Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Illinois

Restaurants and cafes in Franklin County, IL

The restaurants and cafes in Franklin County, IL, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 28 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #2,092 of 2,405 scored counties
#78 of 87 scored counties in Illinois

Listings
163
55 chain locations (34%)
Official establishments
66
+13.8% since 2019
Household spending a year
$52.6M
On food away from home · $3,263 a household
Spending per listing
$323K
13% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
101.0
8% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
36,916
−2.1% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Franklin 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 Franklin County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Franklin County is 28 (lower middle), #2,092 of 2,405 scored counties and #78 of 87 scored counties in Illinois. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

Household spending on food away from home in Franklin County comes to about $52.6M a year: $3,263 per household, 20% below the U.S. average. That is about $323K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 13% below the U.S. figure of $371K.

There are 163 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Franklin County as of September 2026. 55 of them (34%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 101.0 for every 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.

Official counts show 66 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Franklin County in 2023, up 13.8% from 2019. That is one for every 245 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Population estimates show Franklin County declined 2.1% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How Franklin 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.

Restaurants and cafes in Franklin County, IL compared with Illinois and the U.S.
MeasureFranklin CountyIllinoisU.S.
Listings per 10k households101.0112.0109.8
Spending per listing$323K$376K$371K
Households per official establishment245216209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+13.8%+3.2%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025−2.1%−0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,263$4,215$4,070
Median household income$56,740$83,390$80,734
Groundwork market score2846

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
58 → 66+13.8% over the period
Employees, 2023
926
Annual payroll, 2023
$17.5M
One-person businesses, 2023
10Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
16355 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
142The 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 Franklin 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 Franklin County

Population, 2025 estimate
36,916−2.1% since 2020
Households
16,137
Median age
43.6
Homes lived in by their owners
74%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
409 sq. mi.
People per square mile
91
Median household income
$56,740+32.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$72,759
Median home value
$89,000
Jobs located here
8,765
Daytime population
30,865Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Franklin 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 Franklin County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Restaurants 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 Franklin County marked.

Top counties in Illinois

Counties in Illinois ranked for restaurants and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Piatt County, IL775883.8$511K+0.6%#207 of 2,405
2Kendall County, IL7538985.7$563K+9.9%#239 of 2,405
3Boone County, IL7515177.6$538K+0.4%#244 of 2,405
4Woodford County, IL7311477.6$560K−0.8%#298 of 2,405
5Menard County, IL723566.9$584K−3.3%#332 of 2,405
6McHenry County, IL671,08191.9$513K+2.5%#476 of 2,405
7Moultrie County, IL654984.2$442K−0.8%#571 of 2,405
8Will County, IL642,43899.8$481K+2.2%#599 of 2,405
9Cumberland County, IL643276.6$478K−2.1%#601 of 2,405
10Monroe County, IL6213396.0$483K−0.3%#666 of 2,405
78Franklin County, IL28163101.0$323K−2.1%#2,092 of 2,405

Other business types in Franklin County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many restaurants and cafes are in Franklin County, IL?

As of September 2026, map listings count 163 restaurants and cafes in Franklin County. 55 of them (34%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 66 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 13.8% from 2019. Official counts also show 10 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Franklin County, IL spend on food away from home?

About $52.6M a year, or $3,263 per household. That is 20% below the U.S. average (an index of 80, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 163 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $323K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 16,137 households in Franklin County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Franklin County, IL compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?

Franklin County has 101.0 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $323K, 13% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Franklin County would have about 142, against 163 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 245 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 13.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Franklin County, IL growing?

Population estimates put Franklin County at 36,916 people in 2025, down 2.1% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 16,137 households. Median household income in Franklin County is $56,740, 30% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 32.7%, 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. Franklin County scores 28 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #2,092 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Franklin 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 Franklin County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Franklin 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 Franklin 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.