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Bars in Illinois

How many bars exist per person present (residents + daytime workers) across the 16 Illinois counties we cover, by ZIP code, compared with the U.S. average. Data: Census ZBP 2023 + ACS 2024 + BLS QCEW.

Includes: Bars & taverns · Pubs & brewpubs (drinking-focused) · Cocktail & wine bars · Taprooms. Counted together because official statistics use one 722410 code.

State verdict (covered counties): Above the U.S. rate — 134% of the U.S. rate

Counties covered

in Illinois

Bars

1,703

establishments (2023)

Per 10,000 present

1.3

residents + 0.5×workers

U.S. average

1.0

per 10,000 present

State index

134%

vs. U.S.

Residents

10,329,940

in covered counties

Workers

4,617,467

jobs in covered counties

Coverage. This page aggregates only the 16 Illinois counties BizGapMap covers — not the whole state. Counts and the index reflect those counties. The aggregate index uses only ZIP cells Census published, so it is a lower bound. Density is a supply-side signal: it counts existing bars and the people present, not foot traffic, income, rent, or whether locals want more.

Counties in Illinois

City	County	Bars	Residents	Workers	Per 10k	Index	Verdict
Springfield	Sangamon County	76–122	194,839	70,812	3.3	327–456%	Very high density
Moline	Rock Island County	48–80	144,245	64,178	2.7	270–405%	Very high density
Peoria	Peoria County	60–112	179,934	81,431	2.7	270–422%	Very high density
O Fallon	St. Clair County	72–106	247,743	71,801	2.5	252–350%	Very high density
Edwardsville	Madison County	75–113	268,375	94,295	2.4	236–355%	Range spans bands
East Peoria	Tazewell County	36–58	132,535	43,220	2.3	232–360%	Range spans bands
Rockford	Winnebago County	67–95	284,853	110,619	2.0	195–242%	High density
Champaign	Champaign County	44–98	208,555	71,922	1.8	178–373%	Range spans bands
Crystal Lake	McHenry County	61–79	328,030	92,834	1.6	162–204%	High density
Normal	McLean County	32–82	173,337	61,936	1.6	155–369%	Range spans bands
Chicago	Cook County	826–1,024	5,132,257	2,445,383	1.3	129–154%	Range spans bands
Elgin	Kane County	65–95	506,642	177,908	1.1	108–148%	Above average
North Chicago	Lake County	87–123	747,565	351,156	0.9	93–126%	Range spans bands
Bolingbrook	Will County	75–107	697,966	252,149	0.9	90–126%	Range spans bands
Oswego	Kendall County	8–20	121,968	28,643	0.6	58–145%	Range spans bands
Downers Grove	DuPage County	71–123	961,096	599,180	0.6	56–87%	Range spans bands

Scroll the table sideways to see all columns.

Lowest vs. highest measured density

Fewest competitors per capita

327%

270%

270%

252%

236%

232%

195%

178%

Most competitors per capita

56%

58%

90%

93%

108%

129%

155%

162%

Low measured density is not evidence of opportunity. A county with few bars may simply lack foot traffic, retail space, or demand. Use the ranking to find where to look, then verify locally.

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BizGapMap — free, no-login small-business saturation reports for major U.S. counties. Built entirely from public U.S. Census, BLS, and IRS data (ZBP 2023, ACS 2024 5-year, PEP 2024, LODES, QCEW, IRS SOI). No forecasts, no revenue guesses — withheld cells are marked, and the few derived counts are labelled as estimates.