Groceries and convenience · Small-town market · Illinois
Grocery stores in the Ottawa, IL area
The grocery stores in the Ottawa, IL area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 54 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #231 of 506 scored small-town markets
#10 of 19 scored small-town markets based in Illinois
- Listings
- 42
- 14 chain locations (33%)
- Official establishments
- 24
- 0.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $366.2M
- On groceries · $5,920 a household
- Spending per listing
- $8.7M
- 6% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.8
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 145,902
- −1.6% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in the Ottawa area
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 the Ottawa area. 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 42 grocery stores in the Ottawa area. 14 of them (33%) are chain locations, against 37% across the U.S. That is 6.8 per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 6.8.
Households in the Ottawa area spend about $366.2M a year on groceries, or $5,920 per household, 6% below the U.S. average. That works out to $8.7M per store, 6% below 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 the Ottawa area was 24 in 2023, unchanged from 2019. That is one for every 2,578 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $2.6M have gone to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in the Ottawa area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Ottawa area declined 1.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Ottawa area scores 54 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for grocery stores, ranking #231 of 506 scored small-town markets and #10 of 19 scored small-town markets based in Illinois.
How the Ottawa area 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 | Ottawa area | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.8 | 6.1 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $8.7M | $10.4M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,578 | 1,903 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | 0.0% | +2.4% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.6% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,920 | $6,290 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $72,230 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 54 | 45 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 240.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,223
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $26.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4214 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 39The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $2.6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in the Ottawa area, 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 the Ottawa area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 145,902−1.6% since 2020
- Households
- 61,866
- Median age
- 43.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 75%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 2,164 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 68
- Median household income
- $72,230+24.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $91,689
- Median home value
- $156,400
- Jobs located here
- 52,301
- Daytime population
- 131,372Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Ottawa area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 the Ottawa area. 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 small-town markets in Illinois for grocery stores, numbered among those based in Illinois (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Ottawa area marked.
Top small-town markets in Illinois
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Marion-Herrin, IL | 80 | 9 | 3.1 | $18.6M | +0.2% | #24 of 506 |
| 2Rochelle, IL | 64 | 15 | 7.2 | $8.5M | −0.7% | #113 of 506 |
| 3Charleston-Mattoon, IL | 63 | 10 | 4.8 | $11.5M | −1.0% | #120 of 506 |
| 4Lincoln, IL | 61 | 7 | 6.2 | $9.3M | −2.5% | #144 of 506 |
| 5Sterling, IL | 58 | 11 | 4.8 | $12.1M | −2.6% | #172 of 506 |
| 6Canton, IL | 57 | 6 | 4.3 | $13M | −2.0% | #181 of 506 |
| Burlington, IA-IL | 57 | 9 | 4.5 | $12.5M | −2.5% | #182 of 506 |
| 7Dixon, IL | 56 | 8 | 6.0 | $9.9M | −3.4% | #200 of 506 |
| 8Effingham, IL | 56 | 12 | 6.6 | $9.1M | −0.9% | #203 of 506 |
| 9Freeport, IL | 55 | 9 | 4.6 | $12.2M | −3.0% | #217 of 506 |
| 10Ottawa, IL | 54 | 42 | 6.8 | $8.7M | −1.6% | #231 of 506 |
Other business types in the Ottawa area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores56
- Grocery stores54
- Convenience stores63
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 the Ottawa, IL area?
The Ottawa area has 42 grocery stores on map listings as of September 2026. 14 of them (33%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 24 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023, unchanged from 2019.
How much do households in the Ottawa, IL area spend on groceries?
About $366.2M a year, or $5,920 per household. That is 6% below the U.S. average (an index of 94, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 42 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $8.7M per store. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 61,866 households in the Ottawa area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Ottawa, IL area compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
The Ottawa area has 6.8 grocery stores per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $8.7M, 6% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the national ratio of grocery stores to household spending, the Ottawa area would have about 39, against 42 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,578 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. The official count held level from 2019 to 2023, against 0.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Ottawa, IL area growing?
Population estimates put the Ottawa area at 145,902 people in 2025, down 1.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 61,866 households. Median household income in the Ottawa area is $72,230, 11% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 24.2%, 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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. The Ottawa area scores 54 for grocery stores (upper middle), #231 of 506 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Ottawa area. 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 the Ottawa area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Ottawa area?
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 the Ottawa area. 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.