Market rankings · Illinois

Sit-down restaurants in Illinois

Every metro area, small-town market and county in Illinois, ranked by the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, with competitor counts and household spending for each.

Listings: 31,234; 8,550 chain locations (27%)
Official establishments: 9,928; +0.4% since 2019
Household spending a year: $21.2B; On food away from home
Listings per 10k households: 62.0; In line with the U.S.
Spending per listing: $680K; 2% above the U.S.
Rank among states: #36 of 51; Market score 41 · Lower middle

A site report maps the sit-down restaurants on map listings around any address in Illinois by name and distance, and the spending within reach.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

There are 31,234 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Illinois as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 27% of them, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 62.0 for every 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 61.3.

Households in Illinois spend about $21.2B a year on food away from home, or $4,215 per household, 4% above the U.S. average. That is about $680K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 2% above the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.

In 2023, official counts showed 9,928 businesses with payroll in Illinois classed as full-service restaurants, up 0.4% from 2019. That is one for every 507 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 1.5% over the same years. Since fiscal 2022, 612 SBA-backed loans worth $388.7M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Illinois.

Among the 50 states and DC, Illinois ranks #36 for sit-down restaurants, with a Groundwork market score of 41 (lower middle). Of the 12 scored metro areas in or partly in Illinois, the Bloomington metro area scores highest (63). Of the 21 scored small-town markets in or partly in Illinois, the Rochelle area scores highest (63).

Every market in Illinois for sit-down restaurants

Download the ranking (CSV)

Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in Illinois, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.

Metro areas

Metro areas reaching Illinois, ranked for sit-down restaurants by Groundwork market score
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Spending per listing	Population growth	U.S. rank
1Bloomington, IL	63	360	51.3	$791K	+0.1%	#93 of 387
St. Louis, MO-IL	60	6,121	52.7	$779K	−0.2%	#111 of 387
2Rockford, IL	52	640	47.2	$782K	−0.3%	#165 of 387
3Peoria, IL	49	814	52.9	$728K	−1.3%	#195 of 387
4Kankakee, IL	46	212	51.7	$742K	−1.7%	#219 of 387
5Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	43	23,922	65.7	$673K	0.0%	#245 of 387
6Springfield, IL	42	507	56.3	$699K	−1.2%	#258 of 387
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL	36	900	55.7	$688K	−0.9%	#297 of 387
7Champaign-Urbana, IL	31	575	58.5	$635K	+1.5%	#337 of 387
8Decatur, IL	31	243	55.9	$632K	−4.3%	#338 of 387
Cape Girardeau, MO-IL	23	245	64.0	$561K	+1.7%	#371 of 387
Paducah, KY-IL	16	253	60.6	$575K	−1.2%	#381 of 387

Small-town markets

Small-town markets reaching Illinois, ranked for sit-down restaurants by Groundwork market score
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Spending per listing	Population growth	U.S. rank
1Rochelle, IL	63	108	51.9	$761K	−0.7%	#134 of 538
2Freeport, IL	56	81	41.8	$832K	−3.0%	#199 of 538
3Lincoln, IL	55	48	42.6	$850K	−2.5%	#212 of 538
4Marion-Herrin, IL	54	155	53.5	$677K	+0.2%	#224 of 538
5Effingham, IL	52	100	55.2	$703K	−0.9%	#246 of 538
6Danville, IL	50	140	46.5	$719K	−3.7%	#263 of 538
7Quincy, IL-MO	48	148	47.6	$746K	−2.0%	#282 of 538
8Pontiac, IL	48	75	51.3	$741K	−2.1%	#284 of 538
9Jacksonville, IL	48	81	53.6	$669K	−3.1%	#292 of 538
10Taylorville, IL	47	63	46.4	$752K	−1.5%	#301 of 538
11Macomb, IL	46	48	40.5	$803K	−4.5%	#308 of 538
12Sterling, IL	46	112	48.4	$738K	−2.6%	#312 of 538
13Centralia, IL	46	71	45.8	$738K	−3.4%	#313 of 538
14Canton, IL	42	73	52.9	$650K	−2.0%	#347 of 538
15Galesburg, IL	40	91	43.4	$758K	−4.1%	#371 of 538
16Dixon, IL	38	77	57.7	$646K	−3.4%	#395 of 538
Burlington, IA-IL	38	119	59.9	$576K	−2.5%	#398 of 538
17Charleston-Mattoon, IL	34	115	55.2	$603K	−1.0%	#431 of 538
18Mount Vernon, IL	33	91	61.4	$562K	−2.3%	#442 of 538
19Ottawa, IL	32	415	67.1	$559K	−1.6%	#455 of 538
20Carbondale, IL	22	135	58.8	$541K	−1.5%	#514 of 538

