Food and drink · County · Illinois
Restaurants and cafes in Vermilion County, IL
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Vermilion County, IL, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 41 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,565 of 2,405 scored counties
#43 of 87 scored counties in Illinois
- Listings
- 265
- 114 chain locations (43%)
- Official establishments
- 105
- −5.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $100.7M
- On food away from home · $3,348 a household
- Spending per listing
- $380K
- 2% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 88.1
- 20% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 71,259
- −3.7% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Vermilion 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 Vermilion 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
Households in Vermilion County spend about $100.7M a year on food away from home, or $3,348 per household, 18% below the U.S. average. That works out to $380K per restaurant, 2% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 265 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Vermilion County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 43% of them, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 88.1, 20% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 105 businesses with payroll in Vermilion County classed as restaurants and other eating places, down 5.4% from 2019. That is one for every 287 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 18 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 6 SBA-backed loans worth $3.9M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Vermilion County.
Population estimates put the population change in Vermilion County from 2020 to 2025 at −3.7%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Vermilion County is 41 (lower middle), #1,565 of 2,405 scored counties and #43 of 87 scored counties in Illinois.
How Vermilion 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 | Vermilion County | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 88.1 | 112.0 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $380K | $376K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 287 | 216 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −5.4% | +3.2% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −3.7% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,348 | $4,215 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $56,877 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 41 | 46 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 111 → 105−5.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,808
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $31.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 18Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 265114 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 272The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 6
- Amount
- $3.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Vermilion 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 Vermilion County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 71,259−3.7% since 2020
- Households
- 30,084
- Median age
- 41.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 70%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 898 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 81
- Median household income
- $56,877+22.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $75,148
- Median home value
- $97,200
- Jobs located here
- 24,379
- Daytime population
- 64,835Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Vermilion 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 Vermilion 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 Vermilion 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 |
| 43Vermilion County, IL | 41 | 265 | 88.1 | $380K | −3.7% | #1,565 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Vermilion County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes41
- Sit-down restaurants43
- Fast food and sandwich shops33
- Pizza27
- Coffee shops and cafes53
- Bakeries and dessert shops54
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 Vermilion County, IL?
As of September 2026, map listings count 265 restaurants and cafes in Vermilion County. 114 of them (43%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 105 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, down 5.4% from 2019. Official counts list 18 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Vermilion County, IL spend on food away from home?
About $100.7M a year, or $3,348 per household. That is 18% below the U.S. average (an index of 82, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 265 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $380K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 30,084 households in Vermilion County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Vermilion County, IL compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Vermilion County has 88.1 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 20% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $380K, 2% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Vermilion County would have about 272, against 265 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 287 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count fell 5.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Vermilion County, IL growing?
Population estimates put Vermilion County at 71,259 people in 2025, down 3.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 30,084 households. Median household income in Vermilion County is $56,877, 30% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 22.3%, 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. Vermilion County scores 41 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,565 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Vermilion 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 Vermilion County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Vermilion 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 Vermilion 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.