Market rankings · Illinois

Restaurants and cafes in Illinois

Every metro area, small-town market and county in Illinois, ranked by the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, with competitor counts and household spending for each.

Listings: 56,407; 18,875 chain locations (33%)
Official establishments: 23,334; +3.2% since 2019
Household spending a year: $21.2B; On food away from home
Listings per 10k households: 112.0; 2% above the U.S.
Spending per listing: $376K; 2% above the U.S.
Rank among states: #30 of 51; Market score 46 · Lower middle

A site report maps the restaurants and cafes on map listings around any address in Illinois by name and distance, and the spending within reach.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

There are 56,407 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Illinois as of September 2026. 18,875 of them (33%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 112.0 for every 10,000 households, 2% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.

At $4,215 per household (4% above the U.S. average), households in Illinois spend about $21.2B a year on food away from home. That is about $376K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 2% above the U.S. figure of $371K.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Illinois was 23,334 in 2023, up 3.2% from 2019. That is one for every 216 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 6.0% over the same years. Since fiscal 2022, 1,104 SBA-backed loans worth $615.9M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Illinois.

Among the 50 states and DC, Illinois ranks #30 for restaurants and cafes, with a Groundwork market score of 46 (lower middle). Of the 12 scored metro areas in or partly in Illinois, the Bloomington metro area scores highest (66). Of the 21 scored small-town markets in or partly in Illinois, the Rochelle area scores highest (69).

Every market in Illinois for restaurants and cafes

Download the ranking (CSV)

Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in Illinois, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.

Metro areas

Metro areas reaching Illinois, ranked for restaurants and cafes by Groundwork market score
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Spending per listing	Population growth	U.S. rank
1Bloomington, IL	66	674	96.0	$423K	+0.1%	#87 of 387
St. Louis, MO-IL	64	11,274	97.2	$423K	−0.2%	#103 of 387
2Peoria, IL	55	1,519	98.7	$390K	−1.3%	#155 of 387
3Rockford, IL	52	1,260	93.0	$397K	−0.3%	#178 of 387
4Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	47	42,241	115.9	$381K	0.0%	#210 of 387
5Kankakee, IL	45	412	100.5	$382K	−1.7%	#219 of 387
6Decatur, IL	43	416	95.7	$369K	−4.3%	#239 of 387
7Springfield, IL	38	973	108.1	$364K	−1.2%	#273 of 387
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL	35	1,753	108.4	$353K	−0.9%	#293 of 387
8Champaign-Urbana, IL	34	1,035	105.4	$353K	+1.5%	#303 of 387
Cape Girardeau, MO-IL	24	432	112.8	$318K	+1.7%	#359 of 387
Paducah, KY-IL	16	454	108.8	$321K	−1.2%	#381 of 387

Small-town markets

Small-town markets reaching Illinois, ranked for restaurants and cafes by Groundwork market score
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Spending per listing	Population growth	U.S. rank
1Rochelle, IL	69	213	102.3	$386K	−0.7%	#87 of 538
2Freeport, IL	62	167	86.3	$403K	−3.0%	#151 of 538
3Marion-Herrin, IL	55	283	97.6	$371K	+0.2%	#214 of 538
4Pontiac, IL	53	157	107.4	$354K	−2.1%	#235 of 538
5Danville, IL	52	265	88.1	$380K	−3.7%	#240 of 538
6Quincy, IL-MO	52	304	97.7	$363K	−2.0%	#246 of 538
7Taylorville, IL	51	135	99.4	$351K	−1.5%	#255 of 538
8Lincoln, IL	49	112	99.4	$364K	−2.5%	#267 of 538
9Jacksonville, IL	47	155	102.5	$350K	−3.1%	#292 of 538
10Sterling, IL	47	244	105.5	$339K	−2.6%	#296 of 538
11Effingham, IL	46	205	113.1	$343K	−0.9%	#307 of 538
12Canton, IL	46	142	102.9	$334K	−2.0%	#308 of 538
13Dixon, IL	46	152	114.0	$327K	−3.4%	#309 of 538
14Mount Vernon, IL	44	145	97.8	$352K	−2.3%	#333 of 538
15Centralia, IL	43	151	97.3	$347K	−3.4%	#344 of 538
Burlington, IA-IL	38	224	112.7	$306K	−2.5%	#392 of 538
16Macomb, IL	37	111	93.6	$347K	−4.5%	#395 of 538
17Galesburg, IL	36	199	94.9	$346K	−4.1%	#405 of 538
18Ottawa, IL	35	800	129.3	$290K	−1.6%	#417 of 538
19Charleston-Mattoon, IL	33	210	100.8	$330K	−1.0%	#435 of 538
20Carbondale, IL	18	281	122.4	$260K	−1.5%	#524 of 538

