Food and drink · Small-town market · Illinois
Restaurants and cafes in the Canton, IL area
How the Canton, IL area compares with other small-town markets and the U.S. for restaurants and cafes: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 46 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #308 of 538 scored small-town markets
#12 of 20 scored small-town markets based in Illinois
- Listings
- 142
- 45 chain locations (32%)
- Official establishments
- 50
- 0.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $47.5M
- On food away from home · $3,442 a household
- Spending per listing
- $334K
- 10% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 102.9
- 6% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 32,901
- −2.0% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Canton 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 Canton 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
Households in the Canton area spend about $47.5M a year on food away from home, or $3,442 per household, 15% below the U.S. average. That is about $334K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 10% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 142 restaurants and cafes on map listings in the Canton area as of September 2026. 45 of them (32%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 102.9 for every 10,000 households, 6% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Official counts show 50 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Canton area in 2023, unchanged from 2019. That is one for every 276 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 8 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
Population estimates show the Canton area declined 2.0% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. For restaurants and cafes, the Canton area has a Groundwork market score of 46 (lower middle): #308 of 538 scored small-town markets and #12 of 20 scored small-town markets based in Illinois.
How the Canton 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 | Canton area | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 102.9 | 112.0 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $334K | $376K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 276 | 216 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | 0.0% | +3.2% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.0% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,442 | $4,215 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $60,599 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 46 | 46 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 500.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 667
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $10.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 8Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 14245 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 128The 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 restaurants and other eating places in the Canton 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 Canton area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 32,901−2.0% since 2020
- Households
- 13,795
- Median age
- 44.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 77%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 866 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 38
- Median household income
- $60,599
- Average household income
- $78,763
- Median home value
- $107,200
- Jobs located here
- 8,322
- Daytime population
- 27,980Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Canton 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 restaurants and cafes on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of the Canton 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 small-town markets in Illinois for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Illinois, with the Canton area marked.
Top small-town markets in Illinois
| 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 |
| 12Canton, IL | 46 | 142 | 102.9 | $334K | −2.0% | #308 of 538 |
Other business types in the Canton area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes46
- Sit-down restaurants42
- Fast food and sandwich shops70
- Pizza39
- Coffee shops and cafes26
- Bakeries and dessert shops33
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 Canton, IL area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 142 restaurants and cafes in the Canton area. 45 of them (32%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 50 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, unchanged from 2019. Official counts list 8 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Canton, IL area spend on food away from home?
About $47.5M a year, or $3,442 per household. That is 15% below the U.S. average (an index of 85, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 142 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $334K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 13,795 households in the Canton area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Canton, IL area compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Canton area has 102.9 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 6% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $334K, 10% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Canton area would have about 128, against 142 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 276 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count held level from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Canton, IL area growing?
Population estimates put the Canton area at 32,901 people in 2025, down 2.0% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 13,795 households. Median household income in the Canton area is $60,599, 25% below the U.S. median of $80,734.
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 Canton area scores 46 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #308 of 538 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Canton 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 Canton area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Canton 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 Canton 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.