Market rankings · California

Fast food and sandwich shops in California

Every metro area, small-town market and county in California, ranked by the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, with competitor counts and household spending for each.

Listings: 17,525; 13,492 chain locations (77%)
Official establishments: 34,527; All limited-service restaurants · +6.5% since 2019
Household spending a year: $61.8B; On food away from home
Listings per 10k households: 12.9; 3% below the U.S.
Spending per listing: $3.5M; 16% above the U.S.
Rank among states: #26 of 51; Market score 49 · Lower middle

A site report maps the fast food and sandwich shops on map listings around any address in California by name and distance, and the spending within reach.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

California has 17,525 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 13,492 of them (77%) are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 12.9, 3% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.

Household spending on food away from home in California comes to about $61.8B a year: $4,559 per household, 12% above the U.S. average. Spread across 17,525 fast food and sandwich shops, that is $3.5M per shop, 16% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only fast food and sandwich shops.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in California was 34,527 in 2023, up 6.5% from 2019. That is one for every 392 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 6.1% over the same years. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Since fiscal 2022, 1,142 SBA-backed loans worth $591.2M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in California.

Among the 50 states and DC, California ranks #26 for fast food and sandwich shops, with a Groundwork market score of 49 (lower middle). Of the 25 scored metro areas in or partly in California, the Santa Rosa-Petaluma metro area scores highest (74). Of the 10 scored small-town markets in or partly in California, the Truckee-Grass Valley area scores highest (80).

Every market in California for fast food and sandwich shops

Download the ranking (CSV)

Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in California, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.

Metro areas

Metro areas reaching California, ranked for fast food and sandwich shops by Groundwork market score
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Spending per listing	Population growth	U.S. rank
1Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA	74	214	11.2	$4.2M	−0.4%	#49 of 387
2Napa, CA	73	58	11.7	$4.2M	−3.3%	#53 of 387
3Yuba City, CA	73	62	10.0	$3.9M	+3.3%	#54 of 387
4Vallejo, CA	65	202	12.8	$3.5M	+0.6%	#100 of 387
5Stockton-Lodi, CA	62	330	13.5	$3.2M	+5.5%	#121 of 387
6San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	61	777	11.4	$5M	−0.6%	#124 of 387
7Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA	61	1,135	12.9	$3.5M	+3.2%	#127 of 387
8Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA	60	114	11.8	$4.1M	−4.7%	#132 of 387
9San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	59	1,892	10.8	$4.9M	−2.4%	#137 of 387
10Redding, CA	59	79	11.1	$3.4M	−0.3%	#138 of 387
11Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA	52	370	13.2	$3.6M	−1.5%	#183 of 387
12San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA	52	1,531	13.1	$3.6M	−0.6%	#184 of 387
13Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA	50	190	12.7	$3.6M	−1.4%	#193 of 387
14Chico, CA	50	100	12.0	$3.1M	−0.5%	#194 of 387
15San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA	48	151	13.8	$3.2M	0.0%	#206 of 387
16Salinas, CA	48	185	14.0	$3.2M	−1.5%	#207 of 387
17Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	47	5,744	12.8	$3.5M	−2.6%	#213 of 387
18Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA	47	2,221	15.3	$2.8M	+3.5%	#217 of 387
19Merced, CA	47	120	13.9	$2.5M	+5.1%	#220 of 387
20Modesto, CA	36	271	15.2	$2.6M	+0.7%	#279 of 387
21Fresno, CA	35	579	15.6	$2.5M	+3.2%	#286 of 387
22Hanford-Corcoran, CA	30	61	13.8	$2.6M	+1.0%	#309 of 387
23Visalia, CA	30	236	16.5	$2.2M	+2.4%	#315 of 387
24Bakersfield-Delano, CA	24	483	17.0	$2.2M	+2.3%	#344 of 387
25El Centro, CA	18	86	17.3	$1.9M	+1.1%	#367 of 387

