Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Illinois

Restaurants and cafes in Randolph County, IL

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Randolph County, IL, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 32 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,955 of 2,405 scored counties
#70 of 87 scored counties in Illinois

Listings
138
37 chain locations (27%)
Official establishments
51
+2.0% since 2019
Household spending a year
$42.5M
On food away from home · $3,562 a household
Spending per listing
$308K
17% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
115.5
5% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
29,921
−0.6% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Randolph 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 Randolph County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

Randolph County scores 32 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #1,955 of 2,405 scored counties and #70 of 87 scored counties in Illinois. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

As of September 2026, map listings count 138 restaurants and cafes in Randolph County. Of those, 37 are chain locations, or 27%, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 115.5, 5% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.

Household spending on food away from home in Randolph County comes to about $42.5M a year: $3,562 per household, 12% below the U.S. average. Spread across 138 restaurants and cafes, that is $308K per restaurant, 17% below the U.S. figure of $371K.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Randolph County was 51 in 2023, up 2.0% from 2019. That is one for every 234 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $818K have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Randolph County. Population estimates put the population change in Randolph County from 2020 to 2025 at −0.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How Randolph 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.

Restaurants and cafes in Randolph County, IL compared with Illinois and the U.S.
MeasureRandolph CountyIllinoisU.S.
Listings per 10k households115.5112.0109.8
Spending per listing$308K$376K$371K
Households per official establishment234216209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+2.0%+3.2%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025−0.6%−0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,562$4,215$4,070
Median household income$68,131$83,390$80,734
Groundwork market score3246

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
50 → 51+2.0% over the period
Employees, 2023
671
Annual payroll, 2023
$12.3M
One-person businesses, 2023
5Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
13837 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
115The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
2
Amount
$818K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Randolph 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 Randolph County

Population, 2025 estimate
29,921−0.6% since 2020
Households
11,945
Median age
43.4
Homes lived in by their owners
77%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
575 sq. mi.
People per square mile
52
Median household income
$68,131+26.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$82,525
Median home value
$135,100
Jobs located here
11,140
Daytime population
28,294Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Randolph 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 Randolph County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Restaurants 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 Randolph County marked.

Top counties in Illinois

Counties in Illinois ranked for restaurants and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Piatt County, IL775883.8$511K+0.6%#207 of 2,405
2Kendall County, IL7538985.7$563K+9.9%#239 of 2,405
3Boone County, IL7515177.6$538K+0.4%#244 of 2,405
4Woodford County, IL7311477.6$560K−0.8%#298 of 2,405
5Menard County, IL723566.9$584K−3.3%#332 of 2,405
6McHenry County, IL671,08191.9$513K+2.5%#476 of 2,405
7Moultrie County, IL654984.2$442K−0.8%#571 of 2,405
8Will County, IL642,43899.8$481K+2.2%#599 of 2,405
9Cumberland County, IL643276.6$478K−2.1%#601 of 2,405
10Monroe County, IL6213396.0$483K−0.3%#666 of 2,405
70Randolph County, IL32138115.5$308K−0.6%#1,955 of 2,405

Other business types in Randolph County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many restaurants and cafes are in Randolph County, IL?

Randolph County has 138 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 37 of them (27%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 51 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 2.0% from 2019. Another 5 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in Randolph County, IL spend on food away from home?

About $42.5M a year, or $3,562 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 138 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $308K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 11,945 households in Randolph County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Randolph County, IL compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?

Randolph County has 115.5 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $308K, 17% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Randolph County would have about 115, against 138 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 234 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 Randolph County, IL growing?

Population estimates put Randolph County at 29,921 people in 2025, down 0.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 11,945 households. The median household income in Randolph County is $68,131 a year, 16% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 26.6% 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. Randolph County scores 32 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,955 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Randolph 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 Randolph County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Randolph 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 Randolph 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.