Food and drink · County · Alabama
Fast food and sandwich shops in DeKalb County, AL
How DeKalb County, AL compares with other counties and the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 45 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,340 of 2,222 scored counties
#22 of 60 scored counties in Alabama
- Listings
- 30
- 29 chain locations (97%)
- Official establishments
- 45
- All limited-service restaurants · +12.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $78.8M
- On food away from home · $3,011 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.6M
- 14% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.5
- 14% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 74,085
- +3.4% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in DeKalb 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 DeKalb County. 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 $3,011 per household (26% below the U.S. average), households in DeKalb County spend about $78.8M a year on food away from home. Spread across 30 fast food and sandwich shops, that is $2.6M per shop, 14% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only fast food and sandwich shops.
There are 30 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in DeKalb County as of September 2026. 29 of them (97%) are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. That is 11.5 per 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in DeKalb County was 45 in 2023, up 12.5% from 2019. That is one for every 582 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Official counts also show 6 one-person businesses without payroll.
Population estimates show DeKalb County grew 3.4% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). For fast food and sandwich shops, DeKalb County has a Groundwork market score of 45 (lower middle): #1,340 of 2,222 scored counties and #22 of 60 scored counties in Alabama.
How DeKalb 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.
| Measure | DeKalb County | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 11.5 | 15.1 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $2.6M | $2.3M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 582 | 450 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +12.5% | +8.8% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.4% | +3.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,011 | $3,519 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $51,204 | $63,999 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 45 | 20 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 40 → 45All limited-service restaurants · +12.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 906
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $17.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 6All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 3029 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 26The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in DeKalb 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 DeKalb County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 74,085+3.4% since 2020
- Households
- 26,181
- Median age
- 40.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 78%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 777 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 93
- Median household income
- $51,204+26.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $68,235
- Median home value
- $152,700
- Jobs located here
- 22,918
- Daytime population
- 67,317Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in DeKalb 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 DeKalb County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardFast 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 DeKalb County marked.
Top counties in Alabama
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Limestone County, AL | 86 | 39 | 9.5 | $4.2M | +18.0% | #44 of 2,222 |
| 2Randolph County, AL | 70 | 7 | 7.6 | $4.2M | +4.8% | #354 of 2,222 |
| 3Blount County, AL | 69 | 18 | 8.1 | $4.2M | +1.8% | #391 of 2,222 |
| 4Lawrence County, AL | 67 | 12 | 8.8 | $3.9M | +2.3% | #468 of 2,222 |
| 5Cleburne County, AL | 65 | 6 | 10.0 | $3.1M | +6.0% | #555 of 2,222 |
| 6Shelby County, AL | 62 | 119 | 13.7 | $3.2M | +6.5% | #658 of 2,222 |
| 7Autauga County, AL | 60 | 28 | 12.2 | $3.1M | +5.1% | #749 of 2,222 |
| 8Cherokee County, AL | 59 | 11 | 10.8 | $3M | +5.8% | #793 of 2,222 |
| 9Baldwin County, AL | 58 | 140 | 14.2 | $2.7M | +14.8% | #838 of 2,222 |
| 10Chilton County, AL | 57 | 21 | 11.7 | $2.9M | +5.9% | #868 of 2,222 |
| 22DeKalb County, AL | 45 | 30 | 11.5 | $2.6M | +3.4% | #1,340 of 2,222 |
Other business types in DeKalb County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes51
- Sit-down restaurants46
- Fast food and sandwich shops45
- Pizza58
- Coffee shops and cafes49
- Bakeries and dessert shops57
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 fast food and sandwich shops are in DeKalb County, AL?
As of September 2026, map listings count 30 fast food and sandwich shops in DeKalb County. 29 of them (97%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 45 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 12.5% from 2019. The official count takes in all limited-service restaurants, not only fast food and sandwich shops: pizza places are counted too. Another 6 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in DeKalb County, AL spend on food away from home?
About $78.8M a year, or $3,011 per household. That is 26% below the U.S. average (an index of 74, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 30 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $2.6M per shop. That spending covers all food away from home, which fast food and sandwich shops share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 26,181 households in DeKalb County and national spending patterns by income.
How does DeKalb County, AL compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
DeKalb County has 11.5 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2.6M, 14% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, DeKalb County would have about 26, against 30 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 582 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 12.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is DeKalb County, AL growing?
Population estimates put DeKalb County at 74,085 people in 2025, up 3.4% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 26,181 households. Median household income in DeKalb County is $51,204, 37% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 26.6%, 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. DeKalb County scores 45 for fast food and sandwich shops (lower middle), #1,340 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in DeKalb 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 DeKalb County
Screening a site or an acquisition in DeKalb County?
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 DeKalb County. 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.