Counties

Counties in Illinois, ranked for restaurants and cafes by Groundwork market score
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Spending per listing	Population growth	U.S. rank
1Piatt County, IL	77	58	83.8	$511K	+0.6%	#207 of 2,405
2Kendall County, IL	75	389	85.7	$563K	+9.9%	#239 of 2,405
3Boone County, IL	75	151	77.6	$538K	+0.4%	#244 of 2,405
4Woodford County, IL	73	114	77.6	$560K	−0.8%	#298 of 2,405
5Menard County, IL	72	35	66.9	$584K	−3.3%	#332 of 2,405
6McHenry County, IL	67	1,081	91.9	$513K	+2.5%	#476 of 2,405
7Moultrie County, IL	65	49	84.2	$442K	−0.8%	#571 of 2,405
8Will County, IL	64	2,438	99.8	$481K	+2.2%	#599 of 2,405
9Cumberland County, IL	64	32	76.6	$478K	−2.1%	#601 of 2,405
10Monroe County, IL	62	133	96.0	$483K	−0.3%	#666 of 2,405
11Mercer County, IL	62	57	86.8	$445K	−2.6%	#678 of 2,405
12Johnson County, IL	61	30	73.2	$472K	+0.4%	#711 of 2,405
13Clinton County, IL	59	158	108.4	$380K	+0.6%	#812 of 2,405
14Washington County, IL	58	57	98.4	$386K	−1.2%	#850 of 2,405
15Lake County, IL	57	2,846	110.1	$450K	+0.8%	#867 of 2,405
16Tazewell County, IL	57	495	91.6	$430K	−0.9%	#871 of 2,405
17McLean County, IL	57	674	96.0	$423K	+0.1%	#874 of 2,405
18Kane County, IL	57	2,072	112.2	$419K	+1.8%	#876 of 2,405
19Ogle County, IL	56	213	102.3	$386K	−0.7%	#932 of 2,405
20Macoupin County, IL	55	164	93.3	$406K	−2.6%	#966 of 2,405
21Shelby County, IL	53	82	91.9	$393K	−1.6%	#1,062 of 2,405
22Bond County, IL	53	61	99.2	$367K	+0.6%	#1,068 of 2,405
23Henry County, IL	51	189	93.2	$409K	−2.2%	#1,136 of 2,405
24Stephenson County, IL	51	167	86.3	$403K	−3.0%	#1,139 of 2,405
25St. Clair County, IL	51	986	97.8	$398K	−2.5%	#1,141 of 2,405

