Food and drink · County · Illinois
Restaurants and cafes in Stephenson County, IL
How Stephenson County, IL compares with other counties and the U.S. for restaurants and cafes: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 51 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #1,139 of 2,405 scored counties
#24 of 87 scored counties in Illinois
- Listings
- 167
- 41 chain locations (25%)
- Official establishments
- 57
- 0.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $67.4M
- On food away from home · $3,481 a household
- Spending per listing
- $403K
- 9% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 86.3
- 21% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 43,220
- −3.0% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Stephenson 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 Stephenson 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 167 restaurants and cafes in Stephenson County. Of those, 41 are chain locations, or 25%, against 34% across the U.S. That is 86.3 per 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Household spending on food away from home in Stephenson County comes to about $67.4M a year: $3,481 per household, 14% below the U.S. average. Spread across 167 restaurants and cafes, that is $403K per restaurant, 9% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Stephenson County was 57 in 2023, unchanged from 2019. That is one for every 340 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 15 one-person businesses without payroll.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Stephenson County declined 3.0%, against +3.1% for the U.S. Stephenson County scores 51 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #1,139 of 2,405 scored counties and #24 of 87 scored counties in Illinois.
How Stephenson 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 | Stephenson County | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 86.3 | 112.0 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $403K | $376K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 340 | 216 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | 0.0% | +3.2% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −3.0% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,481 | $4,215 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $64,043 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 51 | 46 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 57 → 570.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 917
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $15.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 15Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 16741 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 182The 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 Stephenson 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 Stephenson County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 43,220−3.0% since 2020
- Households
- 19,358
- Median age
- 45.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 564 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 78
- Median household income
- $64,043+31.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $79,920
- Median home value
- $134,900
- Jobs located here
- 17,326
- Daytime population
- 40,359Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Stephenson 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 Stephenson 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 Stephenson 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 |
| 24Stephenson County, IL | 51 | 167 | 86.3 | $403K | −3.0% | #1,139 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Stephenson County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes51
- Sit-down restaurants48
- Fast food and sandwich shops45
- Pizza50
- Coffee shops and cafes56
- Bakeries and dessert shops37
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 Stephenson County, IL?
There are 167 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Stephenson County as of September 2026. 41 of them (25%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 57 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, unchanged from 2019. Official counts also show 15 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Stephenson County, IL spend on food away from home?
About $67.4M a year, or $3,481 per household. That is 14% below the U.S. average (an index of 86, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 167 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $403K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 19,358 households in Stephenson County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Stephenson County, IL compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Stephenson County has 86.3 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $403K, 9% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Stephenson County would have about 182, against 167 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 340 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count held level from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Stephenson County, IL growing?
Population estimates put Stephenson County at 43,220 people in 2025, down 3.0% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 19,358 households. The median household income in Stephenson County is $64,043 a year, 21% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.2% 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. Stephenson County scores 51 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #1,139 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Stephenson 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 Stephenson County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Stephenson 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 Stephenson 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.