Food and drink · Small-town market · Illinois
Restaurants and cafes in the Lincoln, IL area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in the Lincoln, IL area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 49 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #267 of 538 scored small-town markets
#8 of 20 scored small-town markets based in Illinois
- Listings
- 112
- 40 chain locations (36%)
- Official establishments
- 46
- +18.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $40.8M
- On food away from home · $3,621 a household
- Spending per listing
- $364K
- 2% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 99.4
- 9% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 27,182
- −2.5% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Lincoln 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 Lincoln 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
At $3,621 per household (11% below the U.S. average), households in the Lincoln area spend about $40.8M a year on food away from home. That works out to $364K per restaurant, 2% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 112 restaurants and cafes on map listings in the Lincoln area as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 36% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That is 99.4 per 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Lincoln area was 46 in 2023, up 18.0% from 2019. That is one for every 245 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 7 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $1.3M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Lincoln area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Lincoln area declined 2.5%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Lincoln area scores 49 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #267 of 538 scored small-town markets and #8 of 20 scored small-town markets based in Illinois.
How the Lincoln 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 | Lincoln area | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 99.4 | 112.0 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $364K | $376K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 245 | 216 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +18.0% | +3.2% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.5% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,621 | $4,215 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $66,358 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 49 | 46 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 46+18.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 673
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $12.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 7Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 11240 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 110The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $1.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Lincoln 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 Lincoln area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 27,182−2.5% since 2020
- Households
- 11,266
- Median age
- 41.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 618 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 45
- Median household income
- $66,358+15.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $84,267
- Median home value
- $134,400
- Jobs located here
- 7,887
- Daytime population
- 25,386Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Lincoln area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 Lincoln 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 small-town markets in Illinois for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Illinois, with the Lincoln area marked.
Top small-town markets in Illinois
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Rochelle, IL | 69 | 213 | 102.3 | $386K | −0.7% | #87 of 538 |
| 2Freeport, IL | 62 | 167 | 86.3 | $403K | −3.0% | #151 of 538 |
| 3Marion-Herrin, IL | 55 | 283 | 97.6 | $371K | +0.2% | #214 of 538 |
| 4Pontiac, IL | 53 | 157 | 107.4 | $354K | −2.1% | #235 of 538 |
| 5Danville, IL | 52 | 265 | 88.1 | $380K | −3.7% | #240 of 538 |
| 6Quincy, IL-MO | 52 | 304 | 97.7 | $363K | −2.0% | #246 of 538 |
| 7Taylorville, IL | 51 | 135 | 99.4 | $351K | −1.5% | #255 of 538 |
| 8Lincoln, IL | 49 | 112 | 99.4 | $364K | −2.5% | #267 of 538 |
| 9Jacksonville, IL | 47 | 155 | 102.5 | $350K | −3.1% | #292 of 538 |
| 10Sterling, IL | 47 | 244 | 105.5 | $339K | −2.6% | #296 of 538 |
Other business types in the Lincoln area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes49
- Sit-down restaurants55
- Fast food and sandwich shops64
- Pizza50
- Coffee shops and cafes30
- Bakeries and dessert shops27
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 Lincoln, IL area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 112 restaurants and cafes in the Lincoln area. 40 of them (36%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 46 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 18.0% from 2019. Another 7 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Lincoln, IL area spend on food away from home?
About $40.8M a year, or $3,621 per household. That is 11% below the U.S. average (an index of 89, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 112 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $364K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 11,266 households in the Lincoln area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Lincoln, IL area compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Lincoln area has 99.4 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $364K, 2% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Lincoln area would have about 110, against 112 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 18.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Lincoln, IL area growing?
Population estimates put the Lincoln area at 27,182 people in 2025, down 2.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 11,266 households. Median household income in the Lincoln area is $66,358, 18% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 15.8%, 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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 Lincoln area scores 49 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #267 of 538 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Lincoln 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 Lincoln area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Lincoln 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 Lincoln 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.