Food and drink · County · Alabama
Fast food and sandwich shops in Mobile County, AL
The fast food and sandwich shops in Mobile County, AL, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 27 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,922 of 2,222 scored counties
#41 of 60 scored counties in Alabama
- Listings
- 245
- 219 chain locations (89%)
- Official establishments
- 348
- All limited-service restaurants · +7.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $544.6M
- On food away from home · $3,369 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.2M
- 27% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 15.2
- 14% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 411,658
- −0.7% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Mobile 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 Mobile 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
The Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops in Mobile County is 27 (lower middle), #1,922 of 2,222 scored counties and #41 of 60 scored counties in Alabama. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 245 fast food and sandwich shops in Mobile County. Of those, 219 are chain locations, or 89%, against 79% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 15.2, 14% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.
Households in Mobile County spend about $544.6M a year on food away from home, or $3,369 per household, 17% below the U.S. average. That is about $2.2M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 27% 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.
In 2023, official counts showed 348 businesses with payroll in Mobile County classed as limited-service restaurants, up 7.4% from 2019. That is one for every 465 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, 8 SBA-backed loans worth $6.3M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Mobile County. Population estimates put the population change in Mobile County from 2020 to 2025 at −0.7%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Mobile 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 | Mobile County | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 15.2 | 15.1 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $2.2M | $2.3M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 465 | 450 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +7.4% | +8.8% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.7% | +3.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,369 | $3,519 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $58,880 | $63,999 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 27 | 20 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 324 → 348All limited-service restaurants · +7.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 7,148
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $118.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 56All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 245219 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 179The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 8
- Amount
- $6.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Mobile 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 Mobile County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 411,658−0.7% since 2020
- Households
- 161,665
- Median age
- 39.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 1,229 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 336
- Median household income
- $58,880+23.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $81,726
- Median home value
- $190,700
- Jobs located here
- 181,672
- Daytime population
- 421,837Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Mobile 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 Mobile 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 Mobile 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 |
| 41Mobile County, AL | 27 | 245 | 15.2 | $2.2M | −0.7% | #1,922 of 2,222 |
Other business types in Mobile County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes39
- Sit-down restaurants40
- Fast food and sandwich shops27
- Pizza45
- Coffee shops and cafes56
- Bakeries and dessert shops53
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 Mobile County, AL?
There are 245 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in Mobile County as of September 2026. 219 of them (89%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 348 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 7.4% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Another 56 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Mobile County, AL spend on food away from home?
About $544.6M a year, or $3,369 per household. That is 17% below the U.S. average (an index of 83, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 245 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 161,665 households in Mobile County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Mobile County, AL compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Mobile County has 15.2 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 14% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2.2M, 27% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Mobile County would have about 179, against 245 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 465 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 7.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Mobile County, AL growing?
Population estimates put Mobile County at 411,658 people in 2025, down 0.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 161,665 households. The median household income in Mobile County is $58,880 a year, 27% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.7% 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. Mobile County scores 27 for fast food and sandwich shops (lower middle), #1,922 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Mobile 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 Mobile County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Mobile 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 Mobile 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.