Food and drink · Small-town market · Alabama
Fast food and sandwich shops in the Selma, AL area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for fast food and sandwich shops in the Selma, AL area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 20 out of 100: Low
Ranked #500 of 537 scored small-town markets
#11 of 12 scored small-town markets based in Alabama
- Listings
- 21
- 18 chain locations (86%)
- Official establishments
- 29
- All limited-service restaurants · +26.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $41.8M
- On food away from home · $2,623 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2M
- 35% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 13.2
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 35,140
- −7.9% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in the Selma area
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 the Selma area. 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 the Selma area is 20 (low), #500 of 537 scored small-town markets and #11 of 12 scored small-town markets based in Alabama. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.
As of September 2026, map listings count 21 fast food and sandwich shops in the Selma area. Of those, 18 are chain locations, or 86%, against 79% across the U.S. That is 13.2 per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 13.3.
Households in the Selma area spend about $41.8M a year on food away from home, or $2,623 per household, 36% below the U.S. average. Spread across 21 fast food and sandwich shops, that is $2M per shop, 35% 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 29 businesses with payroll in the Selma area classed as limited-service restaurants, up 26.1% from 2019. That is one for every 550 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. Population estimates put the population change in the Selma area from 2020 to 2025 at −7.9%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Selma area 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 | Selma area | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 13.2 | 15.1 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $2M | $2.3M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 550 | 450 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +26.1% | +8.8% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −7.9% | +3.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $2,623 | $3,519 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $35,627 | $63,999 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 20 | 20 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 29All limited-service restaurants · +26.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 502
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $8.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 5All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 2118 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 14The 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 the Selma area, 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 the Selma area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 35,140−7.9% since 2020
- Households
- 15,947
- Median age
- 41.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 64%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 979 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 38
- Median household income
- $35,627+5.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $53,885
- Median home value
- $94,600
- Jobs located here
- 11,268
- Daytime population
- 34,961Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Selma area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 the Selma area. 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 small-town markets in Alabama for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in Alabama (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Selma area marked.
Top small-town markets in Alabama
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Alexander City, AL | 58 | 13 | 7.6 | $4.3M | −0.8% | #196 of 537 |
| 2Scottsboro, AL | 53 | 26 | 11.9 | $2.6M | +3.3% | #251 of 537 |
| 3Enterprise, AL | 53 | 29 | 13.8 | $2.6M | +6.3% | #252 of 537 |
| 4Fort Payne, AL | 52 | 30 | 11.5 | $2.6M | +3.4% | #258 of 537 |
| 5Talladega-Sylacauga, AL | 45 | 53 | 13.9 | $2.3M | 0.0% | #325 of 537 |
| 6Albertville, AL | 44 | 55 | 15.1 | $2.3M | +6.0% | #333 of 537 |
| 7Russellville, AL | 43 | 16 | 13.4 | $2.3M | +1.1% | #342 of 537 |
| 8Cullman, AL | 42 | 60 | 17.0 | $2M | +6.7% | #355 of 537 |
| 9Ozark, AL | 40 | 36 | 18.2 | $1.7M | +1.3% | #370 of 537 |
| LaGrange, GA-AL | 28 | 71 | 17.6 | $1.8M | +3.0% | #464 of 537 |
| 11Selma, AL | 20 | 21 | 13.2 | $2M | −7.9% | #500 of 537 |
Other business types in the Selma area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes57
- Sit-down restaurants55
- Fast food and sandwich shops20
- Pizza47
- Coffee shops and cafes44
- 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 the Selma, AL area?
The Selma area has 21 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 18 of them (86%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 29 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 26.1% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Official counts list 5 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Selma, AL area spend on food away from home?
About $41.8M a year, or $2,623 per household. That is 36% below the U.S. average (an index of 64, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 21 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $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 15,947 households in the Selma area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Selma, AL area compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
The Selma area has 13.2 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2M, 35% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, the Selma area would have about 14, against 21 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 550 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 26.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Selma, AL area growing?
Population estimates put the Selma area at 35,140 people in 2025, down 7.9% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 15,947 households. The median household income in the Selma area is $35,627 a year, 56% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 5.3% 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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. The Selma area scores 20 for fast food and sandwich shops (low), #500 of 537 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Selma area. 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 the Selma area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Selma area?
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 the Selma area. 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.