Food and drink · Metro area · Illinois
Restaurants and cafes in the Peoria, IL metro area
The restaurants and cafes in the Peoria, IL metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 55 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #155 of 387 scored metro areas
#2 of 8 scored metro areas based in Illinois
- Listings
- 1,519
- 543 chain locations (36%)
- Official establishments
- 615
- +2.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $592.9M
- On food away from home · $3,853 a household
- Spending per listing
- $390K
- 5% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 98.7
- 10% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 363,505
- −1.3% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Peoria metro 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 Peoria metro 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 $3,853 per household (5% below the U.S. average), households in the Peoria metro area spend about $592.9M a year on food away from home. Spread across 1,519 restaurants and cafes, that is $390K per restaurant, 5% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 1,519 restaurants and cafes on map listings in the Peoria metro area as of September 2026. 543 of them (36%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 98.7 for every 10,000 households, 10% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 615 businesses with payroll in the Peoria metro area classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 2.0% from 2019. That is one for every 250 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 64 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 13 SBA-backed loans worth $3.9M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Peoria metro area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Peoria metro area declined 1.3%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in the Peoria metro area is 55 (upper middle), #155 of 387 scored metro areas and #2 of 8 scored metro areas based in Illinois.
How the Peoria metro 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 | Peoria metro area | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 98.7 | 112.0 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $390K | $376K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 250 | 216 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +2.0% | +3.2% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.3% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,853 | $4,215 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $71,857 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 55 | 46 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 615+2.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 10,934
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $228.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 64Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,519543 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,599The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 13
- Amount
- $3.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Peoria metro 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 Peoria metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 363,505−1.3% since 2020
- Households
- 153,870
- Median age
- 40.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 2,468 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 148
- Median household income
- $71,857
- Average household income
- $95,895
- Median home value
- $164,200
- Jobs located here
- 167,885
- Daytime population
- 365,155Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Peoria metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 Peoria metro 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 metro areas in Illinois for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Illinois (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Peoria metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Illinois
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Bloomington, IL | 66 | 674 | 96.0 | $423K | +0.1% | #87 of 387 |
| St. Louis, MO-IL | 64 | 11,274 | 97.2 | $423K | −0.2% | #103 of 387 |
| 2Peoria, IL | 55 | 1,519 | 98.7 | $390K | −1.3% | #155 of 387 |
| 3Rockford, IL | 52 | 1,260 | 93.0 | $397K | −0.3% | #178 of 387 |
| 4Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 47 | 42,241 | 115.9 | $381K | 0.0% | #210 of 387 |
| 5Kankakee, IL | 45 | 412 | 100.5 | $382K | −1.7% | #219 of 387 |
| 6Decatur, IL | 43 | 416 | 95.7 | $369K | −4.3% | #239 of 387 |
| 7Springfield, IL | 38 | 973 | 108.1 | $364K | −1.2% | #273 of 387 |
| Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL | 35 | 1,753 | 108.4 | $353K | −0.9% | #293 of 387 |
| 8Champaign-Urbana, IL | 34 | 1,035 | 105.4 | $353K | +1.5% | #303 of 387 |
Other business types in the Peoria metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes55
- Sit-down restaurants49
- Fast food and sandwich shops60
- Pizza39
- Coffee shops and cafes56
- Bakeries and dessert shops53
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 Peoria, IL metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 1,519 restaurants and cafes in the Peoria metro area. 543 of them (36%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 615 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 2.0% from 2019. Another 64 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Peoria, IL metro area spend on food away from home?
About $592.9M a year, or $3,853 per household. That is 5% below the U.S. average (an index of 95, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,519 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $390K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 153,870 households in the Peoria metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Peoria, IL metro area compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Peoria metro area has 98.7 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 10% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $390K, 5% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Peoria metro area would have about 1,599, against 1,519 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 250 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 2.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Peoria, IL metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Peoria metro area at 363,505 people in 2025, down 1.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 153,870 households. Median household income in the Peoria metro area is $71,857, 11% below the U.S. median of $80,734.
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. The Peoria metro area scores 55 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #155 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Peoria metro 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 Peoria metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Peoria metro 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 Peoria metro 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.