<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0Em8ky_0wEzEWiG00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0Em8ky_0wEzEWiG00" width="979" height="707" ><figcaption>Riley O'Neil</figcaption></figure>A coworker made an interesting observation the other day when he pointed out that fast food prices are now in the same ballpark as many fast-casual-sit-down restaurants. He wondered why, when the difference is only a few bucks now, anyone even bothers with fast food.For many, fast food used to the low-cost option to a sit-down dinner, but not so much anymore. And that goes for nearly any fast food joint you could think of. It's not like we don't have choices in Illinois.<a href="https://thetakeout.com/what-s-the-biggest-fast-food-chain-in-your-state-1846033768">TheTakeOut.com says</a> that Illinois has 112 fast food restaurants for every 100,000 Illinoisans. For contrast, Wisconsin has 115, Iowa has 108, and Missouri has 104.In Illinois, <a href="https://nicerx.com/fast-food-capitals/">NiceRX.com says</a> that Subway reigns supreme, at least in terms of overall stores per 100,000 people, with 7.8Dunkin' comes in next with 5.5 stores per 100,000. McDonald's is at number three with 5.2. Rounding out the Illinois list, you've got:<ul><li>Starbucks (4.8)</li><li>Burger King (2.4)</li><li>Taco Bell (2.1)</li><li>Dairy Queen (2.0)</li><li>Dominos/Wendy's (1.6)</li><li>KFC (1.2)</li></ul><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=4aIXJV_0wEzEWiG00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4aIXJV_0wEzEWiG00" width="513" height="335" ><figcaption>Getty Images</figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1QpmcU_0wEzEWiG00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1QpmcU_0wEzEWiG00" width="509" height="339" ><figcaption>Getty Images</figcaption></figure>Anyway, Enough About The Fast Food Places We Can Choose From Here In Illinois, Let's Get To How Much Money We're Handing Them Every YearFirst off, let's not beat ourselves up over the frequency of our visits to fast food joints. It's a universal truth that grabbing yourself food at the drive-thru cuts down on the stress of meal planning, it's somewhat affordable, and it's perfect when you need to eat right now.If you need to yell at yourself, you might want to go with how much you spend over a calendar year at the fast food places you prefer.According to a piece at <a href="https://www.mashed.com/1351146/state-spends-most-money-fast-food/">Mashed.com</a>, Alaskans are number-one when it comes to money spent annually on fast food at $3,600 per year (or, $300 per month) on average.<blockquote>These findings, when considering other statistics, might come off as surprising. When it comes to population, Alaska sat in 48th place as of 2022, with approximately 734,000 residents. As for the number of fast food restaurants, it takes the 44th spot, having 2.6 stores for every 10,000 people.</blockquote><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0Im2Ty_0wEzEWiG00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0Im2Ty_0wEzEWiG00" width="509" height="339" ><figcaption>Getty Images</figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1FDtCy_0wEzEWiG00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1FDtCy_0wEzEWiG00" width="509" height="339" ><figcaption>Getty Images</figcaption></figure>Here In Illinois, We Make The Top Ten List Of States That Spend The Most On Fast Food, But We Come In At #7 OverallObviously, results will vary depending on how many people at your house you're buying dinner for. There are 5 of us in my household, which makes it substantially more expense to hit the drive-thru now than it was before we had kids and my mother-in-law to freeload off of us.In Illinois, according to the Mashed.com study, we spend just under $3,000 per year, or $245 per month on our fast food cravings.Here's the full top ten, along with the money spent:<ol><li>Alaska: $300 per month/$3,600 per year</li><li>New York: $280 per month/$3,360 per year</li><li>Texas: $275 per month/$3,300 per year</li><li>Louisiana: $265 per month/$3,180 per year</li><li>Nevada: $260 per month/$3,120 per year</li><li>California: $250 per month/$3,000 per year</li><li>Illinois: $245 per month/$2,940 per year</li><li>Florida: $240 per month/$2,880 per year</li><li>Pennsylvania: $230 per month/$2,760 per year</li><li>Georgia: $225 per month/$2700 per year</li></ol><h2>From coast to coast: The 20 best regional fast-food chains to try</h2>From burgers to subs and even creamy milkshakes, these tasty fast-food chains, compiled by <a href="https://stacker.com/food-drink/coast-coast-best-regional-fast-food-chains-try">Stacker</a>, are a must-try on your next road trip.</div></body>

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Illinois Fast Food Lovers: Here’s What It’s Costing You Per Year

A coworker made an interesting observation the other day when he pointed out that fast food prices are now in the same ballpark as many fast-casual-sit-down restaurants. He wondered why, when the difference is only a few bucks now, anyone even bothers with fast food. For many, fast food used...