Food and drink · County · Illinois
Restaurants and cafes in Clay County, IL
The restaurants and cafes in Clay County, IL, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 44 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,450 of 2,405 scored counties
#36 of 87 scored counties in Illinois
- Listings
- 48
- 17 chain locations (35%)
- Official establishments
- 16
- −23.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $17.9M
- On food away from home · $3,368 a household
- Spending per listing
- $373K
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 90.4
- 18% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 12,793
- −3.6% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Clay 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 Clay 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 48 restaurants and cafes in Clay County. Chain locations make up 35% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 90.4 for every 10,000 households, 18% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Households in Clay County spend about $17.9M a year on food away from home, or $3,368 per household, 17% below the U.S. average. That is about $373K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, in line with the U.S. figure of $371K.
Official counts show 16 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Clay County in 2023, down 23.8% from 2019. That is one for every 332 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 4 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
Population estimates show Clay County declined 3.6% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. Clay County scores 44 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #1,450 of 2,405 scored counties and #36 of 87 scored counties in Illinois.
How Clay 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 | Clay County | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 90.4 | 112.0 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $373K | $376K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 332 | 216 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −23.8% | +3.2% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −3.6% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,368 | $4,215 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $60,417 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 44 | 46 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 21 → 16−23.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 215
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 4Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4817 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 48The 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 Clay 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 Clay County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 12,793−3.6% since 2020
- Households
- 5,311
- Median age
- 41.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 79%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 468 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 28
- Median household income
- $60,417+24.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $78,530
- Median home value
- $97,400
- Jobs located here
- 4,511
- Daytime population
- 12,012Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Clay 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 Clay 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 Clay 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 |
| 36Clay County, IL | 44 | 48 | 90.4 | $373K | −3.6% | #1,450 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Clay County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes44
- Sit-down restaurants53
- Fast food and sandwich shops53
- Pizza33
- Coffee shops and cafes
- Bakeries and dessert shops22
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 Clay County, IL?
There are 48 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Clay County as of September 2026. 17 of them (35%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 16 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, down 23.8% from 2019. Official counts list 4 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Clay County, IL spend on food away from home?
About $17.9M a year, or $3,368 per household. That is 17% below the U.S. average (an index of 83, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 48 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $373K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 5,311 households in Clay County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Clay County, IL compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Clay County has 90.4 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 18% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $373K, in line with the U.S. figure of $371K. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 332 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count fell 23.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Clay County, IL growing?
Population estimates put Clay County at 12,793 people in 2025, down 3.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 5,311 households. The median household income in Clay County is $60,417 a year, 25% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 24.6% 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. Clay County scores 44 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,450 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Clay 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 Clay County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Clay 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 Clay 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.