Food and drink · Small-town market · Illinois
Restaurants and cafes in the Sterling, IL area
How the Sterling, IL area compares with other small-town markets and the U.S. for restaurants and cafes: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 47 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #296 of 538 scored small-town markets
#10 of 20 scored small-town markets based in Illinois
- Listings
- 244
- 66 chain locations (27%)
- Official establishments
- 89
- +8.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $82.7M
- On food away from home · $3,576 a household
- Spending per listing
- $339K
- 9% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 105.5
- 4% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 54,121
- −2.6% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Sterling 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 Sterling 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 $3,576 per household (12% below the U.S. average), households in the Sterling area spend about $82.7M a year on food away from home. That is about $339K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 9% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
The Sterling area has 244 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 66 of them (27%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 105.5 for every 10,000 households, 4% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 89 businesses with payroll in the Sterling area classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 8.5% from 2019. That is one for every 260 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 9 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $2.5M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Sterling area.
Population estimates show the Sterling area declined 2.6% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Sterling area scores 47 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #296 of 538 scored small-town markets and #10 of 20 scored small-town markets based in Illinois.
How the Sterling 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 | Sterling area | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 105.5 | 112.0 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $339K | $376K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 260 | 216 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +8.5% | +3.2% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.6% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,576 | $4,215 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $67,500 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 47 | 46 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 89+8.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,330
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $23.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 9Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 24466 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 223The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 5
- Amount
- $2.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Sterling 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 Sterling area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 54,121−2.6% since 2020
- Households
- 23,120
- Median age
- 43.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 77%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 684 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 80
- Median household income
- $67,500+24.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $86,592
- Median home value
- $127,100
- Jobs located here
- 20,819
- Daytime population
- 50,543Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Sterling area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 Sterling 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 small-town markets in Illinois for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Illinois, with the Sterling area marked.
Top small-town markets in Illinois
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Rochelle, IL | 69 | 213 | 102.3 | $386K | −0.7% | #87 of 538 |
| 2Freeport, IL | 62 | 167 | 86.3 | $403K | −3.0% | #151 of 538 |
| 3Marion-Herrin, IL | 55 | 283 | 97.6 | $371K | +0.2% | #214 of 538 |
| 4Pontiac, IL | 53 | 157 | 107.4 | $354K | −2.1% | #235 of 538 |
| 5Danville, IL | 52 | 265 | 88.1 | $380K | −3.7% | #240 of 538 |
| 6Quincy, IL-MO | 52 | 304 | 97.7 | $363K | −2.0% | #246 of 538 |
| 7Taylorville, IL | 51 | 135 | 99.4 | $351K | −1.5% | #255 of 538 |
| 8Lincoln, IL | 49 | 112 | 99.4 | $364K | −2.5% | #267 of 538 |
| 9Jacksonville, IL | 47 | 155 | 102.5 | $350K | −3.1% | #292 of 538 |
| 10Sterling, IL | 47 | 244 | 105.5 | $339K | −2.6% | #296 of 538 |
Other business types in the Sterling area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes47
- Sit-down restaurants46
- Fast food and sandwich shops60
- Pizza53
- Coffee shops and cafes41
- Bakeries and dessert shops50
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 Sterling, IL area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 244 restaurants and cafes in the Sterling area. 66 of them (27%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 89 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 8.5% from 2019. Official counts also show 9 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Sterling, IL area spend on food away from home?
About $82.7M a year, or $3,576 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 244 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $339K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 23,120 households in the Sterling area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Sterling, IL area compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Sterling area has 105.5 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 4% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $339K, 9% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Sterling area would have about 223, against 244 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 260 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 8.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Sterling, IL area growing?
Population estimates put the Sterling area at 54,121 people in 2025, down 2.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 23,120 households. Median household income in the Sterling area is $67,500, 16% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 24.5%, 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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 Sterling area scores 47 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #296 of 538 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Sterling 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 Sterling area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Sterling 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 Sterling 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.