Counties

Counties in Illinois, ranked for sit-down restaurants by Groundwork market score
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Spending per listing	Population growth	U.S. rank
1Kendall County, IL	81	207	45.6	$1.1M	+9.9%	#114 of 2,405
2Boone County, IL	78	75	38.5	$1.1M	+0.4%	#162 of 2,405
3Menard County, IL	75	14	26.8	$1.5M	−3.3%	#231 of 2,405
4Piatt County, IL	74	27	39.0	$1.1M	+0.6%	#263 of 2,405
5Woodford County, IL	70	58	39.5	$1.1M	−0.8%	#365 of 2,405
6Will County, IL	70	1,307	53.5	$898K	+2.2%	#382 of 2,405
7McHenry County, IL	67	548	46.6	$1M	+2.5%	#452 of 2,405
8Moultrie County, IL	62	27	46.4	$801K	−0.8%	#676 of 2,405
9Monroe County, IL	60	64	46.2	$1M	−0.3%	#729 of 2,405
10Cumberland County, IL	60	16	38.3	$955K	−2.1%	#730 of 2,405
11McLean County, IL	59	360	51.3	$791K	+0.1%	#781 of 2,405
12Bond County, IL	58	24	39.0	$934K	+0.6%	#802 of 2,405
13Lake County, IL	57	1,551	60.0	$826K	+0.8%	#857 of 2,405
14Grundy County, IL	57	117	56.8	$765K	+2.9%	#867 of 2,405
15Kane County, IL	55	1,120	60.6	$775K	+1.8%	#950 of 2,405
16Tazewell County, IL	55	276	51.1	$771K	−0.9%	#951 of 2,405
17Ogle County, IL	54	108	51.9	$761K	−0.7%	#989 of 2,405
18Washington County, IL	54	31	53.5	$710K	−1.2%	#1,003 of 2,405
19DeKalb County, IL	54	220	55.6	$687K	+1.5%	#1,006 of 2,405
20Saline County, IL	53	36	35.9	$928K	−4.1%	#1,021 of 2,405
21Clay County, IL	53	20	37.7	$894K	−3.6%	#1,022 of 2,405
22Johnson County, IL	53	16	39.0	$884K	+0.4%	#1,024 of 2,405
23Clinton County, IL	52	80	54.9	$751K	+0.6%	#1,090 of 2,405
24St. Clair County, IL	52	542	53.7	$724K	−2.5%	#1,093 of 2,405
25Shelby County, IL	51	36	40.4	$894K	−1.6%	#1,118 of 2,405

