Food and drink · Small-town market · Illinois
Sit-down restaurants in the Galesburg, IL area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for sit-down restaurants in the Galesburg, IL area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 40 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #371 of 538 scored small-town markets
#15 of 20 scored small-town markets based in Illinois
- Listings
- 91
- 29 chain locations (32%)
- Official establishments
- 39
- −9.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $68.9M
- On food away from home · $3,287 a household
- Spending per listing
- $758K
- 14% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 43.4
- 29% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 47,767
- −4.1% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in the Galesburg 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 Galesburg 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 $3,287 per household (19% below the U.S. average), households in the Galesburg area spend about $68.9M a year on food away from home. That is about $758K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 14% above the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
There are 91 sit-down restaurants on map listings in the Galesburg area as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 32% of them, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 43.4 for every 10,000 households, 29% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
In 2023, official counts showed 39 businesses with payroll in the Galesburg area classed as full-service restaurants, down 9.3% from 2019. That is one for every 538 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Another 7 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $150K has gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Galesburg area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Galesburg area from 2020 to 2025 at −4.1%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Galesburg area scores 40 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #371 of 538 scored small-town markets and #15 of 20 scored small-town markets based in Illinois.
How the Galesburg 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 | Galesburg area | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 43.4 | 62.0 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $758K | $680K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 538 | 507 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −9.3% | +0.4% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −4.1% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,287 | $4,215 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $57,030 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 40 | 41 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 39−9.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 497
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $10M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 7Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 9129 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 104The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $150K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Galesburg 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 Galesburg area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 47,767−4.1% since 2020
- Households
- 20,972
- Median age
- 42.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 716 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 68
- Median household income
- $57,030+29.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $74,560
- Median home value
- $111,900
- Jobs located here
- 15,910
- Daytime population
- 44,318Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Galesburg 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 sit-down restaurants on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of the Galesburg 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 small-town markets in Illinois for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Illinois, with the Galesburg area marked.
Top small-town markets in Illinois
| 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 |
| 15Galesburg, IL | 40 | 91 | 43.4 | $758K | −4.1% | #371 of 538 |
Other business types in the Galesburg area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes36
- Sit-down restaurants40
- Fast food and sandwich shops31
- Pizza35
- Coffee shops and cafes31
- Bakeries and dessert shops51
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 Galesburg, IL area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 91 sit-down restaurants in the Galesburg area. 29 of them (32%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 39 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 9.3% from 2019. Official counts list 7 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Galesburg, IL area spend on food away from home?
About $68.9M a year, or $3,287 per household. That is 19% below the U.S. average (an index of 81, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 91 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $758K 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 20,972 households in the Galesburg area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Galesburg, IL area compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
The Galesburg area has 43.4 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 29% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $758K, 14% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, the Galesburg area would have about 104, against 91 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 538 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 9.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is the Galesburg, IL area growing?
Population estimates put the Galesburg area at 47,767 people in 2025, down 4.1% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 20,972 households. Median household income in the Galesburg area is $57,030, 29% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.2%, 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 Galesburg area scores 40 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #371 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 Galesburg 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 Galesburg area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Galesburg 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 Galesburg 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.