Food and drink · County · Alabama
Fast food and sandwich shops in Russell County, AL
How Russell 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 21 out of 100: Low
Ranked #2,029 of 2,222 scored counties
#45 of 60 scored counties in Alabama
- Listings
- 34
- 32 chain locations (94%)
- Official establishments
- 51
- All limited-service restaurants · +2.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $72.5M
- On food away from home · $3,027 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.1M
- 30% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 14.2
- 7% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 58,898
- −0.6% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Russell 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 Russell 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 Russell County is 21 (low), #2,029 of 2,222 scored counties and #45 of 60 scored counties in Alabama. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Households in Russell County spend about $72.5M a year on food away from home, or $3,027 per household, 26% below the U.S. average. That works out to $2.1M per shop, 30% 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 34 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in Russell County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 94% of them, against 79% across the U.S. That is 14.2 per 10,000 households, 7% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.
In 2023, official counts showed 51 businesses with payroll in Russell County classed as limited-service restaurants, up 2.0% from 2019. That is one for every 469 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. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $610K has gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Russell County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Russell County declined 0.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Russell 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 | Russell County | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 14.2 | 15.1 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $2.1M | $2.3M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 469 | 450 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +2.0% | +8.8% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.6% | +3.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,027 | $3,519 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $51,197 | $63,999 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 21 | 20 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 50 → 51All limited-service restaurants · +2.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 990
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $15.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 6All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 3432 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 24The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $610K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Russell 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 Russell County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 58,898−0.6% since 2020
- Households
- 23,938
- Median age
- 38.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 61%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 641 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 92
- Median household income
- $51,197+20.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $67,551
- Median home value
- $165,700
- Jobs located here
- 13,941
- Daytime population
- 51,647Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Russell 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 Russell 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 Russell 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 |
| 45Russell County, AL | 21 | 34 | 14.2 | $2.1M | −0.6% | #2,029 of 2,222 |
Other business types in Russell County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes42
- Sit-down restaurants38
- Fast food and sandwich shops21
- Pizza46
- Coffee shops and cafes65
- Bakeries and dessert shops
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 Russell County, AL?
As of September 2026, map listings count 34 fast food and sandwich shops in Russell County. 32 of them (94%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 51 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 2.0% from 2019. The official count takes in all limited-service restaurants, not only fast food and sandwich shops: pizza places are counted too. Official counts list 6 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Russell County, AL spend on food away from home?
About $72.5M a year, or $3,027 per household. That is 26% below the U.S. average (an index of 74, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 34 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $2.1M 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 23,938 households in Russell County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Russell County, AL compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Russell County has 14.2 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 7% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2.1M, 30% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Russell County would have about 24, against 34 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 469 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 2.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Russell County, AL growing?
Population estimates put Russell County at 58,898 people in 2025, down 0.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 23,938 households. Median household income in Russell County is $51,197, 37% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 20.6%, 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. Russell County scores 21 for fast food and sandwich shops (low), #2,029 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Russell 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 Russell County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Russell 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 Russell 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.