Food and drink · County · Illinois
Sit-down restaurants in Menard County, IL
How Menard 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 75 out of 100: High
Ranked #231 of 2,405 scored counties
#3 of 87 scored counties in Illinois
- Listings
- 14
- 6 chain locations (43%)
- Official establishments
- 4
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $20.4M
- On food away from home · $3,907 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.5M
- 2.2 times the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 26.8
- 56% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 11,863
- −3.3% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Menard 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 Menard 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
Menard County scores 75 (high) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #231 of 2,405 scored counties and #3 of 87 scored counties in Illinois. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for sit-down restaurants.
At $3,907 per household (4% below the U.S. average), households in Menard County spend about $20.4M a year on food away from home. Spread across 14 sit-down restaurants, that is $1.5M per restaurant, 2.2 times the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
There are 14 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Menard County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 43% of them, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 26.8 for every 10,000 households, 56% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Menard County was 4 in 2023. That is one for every 1,307 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Menard County declined 3.3%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Menard 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 | Menard County | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 26.8 | 62.0 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $1.5M | $680K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,307 | 507 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +0.4% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −3.3% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,907 | $4,215 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $82,176 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 75 | 41 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 3 → 4
- Employees, 2023
- 88
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 146 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 31The 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 Menard 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 Menard County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 11,863−3.3% since 2020
- Households
- 5,228
- Median age
- 43.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 79%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 314 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 38
- Median household income
- $82,176+10.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $97,054
- Median home value
- $185,500
- Jobs located here
- 1,818
- Daytime population
- 8,264Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Menard 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 Menard 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 Menard 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 Menard County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes72
- Sit-down restaurants75
- Fast food and sandwich shops
- Pizza56
- 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 Menard County, IL?
As of September 2026, map listings count 14 sit-down restaurants in Menard County. 6 of them (43%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 4 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023.
How much do households in Menard County, IL spend on food away from home?
About $20.4M a year, or $3,907 per household. That is 4% below the U.S. average (an index of 96, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 14 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $1.5M 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 5,228 households in Menard County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Menard County, IL compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Menard County has 26.8 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 56% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $1.5M, 2.2 times the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Menard County would have about 31, against 14 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,307 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S.
How fast is Menard County, IL growing?
Population estimates put Menard County at 11,863 people in 2025, down 3.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 5,228 households. Median household income in Menard County is $82,176, 2% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 10.0%, 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. Menard County scores 75 for sit-down restaurants (high), #231 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Menard 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 Menard County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Menard 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 Menard 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.