Food and drink · County · Illinois
Restaurants and cafes in Menard County, IL
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Menard County, IL, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 72 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #332 of 2,405 scored counties
#5 of 87 scored counties in Illinois
- Listings
- 35
- 12 chain locations (34%)
- Official establishments
- 11
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $20.4M
- On food away from home · $3,907 a household
- Spending per listing
- $584K
- 57% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 66.9
- 39% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 11,863
- −3.3% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Menard 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 Menard 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
Households in Menard County spend about $20.4M a year on food away from home, or $3,907 per household, 4% below the U.S. average. That works out to $584K per restaurant, 57% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 35 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Menard County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 34% of them, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 66.9, 39% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Menard County was 11 in 2023. That is one for every 475 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $20K has gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Menard County.
Population estimates put the population change in Menard County from 2020 to 2025 at −3.3%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Menard County is 72 (upper middle), #332 of 2,405 scored counties and #5 of 87 scored counties in Illinois. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Menard 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 | Menard County | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 66.9 | 112.0 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $584K | $376K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 475 | 216 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +3.2% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −3.3% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,907 | $4,215 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $82,176 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 72 | 46 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 8 → 11
- Employees, 2023
- 152
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 3512 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 55The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $20K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Menard 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 Menard County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 11,863−3.3% since 2020
- Households
- 5,228
- Median age
- 43.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 79%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 314 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 38
- Median household income
- $82,176+10.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $97,054
- Median home value
- $185,500
- Jobs located here
- 1,818
- Daytime population
- 8,264Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Menard 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 Menard 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 Menard 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 |
Other business types in Menard County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes72
- Sit-down restaurants75
- Fast food and sandwich shops
- Pizza56
- Coffee shops and cafes
- Bakeries and dessert shops
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 Menard County, IL?
As of September 2026, map listings count 35 restaurants and cafes in Menard County. 12 of them (34%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 11 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023.
How much do households in Menard County, IL spend on food away from home?
About $20.4M a year, or $3,907 per household. That is 4% below the U.S. average (an index of 96, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 35 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $584K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 5,228 households in Menard County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Menard County, IL compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Menard County has 66.9 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 39% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $584K, 57% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Menard County would have about 55, against 35 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 475 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S.
How fast is Menard County, IL growing?
Population estimates put Menard County at 11,863 people in 2025, down 3.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 5,228 households. Median household income in Menard County is $82,176, 2% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 10.0%, 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. Menard County scores 72 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #332 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Menard 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 Menard County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Menard 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 Menard 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.