Food and drink · County · Illinois
Sit-down restaurants in McHenry County, IL
The sit-down restaurants in McHenry County, IL, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 67 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #452 of 2,405 scored counties
#7 of 87 scored counties in Illinois
- Listings
- 548
- 184 chain locations (34%)
- Official establishments
- 244
- +1.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $554.6M
- On food away from home · $4,716 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1M
- 53% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 46.6
- 24% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 317,751
- +2.5% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in McHenry 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 McHenry 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 548 sit-down restaurants in McHenry County. Chain locations make up 34% of them, against 29% across the U.S. That is 46.6 per 10,000 households, 24% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Household spending on food away from home in McHenry County comes to about $554.6M a year: $4,716 per household, 16% above the U.S. average. Spread across 548 sit-down restaurants, that is $1M per restaurant, 53% above the U.S. figure of $664K. That spending covers all food away from home, which sit-down restaurants share with other businesses in the trade.
Official counts show 244 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in McHenry County in 2023, up 1.7% from 2019. That is one for every 482 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Another 34 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 15 SBA-backed loans worth $6.3M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in McHenry County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of McHenry County grew 2.5%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For sit-down restaurants, McHenry County has a Groundwork market score of 67 (upper middle): #452 of 2,405 scored counties and #7 of 87 scored counties in Illinois. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How McHenry 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 | McHenry County | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 46.6 | 62.0 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $1M | $680K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 482 | 507 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +1.7% | +0.4% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.5% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,716 | $4,215 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $104,802 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 67 | 41 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 240 → 244+1.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 4,407
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $99.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 34Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 548184 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 836The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 15
- Amount
- $6.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in McHenry 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 McHenry County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 317,751+2.5% since 2020
- Households
- 117,594
- Median age
- 41.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 83%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 603 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 518
- Median household income
- $104,802+20.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $130,520
- Median home value
- $308,100
- Jobs located here
- 93,473
- Daytime population
- 243,217Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in McHenry 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 McHenry 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 McHenry 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 |
Other business types in McHenry County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes67
- Sit-down restaurants67
- Fast food and sandwich shops70
- Pizza63
- Coffee shops and cafes74
- Bakeries and dessert shops58
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 McHenry County, IL?
McHenry County has 548 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 184 of them (34%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 244 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 1.7% from 2019. Official counts list 34 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in McHenry County, IL spend on food away from home?
About $554.6M a year, or $4,716 per household. That is 16% above the U.S. average (an index of 116, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 548 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $1M per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 117,594 households in McHenry County and national spending patterns by income.
How does McHenry County, IL compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
McHenry County has 46.6 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 24% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $1M, 53% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, McHenry County would have about 836, against 548 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 482 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 1.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is McHenry County, IL growing?
Population estimates put McHenry County at 317,751 people in 2025, up 2.5% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 117,594 households. The median household income in McHenry County is $104,802 a year, 30% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 20.7% from the 2015–2019 survey, 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. McHenry County scores 67 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #452 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in McHenry 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 McHenry County
Screening a site or an acquisition in McHenry 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 McHenry 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.