Food and drink · County · Illinois
Sit-down restaurants in Rock Island County, IL
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for sit-down restaurants in Rock Island County, IL, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 41 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,578 of 2,405 scored counties
#47 of 87 scored counties in Illinois
- Listings
- 303
- 82 chain locations (27%)
- Official establishments
- 120
- 0.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $223.1M
- On food away from home · $3,615 a household
- Spending per listing
- $736K
- 11% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 49.1
- 20% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 141,869
- −1.7% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Rock Island 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 Rock Island 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
Household spending on food away from home in Rock Island County comes to about $223.1M a year: $3,615 per household, 11% below the U.S. average. That works out to $736K per restaurant, 11% above the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
There are 303 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Rock Island County as of September 2026. Of those, 82 are chain locations, or 27%, against 29% across the U.S. That is 49.1 per 10,000 households, 20% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
In 2023, official counts showed 120 businesses with payroll in Rock Island County classed as full-service restaurants, unchanged from 2019. That is one for every 514 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts also show 11 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $300K has gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Rock Island County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Rock Island County declined 1.7%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For sit-down restaurants, Rock Island County has a Groundwork market score of 41 (lower middle): #1,578 of 2,405 scored counties and #47 of 87 scored counties in Illinois.
How Rock Island 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 | Rock Island County | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 49.1 | 62.0 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $736K | $680K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 514 | 507 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | 0.0% | +0.4% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.7% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,615 | $4,215 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $67,159 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 41 | 41 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 120 → 1200.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,721
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $33.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 11Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 30382 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 336The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $300K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Rock Island 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 Rock Island County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 141,869−1.7% since 2020
- Households
- 61,733
- Median age
- 40.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 70%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 428 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 334
- Median household income
- $67,159+22.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $85,299
- Median home value
- $150,400
- Jobs located here
- 67,505
- Daytime population
- 147,154Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Rock Island 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 Rock Island 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 Rock Island 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 |
| 47Rock Island County, IL | 41 | 303 | 49.1 | $736K | −1.7% | #1,578 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Rock Island County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes39
- Sit-down restaurants41
- Fast food and sandwich shops40
- Pizza36
- Coffee shops and cafes52
- Bakeries and dessert shops54
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 Rock Island County, IL?
As of September 2026, map listings count 303 sit-down restaurants in Rock Island County. 82 of them (27%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 120 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, unchanged from 2019. Another 11 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Rock Island County, IL spend on food away from home?
About $223.1M a year, or $3,615 per household. That is 11% below the U.S. average (an index of 89, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 303 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $736K 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 61,733 households in Rock Island County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Rock Island County, IL compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Rock Island County has 49.1 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 20% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $736K, 11% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Rock Island County would have about 336, against 303 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 514 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count held level from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Rock Island County, IL growing?
Population estimates put Rock Island County at 141,869 people in 2025, down 1.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 61,733 households. Median household income in Rock Island County is $67,159, 17% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 22.4%, 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. Rock Island County scores 41 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #1,578 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Rock Island 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 Rock Island County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Rock Island 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 Rock Island 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.