Show all 102 counties

Counties in Illinois, ranked for restaurants and cafes by Groundwork market score, continued
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Spending per listing	Population growth	U.S. rank
26Grundy County, IL	51	239	116.0	$374K	+2.9%	#1,152 of 2,405
27DuPage County, IL	50	4,218	120.3	$412K	+0.3%	#1,176 of 2,405
28Madison County, IL	49	1,079	98.0	$402K	−1.0%	#1,222 of 2,405
29De Witt County, IL	49	63	95.5	$386K	−2.1%	#1,230 of 2,405
30DeKalb County, IL	48	431	109.0	$351K	+1.5%	#1,286 of 2,405
31Wabash County, IL	47	43	90.7	$377K	−3.6%	#1,310 of 2,405
32Crawford County, IL	46	71	94.8	$391K	+0.1%	#1,344 of 2,405
33Iroquois County, IL	45	112	97.9	$365K	−3.0%	#1,402 of 2,405
34Saline County, IL	44	78	77.8	$428K	−4.1%	#1,430 of 2,405
35Kankakee County, IL	44	412	100.5	$382K	−1.7%	#1,446 of 2,405
36Clay County, IL	44	48	90.4	$373K	−3.6%	#1,450 of 2,405
37Williamson County, IL	44	283	97.6	$371K	+0.2%	#1,451 of 2,405
38Mason County, IL	44	55	95.1	$362K	−4.9%	#1,458 of 2,405
39Lawrence County, IL	43	46	84.1	$413K	−9.7%	#1,480 of 2,405
40Livingston County, IL	43	157	107.4	$354K	−2.1%	#1,498 of 2,405
41Wayne County, IL	42	54	78.6	$413K	−1.6%	#1,516 of 2,405
42Winnebago County, IL	42	1,109	95.6	$378K	−0.4%	#1,526 of 2,405
43Vermilion County, IL	41	265	88.1	$380K	−3.7%	#1,565 of 2,405
44Adams County, IL	41	274	98.2	$364K	−2.1%	#1,572 of 2,405
45Perry County, IL	41	80	101.6	$343K	−3.5%	#1,577 of 2,405
46Macon County, IL	40	416	95.7	$369K	−4.3%	#1,609 of 2,405
47Logan County, IL	40	112	99.4	$364K	−2.5%	#1,611 of 2,405
48Christian County, IL	40	135	99.4	$351K	−1.5%	#1,618 of 2,405
49Douglas County, IL	40	84	108.2	$350K	+0.5%	#1,619 of 2,405
50Rock Island County, IL	39	601	97.4	$371K	−1.7%	#1,642 of 2,405
51Ford County, IL	39	57	97.8	$357K	−2.2%	#1,648 of 2,405
52Sangamon County, IL	39	938	110.7	$356K	−1.0%	#1,649 of 2,405
53Peoria County, IL	39	817	105.1	$354K	−1.6%	#1,650 of 2,405
54Cook County, IL	39	25,758	122.6	$347K	−1.3%	#1,653 of 2,405
55Greene County, IL	39	46	103.3	$346K	−5.1%	#1,654 of 2,405
56Bureau County, IL	39	159	113.3	$322K	−2.1%	#1,667 of 2,405
57Champaign County, IL	38	920	107.6	$343K	+1.8%	#1,702 of 2,405
58Hancock County, IL	38	85	111.7	$314K	−4.4%	#1,715 of 2,405
59Massac County, IL	37	52	95.3	$354K	−4.5%	#1,737 of 2,405
60Whiteside County, IL	37	244	105.5	$339K	−2.6%	#1,741 of 2,405
61Warren County, IL	37	73	107.6	$337K	−3.6%	#1,744 of 2,405
62Lee County, IL	37	152	114.0	$327K	−3.4%	#1,752 of 2,405
63Cass County, IL	37	58	113.1	$310K	−4.0%	#1,757 of 2,405
64White County, IL	36	49	86.4	$375K	−4.0%	#1,764 of 2,405
65Fulton County, IL	36	142	102.9	$334K	−2.0%	#1,783 of 2,405
66Jefferson County, IL	35	145	97.8	$352K	−2.3%	#1,819 of 2,405
67Morgan County, IL	35	137	104.8	$342K	−2.9%	#1,827 of 2,405
68Marion County, IL	34	151	97.3	$347K	−3.4%	#1,867 of 2,405
69Effingham County, IL	32	173	124.0	$318K	−0.5%	#1,951 of 2,405
70Randolph County, IL	32	138	115.5	$308K	−0.6%	#1,955 of 2,405
71Carroll County, IL	32	84	127.7	$268K	−1.7%	#1,963 of 2,405
72Richland County, IL	31	60	93.1	$365K	−3.7%	#1,969 of 2,405
73Fayette County, IL	31	81	103.7	$333K	−3.2%	#1,975 of 2,405
74Jersey County, IL	31	108	135.6	$293K	−1.5%	#1,990 of 2,405
75McDonough County, IL	30	111	93.6	$347K	−4.5%	#2,012 of 2,405
76Edgar County, IL	30	80	105.7	$322K	−2.9%	#2,026 of 2,405
77Knox County, IL	29	199	94.9	$346K	−4.1%	#2,056 of 2,405
78Franklin County, IL	28	163	101.0	$323K	−2.1%	#2,092 of 2,405
79Pike County, IL	28	67	112.3	$298K	−2.8%	#2,102 of 2,405
80Coles County, IL	27	210	100.8	$330K	−1.0%	#2,119 of 2,405
81Montgomery County, IL	27	161	142.2	$247K	−0.6%	#2,140 of 2,405
82LaSalle County, IL	26	622	137.1	$276K	−1.5%	#2,164 of 2,405
83Marshall County, IL	26	71	139.4	$260K	−2.0%	#2,168 of 2,405
84Union County, IL	25	75	109.2	$309K	−3.7%	#2,183 of 2,405
85Clark County, IL	24	80	122.0	$298K	−2.2%	#2,211 of 2,405
86Jo Daviess County, IL	23	178	171.3	$225K	−2.2%	#2,238 of 2,405
87Jackson County, IL	16	281	122.4	$260K	−1.5%	#2,353 of 2,405
Jasper County, IL	Not scored	28	74.6	$504K	−2.4%
Hamilton County, IL	Not scored	19	56.1	$637K	−1.7%
Schuyler County, IL	Not scored	24	87.8	$389K	−3.0%
Brown County, IL	Not scored	13	63.7	$539K	+2.7%
Henderson County, IL	Not scored	25	92.5	$365K	−5.6%
Edwards County, IL	Not scored	19	71.3	$467K	−5.0%
Putnam County, IL	Not scored	19	77.1	$500K	−0.1%
Stark County, IL	Not scored	22	96.3	$380K	−1.2%
Pulaski County, IL	Not scored	13	67.0	$431K	−6.9%
Scott County, IL	Not scored	18	88.0	$404K	−4.0%
Alexander County, IL	Not scored	23	120.8	$264K	−11.6%
Gallatin County, IL	Not scored	13	62.0	$549K	−6.4%
Calhoun County, IL	Not scored	21	169.5	$251K	−2.2%
Pope County, IL	Not scored	16	115.5	$299K	−2.2%
Hardin County, IL	Not scored	13	84.1	$363K	−1.8%

