Food and drink · County · Illinois
Sit-down restaurants in Mason County, IL
How Mason 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 44 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,446 of 2,405 scored counties
#38 of 87 scored counties in Illinois
- Listings
- 26
- 6 chain locations (23%)
- Official establishments
- 9
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $19.9M
- On food away from home · $3,447 a household
- Spending per listing
- $766K
- 15% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 45.0
- 27% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 12,411
- −4.9% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Mason 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 Mason 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
Households in Mason County spend about $19.9M a year on food away from home, or $3,447 per household, 15% below the U.S. average. That is about $766K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 15% above the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
There are 26 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Mason County as of September 2026. Of those, 6 are chain locations, or 23%, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 45.0 for every 10,000 households, 27% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
In 2023, official counts showed 9 businesses with payroll in Mason County classed as full-service restaurants. That is one for every 642 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Mason County declined 4.9%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For sit-down restaurants, Mason County has a Groundwork market score of 44 (lower middle): #1,446 of 2,405 scored counties and #38 of 87 scored counties in Illinois.
How Mason 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 | Mason County | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 45.0 | 62.0 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $766K | $680K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 642 | 507 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +0.4% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −4.9% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,447 | $4,215 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $62,845 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 44 | 41 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 9 → 9
- Employees, 2023
- 42
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $787K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 266 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 30The 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 Mason 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 Mason County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 12,411−4.9% since 2020
- Households
- 5,781
- Median age
- 44.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 82%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 539 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 24
- Median household income
- $62,845+29.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $78,083
- Median home value
- $103,400
- Jobs located here
- 2,660
- Daytime population
- 11,149Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Mason 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 Mason 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 Mason 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 |
| 38Mason County, IL | 44 | 26 | 45.0 | $766K | −4.9% | #1,446 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Mason County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes44
- Sit-down restaurants44
- Fast food and sandwich shops62
- Pizza36
- Coffee shops and cafes
- Bakeries and dessert shops
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 Mason County, IL?
As of September 2026, map listings count 26 sit-down restaurants in Mason County. 6 of them (23%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 9 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023.
How much do households in Mason County, IL spend on food away from home?
About $19.9M a year, or $3,447 per household. That is 15% below the U.S. average (an index of 85, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 26 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $766K 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 5,781 households in Mason County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Mason County, IL compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Mason County has 45.0 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 27% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $766K, 15% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Mason County would have about 30, against 26 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 642 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S.
How fast is Mason County, IL growing?
Population estimates put Mason County at 12,411 people in 2025, down 4.9% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 5,781 households. Median household income in Mason County is $62,845, 22% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.8%, 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. Mason County scores 44 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #1,446 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Mason 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 Mason County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Mason 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 Mason 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.