Food and drink · County · Alabama
Fast food and sandwich shops in Etowah County, AL
The fast food and sandwich shops in Etowah County, AL, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 16 out of 100: Low
Ranked #2,120 of 2,222 scored counties
#51 of 60 scored counties in Alabama
- Listings
- 69
- 63 chain locations (91%)
- Official establishments
- 97
- All limited-service restaurants · +10.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $123.5M
- On food away from home · $3,133 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.8M
- 41% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 17.5
- 32% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 103,886
- +0.4% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Etowah 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 Etowah 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
For fast food and sandwich shops, Etowah County has a Groundwork market score of 16 (low): #2,120 of 2,222 scored counties and #51 of 60 scored counties in Alabama. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 69 fast food and sandwich shops in Etowah County. Chain locations make up 91% of them, against 79% across the U.S. That is 17.5 per 10,000 households, 32% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.
At $3,133 per household (23% below the U.S. average), households in Etowah County spend about $123.5M a year on food away from home. That is about $1.8M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 41% 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.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Etowah County was 97 in 2023, up 10.2% from 2019. That is one for every 406 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, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $635K has gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Etowah County. Population estimates put the population change in Etowah County from 2020 to 2025 at +0.4%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Etowah 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 | Etowah County | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 17.5 | 15.1 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $1.8M | $2.3M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 406 | 450 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +10.2% | +8.8% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.4% | +3.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,133 | $3,519 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $54,563 | $63,999 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 16 | 20 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 88 → 97All limited-service restaurants · +10.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,020
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $33.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 11All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 6963 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 41The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $635K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Etowah 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 Etowah County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 103,886+0.4% since 2020
- Households
- 39,411
- Median age
- 42.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 74%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 535 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 193
- Median household income
- $54,563+22.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $73,295
- Median home value
- $167,100
- Jobs located here
- 33,151
- Daytime population
- 97,399Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Etowah 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 Etowah 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 Etowah 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 |
| 51Etowah County, AL | 16 | 69 | 17.5 | $1.8M | +0.4% | #2,120 of 2,222 |
Other business types in Etowah County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes35
- Sit-down restaurants39
- Fast food and sandwich shops16
- Pizza34
- Coffee shops and cafes55
- Bakeries and dessert shops49
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 Etowah County, AL?
Etowah County has 69 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 63 of them (91%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 97 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 10.2% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Another 11 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Etowah County, AL spend on food away from home?
About $123.5M a year, or $3,133 per household. That is 23% below the U.S. average (an index of 77, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 69 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $1.8M 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 39,411 households in Etowah County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Etowah County, AL compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Etowah County has 17.5 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 32% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $1.8M, 41% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Etowah County would have about 41, against 69 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 406 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 10.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Etowah County, AL growing?
Population estimates put Etowah County at 103,886 people in 2025, up 0.4% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 39,411 households. The median household income in Etowah County is $54,563 a year, 32% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 22.2% 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. Etowah County scores 16 for fast food and sandwich shops (low), #2,120 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Etowah 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 Etowah County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Etowah 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 Etowah 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.