Food and drink · Metro area · Illinois
Sit-down restaurants in the Decatur, IL metro area
The sit-down restaurants in the Decatur, IL metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 31 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #338 of 387 scored metro areas
#8 of 8 scored metro areas based in Illinois
- Listings
- 243
- 94 chain locations (39%)
- Official establishments
- 73
- −14.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $153.6M
- On food away from home · $3,534 a household
- Spending per listing
- $632K
- 5% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 55.9
- 9% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 99,300
- −4.3% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in the Decatur metro area
The site report maps the sit-down restaurants 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 Decatur 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
For sit-down restaurants, the Decatur metro area has a Groundwork market score of 31 (lower middle): #338 of 387 scored metro areas and #8 of 8 scored metro areas based in Illinois. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.
Households in the Decatur metro area spend about $153.6M a year on food away from home, or $3,534 per household, 13% below the U.S. average. Spread across 243 sit-down restaurants, that is $632K per restaurant, 5% below the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
There are 243 sit-down restaurants on map listings in the Decatur metro area as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 39% of them, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 55.9 for every 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
In 2023, official counts showed 73 businesses with payroll in the Decatur metro area classed as full-service restaurants, down 14.1% from 2019. That is one for every 595 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $3.3M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Decatur metro area. Population estimates put the population change in the Decatur metro area from 2020 to 2025 at −4.3%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Decatur 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 sit-down restaurants 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 | Decatur metro area | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 55.9 | 62.0 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $632K | $680K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 595 | 507 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −14.1% | +0.4% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −4.3% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,534 | $4,215 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $62,666 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 31 | 41 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 73−14.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,372
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $29.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 7Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 24394 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 232The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $3.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Decatur 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 Decatur metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 99,300−4.3% since 2020
- Households
- 43,468
- Median age
- 41.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 70%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 581 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 175
- Median household income
- $62,666+24.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $84,051
- Median home value
- $127,300
- Jobs located here
- 43,992
- Daytime population
- 103,405Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Decatur 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 sit-down restaurants on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of the Decatur metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSit-down restaurants across Illinois
Every Illinois market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Illinois for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Illinois (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Decatur metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Illinois
| 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 |
Other business types in the Decatur metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes43
- Sit-down restaurants31
- Fast food and sandwich shops38
- Pizza27
- Coffee shops and cafes59
- Bakeries and dessert shops62
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 sit-down restaurants are in the Decatur, IL metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 243 sit-down restaurants in the Decatur metro area. 94 of them (39%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 73 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 14.1% from 2019. Official counts also show 7 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Decatur, IL metro area spend on food away from home?
About $153.6M a year, or $3,534 per household. That is 13% below the U.S. average (an index of 87, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 243 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $632K 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 43,468 households in the Decatur metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Decatur, IL metro area compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
The Decatur metro area has 55.9 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $632K, 5% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, the Decatur metro area would have about 232, against 243 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 595 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 14.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is the Decatur, IL metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Decatur metro area at 99,300 people in 2025, down 4.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 43,468 households. Median household income in the Decatur metro area is $62,666, 22% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 24.1%, 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 Decatur metro area scores 31 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #338 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 Decatur metro area. 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.
How the score works · Top markets for sit-down restaurants · All 56 business types in the Decatur metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Decatur 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 Decatur 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.