Small-town markets

Small-town markets reaching California, ranked for fast food and sandwich shops by Groundwork market score
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Spending per listing	Population growth	U.S. rank
1Truckee-Grass Valley, CA	80	45	10.5	$4.1M	−0.4%	#24 of 537
2Sonora, CA	74	22	9.7	$4M	−4.0%	#59 of 537
3Clearlake, CA	73	20	7.4	$4.7M	−0.6%	#66 of 537
4Red Bluff, CA	71	23	9.3	$3.8M	−1.7%	#79 of 537
5Crescent City, CA	68	10	10.5	$3.4M	−4.4%	#103 of 537
Gardnerville Ranchos, NV-CA	66	31	14.2	$3M	+0.9%	#124 of 537
6Eureka-Arcata, CA	60	50	9.1	$3.8M	−3.4%	#173 of 537
7Susanville, CA	56	10	10.8	$3.2M	−13.1%	#221 of 537
8Ukiah, CA	55	37	10.6	$3.5M	−3.5%	#225 of 537
9Bishop, CA	32	14	17.4	$2.2M	−4.4%	#434 of 537

Counties

Counties in California, ranked for fast food and sandwich shops by Groundwork market score
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Spending per listing	Population growth	U.S. rank
1Yuba County, CA	85	21	7.3	$5.2M	+8.2%	#54 of 2,222
2San Benito County, CA	82	21	10.2	$4.8M	+8.6%	#95 of 2,222
3Amador County, CA	79	16	9.9	$4.1M	+3.2%	#151 of 2,222
4Calaveras County, CA	77	14	7.6	$5.3M	+2.8%	#180 of 2,222
5Nevada County, CA	72	45	10.5	$4.1M	−0.4%	#304 of 2,222
6Contra Costa County, CA	69	414	10.0	$5.2M	+0.3%	#384 of 2,222
7El Dorado County, CA	68	87	11.4	$4.2M	+0.6%	#425 of 2,222
8Marin County, CA	67	97	9.4	$5.9M	−2.9%	#455 of 2,222
9Sonoma County, CA	67	214	11.2	$4.2M	−0.4%	#464 of 2,222
10Lake County, CA	66	20	7.4	$4.7M	−0.6%	#498 of 2,222
11Tuolumne County, CA	66	22	9.7	$4M	−4.0%	#503 of 2,222
12Placer County, CA	66	223	14.1	$3.5M	+8.9%	#513 of 2,222
13Napa County, CA	65	58	11.7	$4.2M	−3.3%	#540 of 2,222
14Tehama County, CA	63	23	9.3	$3.8M	−1.7%	#607 of 2,222
15Santa Clara County, CA	61	756	11.5	$5M	−0.9%	#670 of 2,222
16Solano County, CA	61	202	12.8	$3.5M	+0.6%	#690 of 2,222
17Yolo County, CA	61	96	12.5	$3.5M	+3.1%	#693 of 2,222
18Del Norte County, CA	60	10	10.5	$3.4M	−4.4%	#739 of 2,222
19San Joaquin County, CA	60	330	13.5	$3.2M	+5.5%	#744 of 2,222
20San Mateo County, CA	59	301	11.4	$5M	−2.5%	#770 of 2,222
21Alameda County, CA	57	631	10.5	$5M	−2.6%	#842 of 2,222
22Plumas County, CA	57	6	7.4	$5M	−5.9%	#843 of 2,222
23Santa Cruz County, CA	57	114	11.8	$4.1M	−4.7%	#845 of 2,222
24Shasta County, CA	57	79	11.1	$3.4M	−0.3%	#852 of 2,222
25Sacramento County, CA	57	729	12.8	$3.4M	+2.0%	#854 of 2,222

