Food and drink · County · Illinois
Sit-down restaurants in Ford County, IL
The sit-down restaurants in Ford County, IL, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 24 out of 100: Low
Ranked #2,215 of 2,405 scored counties
#80 of 87 scored counties in Illinois
- Listings
- 33
- 14 chain locations (42%)
- Official establishments
- 14
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $20.3M
- On food away from home · $3,490 a household
- Spending per listing
- $616K
- 7% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 56.6
- 8% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 13,216
- −2.2% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Ford County
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 Ford 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
For sit-down restaurants, Ford County has a Groundwork market score of 24 (low): #2,215 of 2,405 scored counties and #80 of 87 scored counties in Illinois. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
At $3,490 per household (14% below the U.S. average), households in Ford County spend about $20.3M a year on food away from home. That is about $616K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 7% below the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
Ford County has 33 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 42% of them, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 56.6 for every 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Official counts show 14 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Ford County in 2023. That is one for every 416 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Ford County declined 2.2%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Ford 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 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 | Ford County | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 56.6 | 62.0 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $616K | $680K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 416 | 507 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +0.4% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.2% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,490 | $4,215 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $62,439 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 24 | 41 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 14 → 14
- Employees, 2023
- 136
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 3Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 3314 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 31The 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 full-service restaurants in Ford 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 Ford County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 13,216−2.2% since 2020
- Households
- 5,828
- Median age
- 41.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 486 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 28
- Median household income
- $62,439+19.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $79,163
- Median home value
- $122,000
- Jobs located here
- 5,845
- Daytime population
- 12,564Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Ford 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 sit-down restaurants on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Ford County. 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 counties in Illinois for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Illinois, with Ford County marked.
Top counties in Illinois
| 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 |
| 80Ford County, IL | 24 | 33 | 56.6 | $616K | −2.2% | #2,215 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Ford County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes39
- Sit-down restaurants24
- Fast food and sandwich shops58
- Pizza32
- Coffee shops and cafes39
- Bakeries and dessert shops33
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 Ford County, IL?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 33 sit-down restaurants in Ford County. 14 of them (42%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 14 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023. Official counts also show 3 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Ford County, IL spend on food away from home?
About $20.3M a year, or $3,490 per household. That is 14% below the U.S. average (an index of 86, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 33 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $616K 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 5,828 households in Ford County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Ford County, IL compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Ford County has 56.6 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $616K, 7% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Ford County would have about 31, against 33 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 416 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S.
How fast is Ford County, IL growing?
Population estimates put Ford County at 13,216 people in 2025, down 2.2% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 5,828 households. Median household income in Ford County is $62,439, 23% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 19.9%, 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. Ford County scores 24 for sit-down restaurants (low), #2,215 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Ford County. 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 Ford County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Ford 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 Ford 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.