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Lowest measured density of fast food in Illinois

Illinois has 32 ZIP codes where published counts of fast food are statistically below the U.S. rate. Coverage is the Illinois counties on this site, not the whole state. Same filters as the radius search. Census ZBP 2023 + ACS 2024.

Includes: Fast food · Quick-service restaurants · Takeout & delivery counters · Pizza delivery · Sandwich & burger chains. Census publishes one 6-digit code (722513) and does not split these types. The density index uses that one count.

Statistically low ZIPs
32
Poisson p < 0.05
Comparable ZIPs
303
published count ≥ 5, ≥ 10,000 residents
U.S. rate
6.7
per 10,000 present

Coverage. Only the Illinois counties BizGapMap covers, not the whole state. A missing state page means no ZIP there cleared the test — we do not publish an empty list.

Lowest measured density is not evidence of opportunity. A low published count can mean weak demand, no suitable space, commuters spending elsewhere, or businesses with no paid employees that ZBP does not count. Each line is a question to check locally.

False positives. The test is one-sided at 5% with no correction for looking at many ZIPs. Of 303 comparable ZIPs here, about 15 could clear the bar by chance. Small ZIPs rarely reach significance, so “not on this list” does not mean “no gap”.

ZIP codes

ZIPCityCounty Fast foodExpected IndexBandZIP type ResidentsTest
60586 Plainfield Will County 9 33.1 27% Far below average Residential 47,834 p < 0.001
60645 Chicago Cook County 10 33.6 30% Far below average Residential 48,208 p < 0.001
60631 Chicago Cook County 10 28.6 35% Far below average Mixed 30,924 p < 0.001
60637 Chicago Cook County 16 45.6 35% Far below average Mixed 52,721 p < 0.001
60124 Elgin Kane County 8 20.1 40% Far below average Residential 24,487 p < 0.01
60513 Brookfield Cook County 6 14.0 43% Far below average Residential 19,343 p ≈ 0.015
60045 Lake Forest Lake County 10 22.2 45% Far below average Mixed 21,074 p < 0.01
60433 Joliet Will County 6 13.1 46% Far below average Residential 16,382 p ≈ 0.025
62711 Springfield Sangamon County 7 15.2 46% Far below average Residential 18,559 p ≈ 0.016
61104 Rockford Winnebago County 7 14.6 48% Far below average Mixed 17,222 p ≈ 0.022
60304 Oak Park Cook County 6 12.3 49% Far below average Residential 16,955 p ≈ 0.039
60175 Saint Charles Kane County 9 18.1 50% Far below average Residential 25,553 p ≈ 0.015
60516 Downers Grove DuPage County 10 19.9 50% Below average Residential 28,062 p ≈ 0.011
60189 Wheaton DuPage County 11 21.7 51% Below average Residential 31,042 p < 0.01
60629 Chicago Cook County 38 75.1 51% Below average Residential 108,324 p < 0.001
60087 Waukegan Lake County 11 19.6 56% Below average Residential 27,293 p ≈ 0.026
60623 Chicago Cook County 33 58.4 57% Below average Residential 81,277 p < 0.001
60521 Hinsdale DuPage County 9 15.9 57% Below average Mixed 18,056 p ≈ 0.045
60010 Barrington Lake County 21 36.9 57% Below average Residential 45,747 p < 0.01
60624 Chicago Cook County 15 25.6 59% Below average Residential 35,263 p ≈ 0.017
60646 Chicago Cook County 13 21.9 59% Below average Residential 28,780 p ≈ 0.029
60064 North Chicago Lake County 14 23.6 59% Below average Employment hub 14,884 p ≈ 0.024
60656 Chicago Cook County 13 21.4 61% Below average Residential 29,538 p ≈ 0.036
60651 Chicago Cook County 27 44.3 61% Below average Residential 63,335 p < 0.01
60133 Hanover Park Cook County 17 26.6 64% Below average Residential 36,732 p ≈ 0.032
60510 Batavia Kane County 16 24.6 65% Below average Mixed 29,038 p ≈ 0.045
60046 Lake Villa Lake County 16 24.4 65% Below average Residential 34,613 p ≈ 0.047
60505 Aurora Kane County 27 41.2 65% Below average Residential 57,199 p ≈ 0.012
60016 Des Plaines Cook County 31 46.4 67% Below average Residential 60,898 p ≈ 0.011
60804 Cicero Cook County 42 60.1 70% Below average Residential 82,797 p < 0.01
60625 Chicago Cook County 41 55.5 74% Below average Residential 76,760 p ≈ 0.026
60638 Chicago Cook County 38 50.7 75% Below average Mixed 57,074 p ≈ 0.039

Scroll the table sideways to see all columns. Sorted by measured density, lowest first.

How this is built

Who can be listed. ZIPs in the covered counties whose county has at least 15 ZIPs in our data, with at least 10,000 residents, and at least 5 published businesses in this industry. Census hides counts of 0–2; derived remainders are excluded.

Statistically low. P(X ≤ n | expected) < 0.05, where expected is the U.S. establishments-per-person-present rate times this ZIP’s demand (residents + 0.5 × jobs located here). Same definition as the index, so the percentage and the test cannot disagree. Full test →

ZIP type is jobs per resident, not zoning. A residential ZIP can look low because residents shop near work.

Questions

What does “lowest measured density” mean for fast food? A ZIP is listed only when Census published at least 5 fast food with paid employees, the ZIP has at least 10,000 residents, and a one-sided Poisson test finds the count statistically below the U.S. rate (p < 0.05). Index 100% is the national density per person present.

Is a low-density ZIP a place to open this kind of business? No. A low published count of fast food can mean weak demand, no suitable space, residents shopping near work, or businesses with no paid employees that Census ZBP does not count. Each line is a question to check locally, not a recommendation.

Why is a state missing from this list? A state page exists only when at least one ZIP in the counties we cover clears the same test as the radius search. We do not publish an empty list. Coverage is those counties, not the whole state.

← All states for fast food  ·  Fast food in Illinois (county totals)  ·  Search by radius

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.