Food and drink · County · Illinois
Restaurants and cafes in Richland County, IL
The restaurants and cafes in Richland County, IL, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 31 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,969 of 2,405 scored counties
#72 of 87 scored counties in Illinois
- Listings
- 60
- 22 chain locations (37%)
- Official establishments
- 29
- +16.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $21.9M
- On food away from home · $3,396 a household
- Spending per listing
- $365K
- 2% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 93.1
- 15% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 15,219
- −3.7% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Richland 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 Richland 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
Richland County scores 31 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #1,969 of 2,405 scored counties and #72 of 87 scored counties in Illinois. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 60 restaurants and cafes in Richland County. Chain locations make up 37% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 93.1 for every 10,000 households, 15% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Households in Richland County spend about $21.9M a year on food away from home, or $3,396 per household, 17% below the U.S. average. Spread across 60 restaurants and cafes, that is $365K per restaurant, 2% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Richland County was 29 in 2023, up 16.0% from 2019. That is one for every 222 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Population estimates put the population change in Richland County from 2020 to 2025 at −3.7%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Richland 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 | Richland County | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 93.1 | 112.0 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $365K | $376K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 222 | 216 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +16.0% | +3.2% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −3.7% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,396 | $4,215 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $62,455 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 31 | 46 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 25 → 29+16.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 512
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $8.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 4Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 6022 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 59The 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 Richland 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 Richland County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 15,219−3.7% since 2020
- Households
- 6,443
- Median age
- 42.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 74%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 360 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 43
- Median household income
- $62,455+27.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $77,417
- Median home value
- $112,000
- Jobs located here
- 5,799
- Daytime population
- 14,753Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Richland 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 Richland 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 Richland 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 |
| 72Richland County, IL | 31 | 60 | 93.1 | $365K | −3.7% | #1,969 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Richland County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes31
- Sit-down restaurants30
- Fast food and sandwich shops29
- Pizza13
- Coffee shops and cafes38
- 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 Richland County, IL?
There are 60 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Richland County as of September 2026. 22 of them (37%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 29 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 16.0% from 2019. Official counts also show 4 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Richland County, IL spend on food away from home?
About $21.9M a year, or $3,396 per household. That is 17% below the U.S. average (an index of 83, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 60 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $365K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 6,443 households in Richland County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Richland County, IL compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Richland County has 93.1 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 15% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $365K, 2% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Richland County would have about 59, against 60 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 222 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 16.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Richland County, IL growing?
Population estimates put Richland County at 15,219 people in 2025, down 3.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 6,443 households. The median household income in Richland County is $62,455 a year, 23% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 27.7% 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. Richland County scores 31 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,969 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Richland 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 Richland County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Richland 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 Richland 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.