Show all 58 counties

Counties in California, ranked for fast food and sandwich shops by Groundwork market score, continued
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Spending per listing	Population growth	U.S. rank
26Riverside County, CA	56	1,097	14.1	$3.1M	+5.0%	#906 of 2,222
27Humboldt County, CA	54	50	9.1	$3.8M	−3.4%	#972 of 2,222
28San Francisco County, CA	53	449	12.3	$4.3M	−5.6%	#1,006 of 2,222
29San Diego County, CA	53	1,531	13.1	$3.6M	−0.6%	#1,010 of 2,222
30Ventura County, CA	52	370	13.2	$3.6M	−1.5%	#1,052 of 2,222
31Santa Barbara County, CA	50	190	12.7	$3.6M	−1.4%	#1,122 of 2,222
32Orange County, CA	50	1,551	14.3	$3.5M	−1.1%	#1,124 of 2,222
33San Luis Obispo County, CA	50	151	13.8	$3.2M	0.0%	#1,127 of 2,222
34Butte County, CA	50	100	12.0	$3.1M	−0.5%	#1,130 of 2,222
35Mendocino County, CA	49	37	10.6	$3.5M	−3.5%	#1,162 of 2,222
36Lassen County, CA	49	10	10.8	$3.2M	−13.1%	#1,168 of 2,222
37Merced County, CA	49	120	13.9	$2.5M	+5.1%	#1,190 of 2,222
38Madera County, CA	49	73	16.1	$2.4M	+7.4%	#1,197 of 2,222
39Sutter County, CA	48	41	12.3	$3.2M	−0.7%	#1,207 of 2,222
40Monterey County, CA	48	185	14.0	$3.2M	−1.5%	#1,209 of 2,222
41Glenn County, CA	48	11	11.2	$3.1M	−2.6%	#1,210 of 2,222
42Los Angeles County, CA	47	4,193	12.3	$3.5M	−3.0%	#1,247 of 2,222
43Colusa County, CA	46	10	13.3	$2.8M	−0.1%	#1,302 of 2,222
44Stanislaus County, CA	42	271	15.2	$2.6M	+0.7%	#1,439 of 2,222
45Fresno County, CA	41	506	15.6	$2.5M	+2.6%	#1,468 of 2,222
46San Bernardino County, CA	41	1,124	16.7	$2.5M	+1.9%	#1,469 of 2,222
47Siskiyou County, CA	39	25	13.1	$2.6M	−4.5%	#1,526 of 2,222
48Kings County, CA	38	61	13.8	$2.6M	+1.0%	#1,563 of 2,222
49Tulare County, CA	38	236	16.5	$2.2M	+2.4%	#1,578 of 2,222
50Kern County, CA	34	483	17.0	$2.2M	+2.3%	#1,709 of 2,222
51Mono County, CA	33	10	17.4	$2.6M	−5.4%	#1,735 of 2,222
52Inyo County, CA	27	14	17.4	$2.2M	−4.4%	#1,923 of 2,222
53Imperial County, CA	25	86	17.3	$1.9M	+1.1%	#1,972 of 2,222
Mariposa County, CA	Not scored	2	2.7	$13.9M	−1.2%
Trinity County, CA	Not scored	4	7.2	$4.5M	−2.3%
Modoc County, CA	Not scored	4	12.2	$2.7M	−2.9%
Sierra County, CA	Not scored	1	8.2	$4.3M	−4.0%
Alpine County, CA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	−11.6%

Markets with fewer than 5 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored; they’re listed last in each table.

Questions

How many fast food and sandwich shops are in California?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 17,525 fast food and sandwich shops in California. 13,492 of them (77%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 34,527 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 6.5% from 2019. The official count takes in all limited-service restaurants, not only fast food and sandwich shops: pizza places are counted too. Another 5,741 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in California spend on food away from home?

About $61.8B a year, or $4,559 per household. That is 12% above the U.S. average (an index of 112, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 17,525 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $3.5M 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 13,548,091 households in California and national spending patterns by income.

How does California compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?

California has 12.9 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 3% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $3.5M, 16% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, California would have about 20,245, against 17,525 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 392 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 6.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.

Which market in California has the highest market score for fast food and sandwich shops?

Among 25 scored metro areas in or partly in California, the Santa Rosa-Petaluma metro area scores highest, at 74 (upper middle). Among 10 scored small-town markets in or partly in California, the Truckee-Grass Valley area scores highest, at 80 (high). Among 53 scored counties in California, Yuba County scores highest, at 85 (high). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.

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. California scores 49 for fast food and sandwich shops (lower middle), #26 of the 50 states and DC.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in California. 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.

Restaurants and cafes173,915 listings
Sit-down restaurants100,104 listings
Pizza9,414 listings
Coffee shops and cafes19,992 listings
Bakeries and dessert shops15,896 listings

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