Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Alabama

Fast food and sandwich shops in Calhoun County, AL

The fast food and sandwich shops in Calhoun County, AL, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 20 out of 100: Low

Ranked #2,050 of 2,222 scored counties
#47 of 60 scored counties in Alabama

Listings
65
60 chain locations (92%)
Official establishments
109
All limited-service restaurants · +3.8% since 2019
Household spending a year
$142.6M
On food away from home · $3,168 a household
Spending per listing
$2.2M
28% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
14.4
8% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
115,834
−0.3% since 2020

See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Calhoun County

The site report maps the fast food and sandwich shops 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 Calhoun County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

For fast food and sandwich shops, Calhoun County has a Groundwork market score of 20 (low): #2,050 of 2,222 scored counties and #47 of 60 scored counties in Alabama. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

As of September 2026, map listings count 65 fast food and sandwich shops in Calhoun County. Chain locations make up 92% of them, against 79% across the U.S. That comes to 14.4 for every 10,000 households, 8% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.

Household spending on food away from home in Calhoun County comes to about $142.6M a year: $3,168 per household, 22% below the U.S. average. That is about $2.2M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 28% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. That spending covers all food away from home, which fast food and sandwich shops share with other businesses in the trade.

Official counts show 109 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Calhoun County in 2023, up 3.8% from 2019. That is one for every 413 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count takes in all limited-service restaurants, not only fast food and sandwich shops: pizza places are counted too. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $420K have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Calhoun County. Population estimates show Calhoun County declined 0.3% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How Calhoun County compares

The same measures for Alabama and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all food away from home by the fast food and sandwich shops counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.

Fast food and sandwich shops in Calhoun County, AL compared with Alabama and the U.S.
MeasureCalhoun CountyAlabamaU.S.
Listings per 10k households14.415.113.3
Spending per listing$2.2M$2.3M$3.1M
Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants)413450478
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+3.8%+8.8%+6.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025−0.3%+3.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,168$3,519$4,070
Median household income$55,029$63,999$80,734
Groundwork market score2020

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
105 → 109All limited-service restaurants · +3.8% over the period
Employees, 2023
2,721
Annual payroll, 2023
$44.9M
One-person businesses, 2023
8All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
6560 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
47The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
2
Amount
$420K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Calhoun 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. These official figures cover all limited-service restaurants, not only fast food and sandwich shops.

Population and households in Calhoun County

Population, 2025 estimate
115,834−0.3% since 2020
Households
45,015
Median age
39.9
Homes lived in by their owners
70%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
606 sq. mi.
People per square mile
192
Median household income
$55,029+16.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$73,223
Median home value
$156,600
Jobs located here
42,167
Daytime population
116,114Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Calhoun 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 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings by name and distance.

Or open the report at the center of Calhoun County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Fast food and sandwich shops across Alabama

Every Alabama market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Alabama for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in Alabama, with Calhoun County marked.

Top counties in Alabama

Counties in Alabama ranked for fast food and sandwich shops by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Limestone County, AL86399.5$4.2M+18.0%#44 of 2,222
2Randolph County, AL7077.6$4.2M+4.8%#354 of 2,222
3Blount County, AL69188.1$4.2M+1.8%#391 of 2,222
4Lawrence County, AL67128.8$3.9M+2.3%#468 of 2,222
5Cleburne County, AL65610.0$3.1M+6.0%#555 of 2,222
6Shelby County, AL6211913.7$3.2M+6.5%#658 of 2,222
7Autauga County, AL602812.2$3.1M+5.1%#749 of 2,222
8Cherokee County, AL591110.8$3M+5.8%#793 of 2,222
9Baldwin County, AL5814014.2$2.7M+14.8%#838 of 2,222
10Chilton County, AL572111.7$2.9M+5.9%#868 of 2,222
47Calhoun County, AL206514.4$2.2M−0.3%#2,050 of 2,222

Other business types in Calhoun County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Funeral services

Questions

How many fast food and sandwich shops are in Calhoun County, AL?

Calhoun County has 65 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 60 of them (92%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 109 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 3.8% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Official counts also show 8 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Calhoun County, AL spend on food away from home?

About $142.6M a year, or $3,168 per household. That is 22% below the U.S. average (an index of 78, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 65 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $2.2M per shop. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only fast food and sandwich shops. It is estimated from the incomes of the 45,015 households in Calhoun County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Calhoun County, AL compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?

Calhoun County has 14.4 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 8% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2.2M, 28% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Calhoun County would have about 47, against 65 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 413 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 3.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.

How fast is Calhoun County, AL growing?

Population estimates put Calhoun County at 115,834 people in 2025, down 0.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 45,015 households. The median household income in Calhoun County is $55,029 a year, 32% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 16.5% from the 2015–2019 survey, 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. Calhoun County scores 20 for fast food and sandwich shops (low), #2,050 of 2,222 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Calhoun County. It maps the fast food and sandwich shops 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 fast food and sandwich shops · All 56 business types in Calhoun County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Calhoun County?

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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.