Food and drink · County · Illinois
Sit-down restaurants in Knox County, IL
How Knox County, IL compares with other counties and the U.S. for sit-down restaurants: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 35 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,822 of 2,405 scored counties
#65 of 87 scored counties 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 Knox 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 Knox 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
The Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants in Knox County is 35 (lower middle), #1,822 of 2,405 scored counties and #65 of 87 scored counties in Illinois. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Household spending on food away from home in Knox County comes to about $68.9M a year: $3,287 per household, 19% below the U.S. average. 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 Knox County as of September 2026. Of those, 29 are chain locations, or 32%, against 29% across the U.S. That is 43.4 per 10,000 households, 29% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
In 2023, official counts showed 39 businesses with payroll in Knox County 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. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $150K has gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Knox County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Knox County declined 4.1%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Knox 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 | Knox County | 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 | 35 | 41 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 43 → 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 Knox 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 Knox County
- 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 Knox 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 Knox 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 Knox 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 |
| 65Knox County, IL | 35 | 91 | 43.4 | $758K | −4.1% | #1,822 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Knox County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes29
- Sit-down restaurants35
- Fast food and sandwich shops27
- Pizza31
- Coffee shops and cafes30
- 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 Knox County, IL?
As of September 2026, map listings count 91 sit-down restaurants in Knox County. 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 also show 7 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Knox County, IL 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 Knox County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Knox County, IL compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Knox County 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, Knox County 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 Knox County, IL growing?
Population estimates put Knox County 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 Knox County 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. 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. Knox County scores 35 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #1,822 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Knox 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 Knox County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Knox 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 Knox 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.