Food and drink · County · California
Fast food and sandwich shops in Imperial County, CA
The fast food and sandwich shops in Imperial County, CA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 25 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,972 of 2,222 scored counties
#53 of 53 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 86
- 73 chain locations (85%)
- Official establishments
- 110
- All limited-service restaurants · −1.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $166M
- On food away from home · $3,344 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.9M
- 37% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 17.3
- 30% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 181,411
- +1.1% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Imperial 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 Imperial 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 Imperial County is 25 (lower middle), #1,972 of 2,222 scored counties and #53 of 53 scored counties in California. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 86 fast food and sandwich shops in Imperial County. Chain locations make up 85% of them, against 79% across the U.S. That comes to 17.3 for every 10,000 households, 30% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.
Household spending on food away from home in Imperial County comes to about $166M a year: $3,344 per household, 18% below the U.S. average. Spread across 86 fast food and sandwich shops, that is $1.9M per shop, 37% 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.
Official counts show 110 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Imperial County in 2023, down 1.8% from 2019. That is one for every 451 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, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $6.2M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Imperial County. Population estimates show Imperial County grew 1.1% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Imperial County compares
The same measures for California 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 | Imperial County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 17.3 | 12.9 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $1.9M | $3.5M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 451 | 392 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −1.8% | +6.5% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.1% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,344 | $4,559 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $57,681 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 25 | 49 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 112 → 110All limited-service restaurants · −1.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,133
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $51M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 28All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 8673 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 54The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $6.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Imperial 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 Imperial County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 181,411+1.1% since 2020
- Households
- 49,644
- Median age
- 33.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 57%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 4,176 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 43
- Median household income
- $57,681+21.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $79,363
- Median home value
- $309,600
- Jobs located here
- 63,081
- Daytime population
- 165,766Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Imperial 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 Imperial 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 California
Every California market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in California for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in California, with Imperial County marked.
Top counties in California
| 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 |
| 53Imperial County, CA | 25 | 86 | 17.3 | $1.9M | +1.1% | #1,972 of 2,222 |
Other business types in Imperial County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes30
- Sit-down restaurants37
- Fast food and sandwich shops25
- Pizza49
- Coffee shops and cafes31
- Bakeries and dessert shops24
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 Imperial County, CA?
Imperial County has 86 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 73 of them (85%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 110 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, down 1.8% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Another 28 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Imperial County, CA spend on food away from home?
About $166M a year, or $3,344 per household. That is 18% below the U.S. average (an index of 82, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 86 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $1.9M 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 49,644 households in Imperial County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Imperial County, CA compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Imperial County has 17.3 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 30% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $1.9M, 37% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Imperial County would have about 54, against 86 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 451 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count fell 1.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Imperial County, CA growing?
Population estimates put Imperial County at 181,411 people in 2025, up 1.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 49,644 households. The median household income in Imperial County is $57,681 a year, 29% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 21.1% 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. Imperial County scores 25 for fast food and sandwich shops (lower middle), #1,972 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Imperial 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 Imperial County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Imperial 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 Imperial 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.