Food and drink · Metro area · Illinois
Sit-down restaurants in the Springfield, IL metro area
The sit-down restaurants in the Springfield, IL metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 42 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #258 of 387 scored metro areas
#6 of 8 scored metro areas based in Illinois
- Listings
- 507
- 174 chain locations (34%)
- Official establishments
- 171
- +1.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $354.5M
- On food away from home · $3,939 a household
- Spending per listing
- $699K
- 5% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 56.3
- 8% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 206,033
- −1.2% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in the Springfield metro area
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 the Springfield metro area. 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
At $3,939 per household (3% below the U.S. average), households in the Springfield metro area spend about $354.5M a year on food away from home. Spread across 507 sit-down restaurants, that is $699K per restaurant, 5% above the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
The Springfield metro area has 507 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 174 are chain locations, or 34%, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 56.3 for every 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
In 2023, official counts showed 171 businesses with payroll in the Springfield metro area classed as full-service restaurants, up 1.2% from 2019. That is one for every 526 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts also show 21 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 18 SBA-backed loans worth $6.7M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Springfield metro area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Springfield metro area declined 1.2%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For sit-down restaurants, the Springfield metro area has a Groundwork market score of 42 (lower middle): #258 of 387 scored metro areas and #6 of 8 scored metro areas based in Illinois.
How the Springfield metro area 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 | Springfield metro area | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 56.3 | 62.0 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $699K | $680K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 526 | 507 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +1.2% | +0.4% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.2% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,939 | $4,215 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $75,895 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 42 | 41 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 171+1.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 3,513
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $80.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 21Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 507174 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 534The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 18
- Amount
- $6.7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Springfield metro area, 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 the Springfield metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 206,033−1.2% since 2020
- Households
- 89,990
- Median age
- 41.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 1,183 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 175
- Median household income
- $75,895+21.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $100,041
- Median home value
- $177,300
- Jobs located here
- 129,873
- Daytime population
- 241,281Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Springfield metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 the Springfield metro area. 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 metro areas in Illinois for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Illinois (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Springfield metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Illinois
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Bloomington, IL | 63 | 360 | 51.3 | $791K | +0.1% | #93 of 387 |
| St. Louis, MO-IL | 60 | 6,121 | 52.7 | $779K | −0.2% | #111 of 387 |
| 2Rockford, IL | 52 | 640 | 47.2 | $782K | −0.3% | #165 of 387 |
| 3Peoria, IL | 49 | 814 | 52.9 | $728K | −1.3% | #195 of 387 |
| 4Kankakee, IL | 46 | 212 | 51.7 | $742K | −1.7% | #219 of 387 |
| 5Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 43 | 23,922 | 65.7 | $673K | 0.0% | #245 of 387 |
| 6Springfield, IL | 42 | 507 | 56.3 | $699K | −1.2% | #258 of 387 |
| Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL | 36 | 900 | 55.7 | $688K | −0.9% | #297 of 387 |
| 7Champaign-Urbana, IL | 31 | 575 | 58.5 | $635K | +1.5% | #337 of 387 |
| 8Decatur, IL | 31 | 243 | 55.9 | $632K | −4.3% | #338 of 387 |
Other business types in the Springfield metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes38
- Sit-down restaurants42
- Fast food and sandwich shops35
- Pizza29
- Coffee shops and cafes55
- Bakeries and dessert shops63
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 the Springfield, IL metro area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 507 sit-down restaurants in the Springfield metro area. 174 of them (34%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 171 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 1.2% from 2019. Another 21 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Springfield, IL metro area spend on food away from home?
About $354.5M a year, or $3,939 per household. That is 3% below the U.S. average (an index of 97, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 507 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $699K 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 89,990 households in the Springfield metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Springfield, IL metro area compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
The Springfield metro area has 56.3 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $699K, 5% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, the Springfield metro area would have about 534, against 507 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 526 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 1.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is the Springfield, IL metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Springfield metro area at 206,033 people in 2025, down 1.2% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 89,990 households. Median household income in the Springfield metro area is $75,895, 6% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 21.4%, 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. The Springfield metro area scores 42 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #258 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Springfield metro area. 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 the Springfield metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Springfield metro area?
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 the Springfield metro area. 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.