Food and drink · County · Illinois
Sit-down restaurants in Lake County, IL
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for sit-down restaurants in Lake County, IL, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 57 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #857 of 2,405 scored counties
#13 of 87 scored counties in Illinois
- Listings
- 1,551
- 419 chain locations (27%)
- Official establishments
- 545
- +7.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.3B
- On food away from home · $4,958 a household
- Spending per listing
- $826K
- 24% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 60.0
- 2% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 719,339
- +0.8% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Lake 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 Lake 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
At $4,958 per household (22% above the U.S. average), households in Lake County spend about $1.3B a year on food away from home. That is about $826K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 24% above the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
Lake County has 1,551 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 27% of them, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 60.0, 2% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Lake County was 545 in 2023, up 7.1% from 2019. That is one for every 474 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts also show 81 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 31 SBA-backed loans worth $23.4M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Lake County.
Population estimates put the population change in Lake County from 2020 to 2025 at +0.8%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For sit-down restaurants, Lake County has a Groundwork market score of 57 (upper middle): #857 of 2,405 scored counties and #13 of 87 scored counties in Illinois.
How Lake 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 | Lake County | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 60.0 | 62.0 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $826K | $680K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 474 | 507 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +7.1% | +0.4% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.8% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,958 | $4,215 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $110,416 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 57 | 41 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 509 → 545+7.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 9,302
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $271.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 81Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,551419 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,931The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 31
- Amount
- $23.4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Lake 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 Lake County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 719,339+0.8% since 2020
- Households
- 258,455
- Median age
- 40.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 75%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 444 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,610
- Median household income
- $110,416+23.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $155,726
- Median home value
- $345,700
- Jobs located here
- 328,525
- Daytime population
- 712,545Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Lake 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 Lake 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 Lake 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 |
| 13Lake County, IL | 57 | 1,551 | 60.0 | $826K | +0.8% | #857 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Lake County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes57
- Sit-down restaurants57
- Fast food and sandwich shops61
- Pizza62
- Coffee shops and cafes63
- Bakeries and dessert shops53
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 Lake County, IL?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 1,551 sit-down restaurants in Lake County. 419 of them (27%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 545 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 7.1% from 2019. Another 81 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Lake County, IL spend on food away from home?
About $1.3B a year, or $4,958 per household. That is 22% above the U.S. average (an index of 122, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,551 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $826K 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 258,455 households in Lake County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Lake County, IL compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Lake County has 60.0 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 2% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $826K, 24% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Lake County would have about 1,931, against 1,551 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 474 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 7.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Lake County, IL growing?
Population estimates put Lake County at 719,339 people in 2025, up 0.8% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 258,455 households. Median household income in Lake County is $110,416, 37% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 23.5%, 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. Lake County scores 57 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #857 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Lake 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 Lake County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Lake 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 Lake 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.