Food and drink · Metro area · Illinois
Restaurants and cafes in the Rockford, IL metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in the Rockford, IL metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 52 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #178 of 387 scored metro areas
#3 of 8 scored metro areas based in Illinois
- Listings
- 1,260
- 460 chain locations (37%)
- Official establishments
- 566
- +5.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $500.8M
- On food away from home · $3,697 a household
- Spending per listing
- $397K
- 7% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 93.0
- 15% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 337,242
- −0.3% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Rockford 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 Rockford 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 1,260 restaurants and cafes in the Rockford metro area. Of those, 460 are chain locations, or 37%, against 34% across the U.S. That is 93.0 per 10,000 households, 15% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
At $3,697 per household (9% below the U.S. average), households in the Rockford metro area spend about $500.8M a year on food away from home. That is about $397K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 7% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
In 2023, official counts showed 566 businesses with payroll in the Rockford metro area classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 5.8% from 2019. That is one for every 239 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 110 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 25 SBA-backed loans worth $8M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Rockford metro area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Rockford metro area from 2020 to 2025 at −0.3%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Rockford metro area scores 52 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #178 of 387 scored metro areas and #3 of 8 scored metro areas based in Illinois.
How the Rockford 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 | Rockford metro area | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 93.0 | 112.0 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $397K | $376K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 239 | 216 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +5.8% | +3.2% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.3% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,697 | $4,215 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $68,033 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 52 | 46 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 566+5.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 10,851
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $218.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 110Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,260460 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,351The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 25
- Amount
- $8M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Rockford 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 Rockford metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 337,242−0.3% since 2020
- Households
- 135,474
- Median age
- 40.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 794 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 424
- Median household income
- $68,033+21.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $89,321
- Median home value
- $171,300
- Jobs located here
- 135,218
- Daytime population
- 319,715Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Rockford 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 Rockford 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 Rockford 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 Rockford metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes52
- Sit-down restaurants52
- Fast food and sandwich shops33
- Pizza39
- Coffee shops and cafes67
- Bakeries and dessert shops55
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 Rockford, IL metro area?
There are 1,260 restaurants and cafes on map listings in the Rockford metro area as of September 2026. 460 of them (37%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 566 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 5.8% from 2019. Another 110 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Rockford, IL metro area spend on food away from home?
About $500.8M a year, or $3,697 per household. That is 9% below the U.S. average (an index of 91, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,260 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $397K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 135,474 households in the Rockford metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Rockford, IL metro area compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Rockford metro area has 93.0 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 15% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $397K, 7% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Rockford metro area would have about 1,351, against 1,260 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 239 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Rockford, IL metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Rockford metro area at 337,242 people in 2025, down 0.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 135,474 households. The median household income in the Rockford metro area is $68,033 a year, 16% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 21.4% 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. The Rockford metro area scores 52 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #178 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 Rockford 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 Rockford metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Rockford 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 Rockford 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.