Food and drink · County · Illinois
Restaurants and cafes in McDonough County, IL
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in McDonough County, IL, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 30 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #2,012 of 2,405 scored counties
#75 of 87 scored counties in Illinois
- Listings
- 111
- 44 chain locations (40%)
- Official establishments
- 47
- −17.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $38.5M
- On food away from home · $3,251 a household
- Spending per listing
- $347K
- 6% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 93.6
- 15% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 25,916
- −4.5% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in McDonough 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 McDonough 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
For restaurants and cafes, McDonough County has a Groundwork market score of 30 (lower middle): #2,012 of 2,405 scored counties and #75 of 87 scored counties in Illinois. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Household spending on food away from home in McDonough County comes to about $38.5M a year: $3,251 per household, 20% below the U.S. average. That works out to $347K per restaurant, 6% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
McDonough County has 111 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 40% of them, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 93.6, 15% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in McDonough County was 47 in 2023, down 17.5% from 2019. That is one for every 252 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of McDonough County declined 4.5%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How McDonough 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 | McDonough County | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 93.6 | 112.0 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $347K | $376K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 252 | 216 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −17.5% | +3.2% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −4.5% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,251 | $4,215 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $52,795 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 30 | 46 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 57 → 47−17.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 753
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $14M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 11Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 11144 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 104The 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 McDonough 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 McDonough County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 25,916−4.5% since 2020
- Households
- 11,856
- Median age
- 38.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 63%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 589 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 46
- Median household income
- $52,795+18.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $71,521
- Median home value
- $107,500
- Jobs located here
- 9,784
- Daytime population
- 25,631Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in McDonough 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 McDonough 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 McDonough 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 |
| 75McDonough County, IL | 30 | 111 | 93.6 | $347K | −4.5% | #2,012 of 2,405 |
Other business types in McDonough County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes30
- Sit-down restaurants40
- Fast food and sandwich shops26
- Pizza22
- Coffee shops and cafes24
- Bakeries and dessert shops40
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 McDonough County, IL?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 111 restaurants and cafes in McDonough County. 44 of them (40%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 47 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, down 17.5% from 2019. Official counts also show 11 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in McDonough County, IL spend on food away from home?
About $38.5M a year, or $3,251 per household. That is 20% below the U.S. average (an index of 80, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 111 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $347K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 11,856 households in McDonough County and national spending patterns by income.
How does McDonough County, IL compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
McDonough County has 93.6 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 15% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $347K, 6% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, McDonough County would have about 104, against 111 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 252 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count fell 17.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is McDonough County, IL growing?
Population estimates put McDonough County at 25,916 people in 2025, down 4.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 11,856 households. Median household income in McDonough County is $52,795, 35% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 18.7%, 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. McDonough County scores 30 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #2,012 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in McDonough 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 McDonough County
Screening a site or an acquisition in McDonough 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 McDonough 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.