Food and drink · County · Illinois
Restaurants and cafes in Champaign County, IL
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Champaign County, IL, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 38 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,702 of 2,405 scored counties
#57 of 87 scored counties in Illinois
- Listings
- 920
- 356 chain locations (39%)
- Official establishments
- 439
- +4.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $315.4M
- On food away from home · $3,690 a household
- Spending per listing
- $343K
- 8% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 107.6
- 2% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 209,972
- +1.8% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Champaign 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 Champaign 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
Households in Champaign County spend about $315.4M a year on food away from home, or $3,690 per household, 9% below the U.S. average. Spread across 920 restaurants and cafes, that is $343K per restaurant, 8% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 920 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Champaign County as of September 2026. 356 of them (39%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 107.6 for every 10,000 households, 2% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 439 businesses with payroll in Champaign County classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 4.5% from 2019. That is one for every 195 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 63 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 16 SBA-backed loans worth $6.9M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Champaign County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Champaign County grew 1.8%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Champaign County is 38 (lower middle), #1,702 of 2,405 scored counties and #57 of 87 scored counties in Illinois.
How Champaign 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 | Champaign County | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 107.6 | 112.0 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $343K | $376K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 195 | 216 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +4.5% | +3.2% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.8% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,690 | $4,215 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $63,683 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 38 | 46 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 420 → 439+4.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 7,837
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $171M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 63Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 920356 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 851The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 16
- Amount
- $6.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Champaign 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 Champaign County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 209,972+1.8% since 2020
- Households
- 85,472
- Median age
- 35.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 54%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 996 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 210
- Median household income
- $63,683+20.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $91,413
- Median home value
- $211,500
- Jobs located here
- 92,426
- Daytime population
- 220,386Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Champaign 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 Champaign 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 Champaign 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 |
| 57Champaign County, IL | 38 | 920 | 107.6 | $343K | +1.8% | #1,702 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Champaign County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes38
- Sit-down restaurants37
- Fast food and sandwich shops38
- Pizza43
- Coffee shops and cafes50
- Bakeries and dessert shops51
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 Champaign County, IL?
As of September 2026, map listings count 920 restaurants and cafes in Champaign County. 356 of them (39%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 439 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 4.5% from 2019. Another 63 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Champaign County, IL spend on food away from home?
About $315.4M a year, or $3,690 per household. That is 9% below the U.S. average (an index of 91, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 920 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $343K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 85,472 households in Champaign County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Champaign County, IL compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Champaign County has 107.6 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 2% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $343K, 8% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Champaign County would have about 851, against 920 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 195 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 4.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Champaign County, IL growing?
Population estimates put Champaign County at 209,972 people in 2025, up 1.8% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 85,472 households. Median household income in Champaign County is $63,683, 21% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 20.6%, 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. Champaign County scores 38 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,702 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Champaign 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 Champaign County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Champaign 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 Champaign 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.