Food and drink · County · Illinois
Restaurants and cafes in Adams County, IL
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Adams County, IL, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 41 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,572 of 2,405 scored counties
#44 of 87 scored counties in Illinois
- Listings
- 274
- 96 chain locations (35%)
- Official establishments
- 107
- +4.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $99.6M
- On food away from home · $3,569 a household
- Spending per listing
- $364K
- 2% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 98.2
- 11% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 64,267
- −2.1% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Adams County
The site report maps the restaurants and cafes 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 Adams 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 274 restaurants and cafes in Adams County. Of those, 96 are chain locations, or 35%, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 98.2, 11% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
At $3,569 per household (12% below the U.S. average), households in Adams County spend about $99.6M a year on food away from home. Spread across 274 restaurants and cafes, that is $364K per restaurant, 2% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
Official counts show 107 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Adams County in 2023, up 4.9% from 2019. That is one for every 261 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 8 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $1.9M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Adams County.
Population estimates put the population change in Adams County from 2020 to 2025 at −2.1%, against +3.1% for the U.S. Adams County scores 41 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #1,572 of 2,405 scored counties and #44 of 87 scored counties in Illinois.
How Adams County compares
The same measures for Illinois and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all food away from home by the restaurants and cafes 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 | Adams County | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 98.2 | 112.0 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $364K | $376K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 261 | 216 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +4.9% | +3.2% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.1% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,569 | $4,215 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $66,220 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 41 | 46 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 102 → 107+4.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,406
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $47M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 8Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 27496 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 269The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 5
- Amount
- $1.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Adams 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 Adams County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 64,267−2.1% since 2020
- Households
- 27,915
- Median age
- 42.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 855 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 76
- Median household income
- $66,220+25.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $85,695
- Median home value
- $162,600
- Jobs located here
- 32,288
- Daytime population
- 63,828Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Adams 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 restaurants and cafes on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Adams County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardRestaurants and cafes across Illinois
Every Illinois market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Illinois for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Illinois, with Adams County marked.
Top counties in Illinois
| 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 |
| 44Adams County, IL | 41 | 274 | 98.2 | $364K | −2.1% | #1,572 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Adams County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes41
- Sit-down restaurants43
- Fast food and sandwich shops54
- Pizza56
- Coffee shops and cafes40
- Bakeries and dessert shops39
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many restaurants and cafes are in Adams County, IL?
Adams County has 274 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 96 of them (35%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 107 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 4.9% from 2019. Official counts list 8 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Adams County, IL spend on food away from home?
About $99.6M a year, or $3,569 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 274 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $364K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 27,915 households in Adams County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Adams County, IL compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Adams County has 98.2 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 11% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $364K, 2% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Adams County would have about 269, against 274 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 261 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 4.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Adams County, IL growing?
Population estimates put Adams County at 64,267 people in 2025, down 2.1% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 27,915 households. The median household income in Adams County is $66,220 a year, 18% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 25.0% 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. Adams County scores 41 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,572 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Adams County. 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.
How the score works · Top markets for restaurants and cafes · All 56 business types in Adams County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Adams 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 Adams 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.