the U.S. average. Spread across 6 grocery stores, that is $10.7M per store, 16% above the U.S. figure of $9.3M. That spending covers all groceries, which grocery stores share with other businesses in the trade.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in McDonough County was 7 in 2023. That is one for every 1,694 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of McDonough County declined 4.5%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For grocery stores, McDonough County has a Groundwork market score of 35 (lower middle): #1,495 of 2,070 scored counties and #53 of 67 scored counties in Illinois.
How McDonough 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 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 | McDonough County | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.1 | 6.1 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $10.7M | $10.4M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,694 | 1,903 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +2.4% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −4.5% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,437 | $6,290 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $52,795 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 35 | 45 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 7 → 7
- Employees, 2023
- 400
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $6.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 62 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 7The 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 supermarkets and grocery stores in McDonough 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 McDonough County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 25,916−4.5% since 2020
- Households
- 11,856
- Median age
- 38.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 63%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 589 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 46
- Median household income
- $52,795+18.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $71,521
- Median home value
- $107,500
- Jobs located here
- 9,784
- Daytime population
- 25,631Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in McDonough 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 stores on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of McDonough County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardGrocery stores across Illinois
Every Illinois market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Illinois for grocery stores, numbered among those based in Illinois, with McDonough County marked.
Top counties in Illinois
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Kendall County, IL | 92 | 15 | 3.3 | $20.8M | +9.9% | #34 of 2,070 |
| 2Grundy County, IL | 83 | 9 | 4.4 | $14.8M | +2.9% | #133 of 2,070 |
| 3Monroe County, IL | 79 | 5 | 3.6 | $18.5M | −0.3% | #208 of 2,070 |
| 4Boone County, IL | 77 | 7 | 3.6 | $17.5M | +0.4% | #239 of 2,070 |
| 5McHenry County, IL | 76 | 48 | 4.1 | $16.5M | +2.5% | #264 of 2,070 |
| 6Williamson County, IL | 75 | 9 | 3.1 | $18.6M | +0.2% | #285 of 2,070 |
| 7Will County, IL | 74 | 120 | 4.9 | $13.9M | +2.2% | #310 of 2,070 |
| 8Tazewell County, IL | 71 | 25 | 4.6 | $13.2M | −0.9% | #369 of 2,070 |
| 9DeKalb County, IL | 68 | 19 | 4.8 | $12.4M | +1.5% | #452 of 2,070 |
| 10Kane County, IL | 67 | 104 | 5.6 | $12M | +1.8% | #479 of 2,070 |
| 53McDonough County, IL | 35 | 6 | 5.1 | $10.7M | −4.5% | #1,495 of 2,070 |
Other business types in McDonough County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores39
- Grocery stores35
- Convenience stores49
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 stores are in McDonough County, IL?
There are 6 grocery stores on map listings in McDonough County as of September 2026. 2 of them (33%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 7 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023.
How much do households in McDonough County, IL spend on groceries?
About $64.5M a year, or $5,437 per household. That is 14% below the U.S. average (an index of 86, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 6 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $10.7M per store. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 11,856 households in McDonough County and national spending patterns by income.
How does McDonough County, IL compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
McDonough County has 5.1 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 25% below the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $10.7M, 16% above the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the national ratio of grocery stores to household spending, McDonough County would have about 7, against 6 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,694 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.
How fast is McDonough County, IL growing?
Population estimates put McDonough County at 25,916 people in 2025, down 4.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 11,856 households. Median household income in McDonough County is $52,795, 35% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 18.7%, 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. McDonough County scores 35 for grocery stores (lower middle), #1,495 of 2,070 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in McDonough County. It maps the grocery 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 stores · All 56 business types in McDonough County
Screening a site or an acquisition in McDonough 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 McDonough 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.