Food and drink · County · Illinois
Sit-down restaurants in Mercer County, IL
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for sit-down restaurants in Mercer County, IL, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 47 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,320 of 2,405 scored counties
#32 of 87 scored counties in Illinois
- Listings
- 37
- 9 chain locations (24%)
- Official establishments
- 10
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $25.4M
- On food away from home · $3,862 a household
- Spending per listing
- $685K
- 3% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 56.4
- 8% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 15,229
- −2.6% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Mercer 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 Mercer 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 37 sit-down restaurants in Mercer County. Of those, 9 are chain locations, or 24%, against 29% across the U.S. That is 56.4 per 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Household spending on food away from home in Mercer County comes to about $25.4M a year: $3,862 per household, 5% below the U.S. average. Spread across 37 sit-down restaurants, that is $685K per restaurant, 3% 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.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Mercer County was 10 in 2023. That is one for every 657 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $205K has gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Mercer County.
Population estimates show Mercer County declined 2.6% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. Mercer County scores 47 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #1,320 of 2,405 scored counties and #32 of 87 scored counties in Illinois.
How Mercer 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 | Mercer County | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 56.4 | 62.0 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $685K | $680K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 657 | 507 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +0.4% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.6% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,862 | $4,215 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $74,182 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 47 | 41 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 10 → 10
- Employees, 2023
- 78
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $890K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 379 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 38The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $205K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Mercer 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 Mercer County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 15,229−2.6% since 2020
- Households
- 6,565
- Median age
- 43.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 84%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.2
- Land area
- 561 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 28
- Median household income
- $74,182+24.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $92,846
- Median home value
- $146,700
- Jobs located here
- 3,052
- Daytime population
- 11,354Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Mercer 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 Mercer 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 Mercer 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 |
| 32Mercer County, IL | 47 | 37 | 56.4 | $685K | −2.6% | #1,320 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Mercer County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes62
- Sit-down restaurants47
- Fast food and sandwich shops
- Pizza46
- Coffee shops and cafes57
- 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 Mercer County, IL?
There are 37 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Mercer County as of September 2026. 9 of them (24%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 10 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023.
How much do households in Mercer County, IL spend on food away from home?
About $25.4M a year, or $3,862 per household. That is 5% below the U.S. average (an index of 95, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 37 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $685K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 6,565 households in Mercer County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Mercer County, IL compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Mercer County has 56.4 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $685K, 3% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Mercer County would have about 38, against 37 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 657 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S.
How fast is Mercer County, IL growing?
Population estimates put Mercer County at 15,229 people in 2025, down 2.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 6,565 households. The median household income in Mercer County is $74,182 a year, 8% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 24.1% 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. Mercer County scores 47 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #1,320 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Mercer 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 Mercer County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Mercer 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 Mercer 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.