Show all 102 counties

Counties in Illinois, ranked for sit-down restaurants by Groundwork market score, continued
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Spending per listing	Population growth	U.S. rank
26De Witt County, IL	50	32	48.5	$759K	−2.1%	#1,162 of 2,405
27Madison County, IL	50	582	52.8	$745K	−1.0%	#1,165 of 2,405
28Logan County, IL	48	48	42.6	$850K	−2.5%	#1,257 of 2,405
29Stephenson County, IL	48	81	41.8	$832K	−3.0%	#1,258 of 2,405
30Henry County, IL	48	97	47.8	$797K	−2.2%	#1,259 of 2,405
31DuPage County, IL	48	2,454	70.0	$709K	+0.3%	#1,273 of 2,405
32Mercer County, IL	47	37	56.4	$685K	−2.6%	#1,320 of 2,405
33Kankakee County, IL	46	212	51.7	$742K	−1.7%	#1,357 of 2,405
34Warren County, IL	45	28	41.3	$879K	−3.6%	#1,393 of 2,405
35Winnebago County, IL	45	565	48.7	$743K	−0.4%	#1,407 of 2,405
36Perry County, IL	45	39	49.5	$703K	−3.5%	#1,416 of 2,405
37Williamson County, IL	45	155	53.5	$677K	+0.2%	#1,425 of 2,405
38Mason County, IL	44	26	45.0	$766K	−4.9%	#1,446 of 2,405
39Macoupin County, IL	44	93	52.9	$716K	−2.6%	#1,454 of 2,405
40Adams County, IL	43	129	46.2	$772K	−2.1%	#1,482 of 2,405
41Vermilion County, IL	43	140	46.5	$719K	−3.7%	#1,489 of 2,405
42Wabash County, IL	43	26	54.9	$623K	−3.6%	#1,503 of 2,405
43Union County, IL	42	29	42.2	$798K	−3.7%	#1,517 of 2,405
44Crawford County, IL	42	40	53.4	$694K	+0.1%	#1,530 of 2,405
45Sangamon County, IL	42	493	58.2	$678K	−1.0%	#1,537 of 2,405
46Livingston County, IL	41	75	51.3	$741K	−2.1%	#1,577 of 2,405
47Rock Island County, IL	41	303	49.1	$736K	−1.7%	#1,578 of 2,405
48Greene County, IL	41	23	51.7	$692K	−5.1%	#1,582 of 2,405
49Effingham County, IL	41	84	60.2	$655K	−0.5%	#1,591 of 2,405
50McDonough County, IL	40	48	40.5	$803K	−4.5%	#1,607 of 2,405
51Christian County, IL	40	63	46.4	$752K	−1.5%	#1,612 of 2,405
52Marion County, IL	40	71	45.8	$738K	−3.4%	#1,617 of 2,405
53Peoria County, IL	40	430	55.3	$674K	−1.6%	#1,631 of 2,405
54Lawrence County, IL	39	21	38.4	$906K	−9.7%	#1,658 of 2,405
55Whiteside County, IL	39	112	48.4	$738K	−2.6%	#1,667 of 2,405
56Morgan County, IL	39	69	52.8	$680K	−2.9%	#1,679 of 2,405
57Randolph County, IL	39	63	52.7	$675K	−0.6%	#1,680 of 2,405
58Hancock County, IL	38	40	52.5	$668K	−4.4%	#1,722 of 2,405
59Massac County, IL	38	29	53.1	$635K	−4.5%	#1,726 of 2,405
60Champaign County, IL	37	515	60.3	$612K	+1.8%	#1,772 of 2,405
61Cook County, IL	37	14,901	70.9	$600K	−1.3%	#1,773 of 2,405
62Wayne County, IL	36	30	43.7	$743K	−1.6%	#1,788 of 2,405
63Iroquois County, IL	36	62	54.2	$659K	−3.0%	#1,795 of 2,405
64Fulton County, IL	36	73	52.9	$650K	−2.0%	#1,796 of 2,405
65Knox County, IL	35	91	43.4	$758K	−4.1%	#1,822 of 2,405
66Macon County, IL	35	243	55.9	$632K	−4.3%	#1,828 of 2,405
67Douglas County, IL	35	47	60.5	$626K	+0.5%	#1,833 of 2,405
68Cass County, IL	34	33	64.4	$545K	−4.0%	#1,896 of 2,405
69Edgar County, IL	33	40	52.9	$643K	−2.9%	#1,915 of 2,405
70Lee County, IL	32	77	57.7	$646K	−3.4%	#1,954 of 2,405
71Bureau County, IL	32	84	59.9	$609K	−2.1%	#1,958 of 2,405
72Jersey County, IL	32	56	70.3	$564K	−1.5%	#1,971 of 2,405
73Richland County, IL	30	34	52.8	$644K	−3.7%	#2,033 of 2,405
74Franklin County, IL	29	86	53.3	$612K	−2.1%	#2,075 of 2,405
75Coles County, IL	29	115	55.2	$603K	−1.0%	#2,076 of 2,405
76Jefferson County, IL	28	91	61.4	$562K	−2.3%	#2,113 of 2,405
77Clark County, IL	26	42	64.1	$567K	−2.2%	#2,175 of 2,405
78Fayette County, IL	25	43	55.0	$628K	−3.2%	#2,192 of 2,405
79LaSalle County, IL	25	320	70.5	$536K	−1.5%	#2,204 of 2,405
80Ford County, IL	24	33	56.6	$616K	−2.2%	#2,215 of 2,405
81Montgomery County, IL	24	79	69.8	$503K	−0.6%	#2,227 of 2,405
82Carroll County, IL	23	40	60.8	$563K	−1.7%	#2,248 of 2,405
83Marshall County, IL	22	37	72.6	$499K	−2.0%	#2,273 of 2,405
84White County, IL	21	29	51.1	$634K	−4.0%	#2,287 of 2,405
85Jo Daviess County, IL	21	86	82.8	$466K	−2.2%	#2,294 of 2,405
86Jackson County, IL	19	135	58.8	$541K	−1.5%	#2,321 of 2,405
87Pike County, IL	19	37	62.0	$540K	−2.8%	#2,322 of 2,405
Jasper County, IL	Not scored	12	32.0	$1.2M	−2.4%
Hamilton County, IL	Not scored	9	26.6	$1.3M	−1.7%
Schuyler County, IL	Not scored	9	32.9	$1M	−3.0%
Brown County, IL	Not scored	6	29.4	$1.2M	+2.7%
Henderson County, IL	Not scored	17	62.9	$536K	−5.6%
Edwards County, IL	Not scored	10	37.5	$888K	−5.0%
Putnam County, IL	Not scored	11	44.6	$863K	−0.1%
Stark County, IL	Not scored	13	56.9	$643K	−1.2%
Pulaski County, IL	Not scored	8	41.2	$700K	−6.9%
Scott County, IL	Not scored	12	58.7	$606K	−4.0%
Alexander County, IL	Not scored	14	73.5	$433K	−11.6%
Gallatin County, IL	Not scored	9	42.9	$793K	−6.4%
Calhoun County, IL	Not scored	13	104.9	$406K	−2.2%
Pope County, IL	Not scored	8	57.8	$599K	−2.2%
Hardin County, IL	Not scored	7	45.3	$675K	−1.8%

