Food and drink · Metro area · Illinois
Restaurants and cafes in the Bloomington, IL metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in the Bloomington, IL metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 66 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #87 of 387 scored metro areas
#1 of 8 scored metro areas based in Illinois
- Listings
- 674
- 300 chain locations (45%)
- Official establishments
- 288
- −1.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $284.9M
- On food away from home · $4,057 a household
- Spending per listing
- $423K
- 14% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 96.0
- 13% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 171,419
- +0.1% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Bloomington metro area
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 the Bloomington metro 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 674 restaurants and cafes in the Bloomington metro area. Of those, 300 are chain locations, or 45%, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 96.0 for every 10,000 households, 13% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Household spending on food away from home in the Bloomington metro area comes to about $284.9M a year: $4,057 per household, in line with the U.S. average. That is about $423K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 14% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
In 2023, official counts showed 288 businesses with payroll in the Bloomington metro area classed as restaurants and other eating places, down 1.0% from 2019. That is one for every 244 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 28 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 10 SBA-backed loans worth $3M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Bloomington metro area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Bloomington metro area from 2020 to 2025 at +0.1%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For restaurants and cafes, the Bloomington metro area has a Groundwork market score of 66 (upper middle): #87 of 387 scored metro areas and #1 of 8 scored metro areas based in Illinois. That puts it in the top quarter of metro areas.
How the Bloomington metro area 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 | Bloomington metro area | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 96.0 | 112.0 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $423K | $376K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 244 | 216 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −1.0% | +3.2% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.1% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,057 | $4,215 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $79,905 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 66 | 46 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 288−1.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 6,739
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $141.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 28Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 674300 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 768The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 10
- Amount
- $3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Bloomington metro 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 Bloomington metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 171,419+0.1% since 2020
- Households
- 70,220
- Median age
- 37.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 65%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 1,183 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 145
- Median household income
- $79,905+18.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $105,003
- Median home value
- $208,400
- Jobs located here
- 88,959
- Daytime population
- 180,672Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Bloomington metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 the Bloomington metro area. 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 metro areas in Illinois for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Illinois (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Bloomington metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Illinois
| 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 |
Other business types in the Bloomington metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes66
- Sit-down restaurants63
- Fast food and sandwich shops46
- Pizza39
- Coffee shops and cafes61
- Bakeries and dessert shops74
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 the Bloomington, IL metro area?
There are 674 restaurants and cafes on map listings in the Bloomington metro area as of September 2026. 300 of them (45%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 288 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, down 1.0% from 2019. Official counts list 28 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Bloomington, IL metro area spend on food away from home?
About $284.9M a year, or $4,057 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 100, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 674 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $423K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 70,220 households in the Bloomington metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Bloomington, IL metro area compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Bloomington metro area has 96.0 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 13% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $423K, 14% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Bloomington metro area would have about 768, against 674 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 244 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count fell 1.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Bloomington, IL metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Bloomington metro area at 171,419 people in 2025, up 0.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 70,220 households. The median household income in the Bloomington metro area is $79,905 a year, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 18.1% 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. The Bloomington metro area scores 66 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #87 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Bloomington metro area. 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 the Bloomington metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Bloomington metro 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 Bloomington metro 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.