Markets with fewer than 5 restaurants and cafes on map listings, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored; they’re listed last in each table.

Questions

How many restaurants and cafes are in Illinois?

As of September 2026, map listings count 56,407 restaurants and cafes in Illinois. 18,875 of them (33%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 23,334 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 3.2% from 2019. Another 5,192 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in Illinois spend on food away from home?

About $21.2B a year, or $4,215 per household. That is 4% above the U.S. average (an index of 104, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 56,407 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $376K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 5,036,449 households in Illinois and national spending patterns by income.

How does Illinois compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?

Illinois has 112.0 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 2% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $376K, 2% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Illinois would have about 57,256, against 56,407 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 216 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 3.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

Which market in Illinois has the highest market score for restaurants and cafes?

Among 12 scored metro areas in or partly in Illinois, the Bloomington metro area scores highest, at 66 (upper middle). Among 21 scored small-town markets in or partly in Illinois, the Rochelle area scores highest, at 69 (upper middle). Among 87 scored counties in Illinois, Piatt County scores highest, at 77 (high). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.

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. Illinois scores 46 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #30 of the 50 states and DC.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Illinois. It maps the restaurants and cafes 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.

Sit-down restaurants31,234 listings
Fast food and sandwich shops6,826 listings
Pizza4,499 listings
Coffee shops and cafes5,172 listings
Bakeries and dessert shops4,962 listings

Screening a site or an acquisition in Illinois?

A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.

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