Food and drink · County · California
Fast food and sandwich shops in San Diego County, CA
How San Diego County, CA 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 53 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #1,010 of 2,222 scored counties
#29 of 53 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 1,531
- 1,097 chain locations (72%)
- Official establishments
- 3,086
- All limited-service restaurants · +5.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $5.5B
- On food away from home · $4,696 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.6M
- 18% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 13.1
- 2% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 3,282,248
- −0.6% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in San Diego 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 San Diego 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
At $4,696 per household (15% above the U.S. average), households in San Diego County spend about $5.5B a year on food away from home. Spread across 1,531 fast food and sandwich shops, that is $3.6M per shop, 18% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only fast food and sandwich shops.
San Diego County has 1,531 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 1,097 of them (72%) are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 13.1, 2% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.
Official counts show 3,086 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in San Diego County in 2023, up 5.9% from 2019. That is one for every 380 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. Another 456 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 91 SBA-backed loans worth $40.1M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in San Diego County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of San Diego County declined 0.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For fast food and sandwich shops, San Diego County has a Groundwork market score of 53 (upper middle): #1,010 of 2,222 scored counties and #29 of 53 scored counties in California.
How San Diego 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 | San Diego County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 13.1 | 12.9 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $3.6M | $3.5M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 380 | 392 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +5.9% | +6.5% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.6% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,696 | $4,559 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $106,268 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 53 | 49 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 2,915 → 3,086All limited-service restaurants · +5.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 55,315
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.4B
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 456All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,5311,097 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,803The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 91
- Amount
- $40.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in San Diego 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 San Diego County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 3,282,248−0.6% since 2020
- Households
- 1,171,278
- Median age
- 38.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 55%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 4,211 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 781
- Median household income
- $106,268+34.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $141,250
- Median home value
- $854,700
- Jobs located here
- 1,516,991
- Daytime population
- 3,269,716Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in San Diego 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 San Diego 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 San Diego 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 |
| 29San Diego County, CA | 53 | 1,531 | 13.1 | $3.6M | −0.6% | #1,010 of 2,222 |
Other business types in San Diego County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes39
- Sit-down restaurants39
- Fast food and sandwich shops53
- Pizza57
- Coffee shops and cafes33
- Bakeries and dessert shops43
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 San Diego County, CA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 1,531 fast food and sandwich shops in San Diego County. 1,097 of them (72%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 3,086 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 5.9% 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 456 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in San Diego County, CA spend on food away from home?
About $5.5B a year, or $4,696 per household. That is 15% above the U.S. average (an index of 115, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,531 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $3.6M 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 1,171,278 households in San Diego County and national spending patterns by income.
How does San Diego County, CA compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
San Diego County has 13.1 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 2% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $3.6M, 18% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, San Diego County would have about 1,803, against 1,531 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 380 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is San Diego County, CA growing?
Population estimates put San Diego County at 3,282,248 people in 2025, down 0.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 1,171,278 households. Median household income in San Diego County is $106,268, 32% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 34.6%, 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. San Diego County scores 53 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #1,010 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in San Diego 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 San Diego County
Screening a site or an acquisition in San Diego 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 San Diego 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.