Food and drink · County · Illinois
Restaurants and cafes in Hancock County, IL
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Hancock County, IL, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 38 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,715 of 2,405 scored counties
#58 of 87 scored counties in Illinois
- Listings
- 85
- 24 chain locations (28%)
- Official establishments
- 22
- −12.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $26.7M
- On food away from home · $3,508 a household
- Spending per listing
- $314K
- 15% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 111.7
- 2% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 16,803
- −4.4% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Hancock 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 Hancock 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 85 restaurants and cafes in Hancock County. Chain locations make up 28% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 111.7 for every 10,000 households, 2% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
At $3,508 per household (14% below the U.S. average), households in Hancock County spend about $26.7M a year on food away from home. That is about $314K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 15% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
In 2023, official counts showed 22 businesses with payroll in Hancock County classed as restaurants and other eating places, down 12.0% from 2019. That is one for every 346 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 8 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $1.1M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Hancock County.
Population estimates put the population change in Hancock County from 2020 to 2025 at −4.4%, against +3.1% for the U.S. Hancock County scores 38 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #1,715 of 2,405 scored counties and #58 of 87 scored counties in Illinois.
How Hancock 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 | Hancock County | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 111.7 | 112.0 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $314K | $376K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 346 | 216 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −12.0% | +3.2% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −4.4% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,508 | $4,215 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $65,865 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 38 | 46 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 25 → 22−12.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 141
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 8Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 8524 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 72The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $1.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Hancock 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 Hancock County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 16,803−4.4% since 2020
- Households
- 7,613
- Median age
- 46.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 81%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 794 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 22
- Median household income
- $65,865+25.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $83,824
- Median home value
- $113,800
- Jobs located here
- 4,044
- Daytime population
- 13,542Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Hancock 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 Hancock 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 Hancock 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 |
| 58Hancock County, IL | 38 | 85 | 111.7 | $314K | −4.4% | #1,715 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Hancock County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes38
- Sit-down restaurants38
- Fast food and sandwich shops62
- Pizza38
- Coffee shops and cafes21
- Bakeries and dessert shops28
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 Hancock County, IL?
Hancock County has 85 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 24 of them (28%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 22 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, down 12.0% from 2019. Another 8 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Hancock County, IL spend on food away from home?
About $26.7M a year, or $3,508 per household. That is 14% below the U.S. average (an index of 86, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 85 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $314K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 7,613 households in Hancock County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Hancock County, IL compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Hancock County has 111.7 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 2% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $314K, 15% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Hancock County would have about 72, against 85 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 346 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count fell 12.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Hancock County, IL growing?
Population estimates put Hancock County at 16,803 people in 2025, down 4.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 7,613 households. The median household income in Hancock County is $65,865 a year, 18% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 25.3% 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. Hancock County scores 38 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,715 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Hancock 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 Hancock County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Hancock 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 Hancock 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.