Food and drink · County · Illinois
Restaurants and cafes in Jersey County, IL
The restaurants and cafes in Jersey County, IL, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 31 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,990 of 2,405 scored counties
#74 of 87 scored counties in Illinois
- Listings
- 108
- 29 chain locations (27%)
- Official establishments
- 37
- +2.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $31.6M
- On food away from home · $3,968 a household
- Spending per listing
- $293K
- 21% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 135.6
- 23% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 21,160
- −1.5% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Jersey 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 Jersey 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
Jersey County scores 31 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #1,990 of 2,405 scored counties and #74 of 87 scored counties in Illinois. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 108 restaurants and cafes in Jersey County. 29 of them (27%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That is 135.6 per 10,000 households, 23% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
At $3,968 per household (3% below the U.S. average), households in Jersey County spend about $31.6M a year on food away from home. Spread across 108 restaurants and cafes, that is $293K per restaurant, 21% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Jersey County was 37 in 2023, up 2.8% from 2019. That is one for every 215 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $1.5M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Jersey County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Jersey County declined 1.5%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Jersey 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 | Jersey County | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 135.6 | 112.0 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $293K | $376K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 215 | 216 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +2.8% | +3.2% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.5% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,968 | $4,215 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $80,361 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 31 | 46 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 36 → 37+2.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 464
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $11.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 10829 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 85The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $1.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Jersey 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 Jersey County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 21,160−1.5% since 2020
- Households
- 7,965
- Median age
- 42.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 81%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 370 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 58
- Median household income
- $80,361+27.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $98,416
- Median home value
- $171,900
- Jobs located here
- 5,045
- Daytime population
- 16,288Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Jersey 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 Jersey 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 Jersey 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 |
| 74Jersey County, IL | 31 | 108 | 135.6 | $293K | −1.5% | #1,990 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Jersey County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes31
- Sit-down restaurants32
- Fast food and sandwich shops46
- Pizza37
- Coffee shops and cafes42
- Bakeries and dessert shops48
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 Jersey County, IL?
There are 108 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Jersey County as of September 2026. 29 of them (27%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 37 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 2.8% from 2019.
How much do households in Jersey County, IL spend on food away from home?
About $31.6M a year, or $3,968 per household. That is 3% below the U.S. average (an index of 97, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 108 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $293K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 7,965 households in Jersey County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Jersey County, IL compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Jersey County has 135.6 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 23% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $293K, 21% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Jersey County would have about 85, against 108 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 215 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 2.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Jersey County, IL growing?
Population estimates put Jersey County at 21,160 people in 2025, down 1.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 7,965 households. The median household income in Jersey County is $80,361 a year, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 27.5% 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. Jersey County scores 31 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,990 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Jersey 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 Jersey County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Jersey 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 Jersey 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.