Food and drink · County · Arizona
Fast food and sandwich shops in Santa Cruz County, AZ
The fast food and sandwich shops in Santa Cruz County, AZ, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 47 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,282 of 2,222 scored counties
#10 of 14 scored counties in Arizona
- Listings
- 22
- 16 chain locations (73%)
- Official establishments
- 28
- All limited-service restaurants
- Household spending a year
- $54M
- On food away from home · $3,182 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.5M
- 20% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 13.0
- 2% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 50,020
- +4.8% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 22 fast food and sandwich shops in Santa Cruz County. 16 of them (73%) are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. That comes to 13.0 for every 10,000 households, 2% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.
At $3,182 per household (22% below the U.S. average), households in Santa Cruz County spend about $54M a year on food away from home. Spread across 22 fast food and sandwich shops, that is $2.5M per shop, 20% 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 Santa Cruz County was 28 in 2023. That is one for every 606 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. Official counts list 16 one-person businesses without payroll.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Santa Cruz County grew 4.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops in Santa Cruz County is 47 (lower middle), #1,282 of 2,222 scored counties and #10 of 14 scored counties in Arizona.
How Santa Cruz County compares
The same measures for Arizona 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 | Santa Cruz County | Arizona | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 13.0 | 13.3 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $2.5M | $3M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 606 | 500 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +13.8% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.8% | +6.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,182 | $3,982 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $55,217 | $79,964 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 47 | 55 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 18 → 28All limited-service restaurants
- Employees, 2023
- 471
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $9.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 16All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 2216 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 18The 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 Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 50,020+4.8% since 2020
- Households
- 16,966
- Median age
- 38.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 1,236 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 40
- Median household income
- $55,217+33.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $71,913
- Median home value
- $233,000
- Jobs located here
- 12,313
- Daytime population
- 42,829Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz 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 Arizona
Every Arizona market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Arizona for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in Arizona, with Santa Cruz County marked.
Top counties in Arizona
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Pinal County, AZ | 86 | 154 | 9.5 | $4.1M | +25.4% | #46 of 2,222 |
| 2Yavapai County, AZ | 74 | 114 | 10.3 | $3.6M | +6.5% | #259 of 2,222 |
| 3Graham County, AZ | 59 | 13 | 10.2 | $3.4M | +4.0% | #780 of 2,222 |
| 4Maricopa County, AZ | 59 | 2,429 | 14.0 | $3M | +5.5% | #790 of 2,222 |
| 5Yuma County, AZ | 58 | 91 | 11.5 | $2.9M | +9.2% | #828 of 2,222 |
| 6Pima County, AZ | 57 | 544 | 12.4 | $3M | +2.8% | #864 of 2,222 |
| 7Mohave County, AZ | 57 | 123 | 12.1 | $2.7M | +6.5% | #870 of 2,222 |
| 8Apache County, AZ | 49 | 20 | 9.5 | $3M | −2.2% | #1,173 of 2,222 |
| 9Gila County, AZ | 47 | 30 | 12.7 | $2.6M | +0.9% | #1,269 of 2,222 |
| 10Santa Cruz County, AZ | 47 | 22 | 13.0 | $2.5M | +4.8% | #1,282 of 2,222 |
Other business types in Santa Cruz County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes33
- Sit-down restaurants30
- Fast food and sandwich shops47
- Pizza54
- Coffee shops and cafes53
- Bakeries and dessert shops51
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 Santa Cruz County, AZ?
Santa Cruz County has 22 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 16 of them (73%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 28 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Official counts also show 16 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Santa Cruz County, AZ spend on food away from home?
About $54M a year, or $3,182 per household. That is 22% below the U.S. average (an index of 78, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 22 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $2.5M 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 16,966 households in Santa Cruz County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Santa Cruz County, AZ compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Santa Cruz County has 13.0 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 2% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2.5M, 20% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Santa Cruz County would have about 18, against 22 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 606 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S.
How fast is Santa Cruz County, AZ growing?
Population estimates put Santa Cruz County at 50,020 people in 2025, up 4.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 16,966 households. The median household income in Santa Cruz County is $55,217 a year, 32% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 33.8% 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. Santa Cruz County scores 47 for fast food and sandwich shops (lower middle), #1,282 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz 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.