Markets with fewer than 5 sit-down restaurants on map listings, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored; they’re listed last in each table.

Questions

How many sit-down restaurants are in Illinois?

As of September 2026, map listings count 31,234 sit-down restaurants in Illinois. 8,550 of them (27%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 9,928 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 0.4% from 2019. Another 2,124 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in Illinois spend on food away from home?

About $21.2B a year, or $4,215 per household. That is 4% above the U.S. average (an index of 104, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 31,234 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $680K per restaurant. That spending covers all food away from home, which sit-down restaurants share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 5,036,449 households in Illinois and national spending patterns by income.

How does Illinois compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?

Illinois has 62.0 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $680K, 2% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Illinois would have about 31,991, against 31,234 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 507 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 0.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.

Which market in Illinois has the highest market score for sit-down restaurants?

Among 12 scored metro areas in or partly in Illinois, the Bloomington metro area scores highest, at 63 (upper middle). Among 21 scored small-town markets in or partly in Illinois, the Rochelle area scores highest, at 63 (upper middle). Among 87 scored counties in Illinois, Kendall County scores highest, at 81 (high). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.

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. Illinois scores 41 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #36 of the 50 states and DC.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Illinois. It maps the sit-down restaurants 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.

Restaurants and cafes56,407 listings
Fast food and sandwich shops6,826 listings
Pizza4,499 listings
Coffee shops and cafes5,172 listings
Bakeries and dessert shops4,962 listings

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