Food and drink · Metro area · Illinois
Restaurants and cafes in the Decatur, IL metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in the Decatur, IL metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 43 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #239 of 387 scored metro areas
#6 of 8 scored metro areas based in Illinois
- Listings
- 416
- 176 chain locations (42%)
- Official establishments
- 165
- −1.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $153.6M
- On food away from home · $3,534 a household
- Spending per listing
- $369K
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 95.7
- 13% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 99,300
- −4.3% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Decatur 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 Decatur 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
Household spending on food away from home in the Decatur metro area comes to about $153.6M a year: $3,534 per household, 13% below the U.S. average. That works out to $369K per restaurant, in line with the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 416 restaurants and cafes on map listings in the Decatur metro area as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 42% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That is 95.7 per 10,000 households, 13% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Decatur metro area was 165 in 2023, down 1.8% from 2019. That is one for every 263 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 30 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 8 SBA-backed loans worth $3.6M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Decatur metro area.
Population estimates show the Decatur metro area declined 4.3% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Decatur metro area scores 43 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #239 of 387 scored metro areas and #6 of 8 scored metro areas based in Illinois.
How the Decatur 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 | Decatur metro area | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 95.7 | 112.0 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $369K | $376K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 263 | 216 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −1.8% | +3.2% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −4.3% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,534 | $4,215 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $62,666 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 43 | 46 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 165−1.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 3,088
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $63.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 30Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 416176 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 414The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 8
- Amount
- $3.6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Decatur 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 Decatur metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 99,300−4.3% since 2020
- Households
- 43,468
- Median age
- 41.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 70%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 581 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 175
- Median household income
- $62,666+24.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $84,051
- Median home value
- $127,300
- Jobs located here
- 43,992
- Daytime population
- 103,405Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Decatur 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 Decatur 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 Decatur 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 Decatur metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes43
- Sit-down restaurants31
- Fast food and sandwich shops38
- Pizza27
- Coffee shops and cafes59
- Bakeries and dessert shops62
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 Decatur, IL metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 416 restaurants and cafes in the Decatur metro area. 176 of them (42%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 165 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, down 1.8% from 2019. Official counts also show 30 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Decatur, IL metro area spend on food away from home?
About $153.6M a year, or $3,534 per household. That is 13% below the U.S. average (an index of 87, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 416 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $369K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 43,468 households in the Decatur metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Decatur, IL metro area compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Decatur metro area has 95.7 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 13% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $369K, in line with the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Decatur metro area would have about 414, against 416 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 263 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count fell 1.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Decatur, IL metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Decatur metro area at 99,300 people in 2025, down 4.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 43,468 households. Median household income in the Decatur metro area is $62,666, 22% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 24.1%, 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 Decatur metro area scores 43 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #239 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 Decatur 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 Decatur metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Decatur 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 Decatur 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.