Food and drink · County · California
Fast food and sandwich shops in San Francisco County, CA
How San Francisco 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 #1,006 of 2,222 scored counties
#28 of 53 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 449
- 143 chain locations (32%)
- Official establishments
- 973
- All limited-service restaurants · −6.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $2B
- On food away from home · $5,358 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.3M
- 42% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 12.3
- 8% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 826,079
- −5.6% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in San Francisco 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 Francisco 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
Households in San Francisco County spend about $2B a year on food away from home, or $5,358 per household, 32% above the U.S. average. That works out to $4.3M per shop, 42% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only fast food and sandwich shops.
There are 449 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in San Francisco County as of September 2026. Of those, 143 are chain locations, or 32%, against 79% across the U.S. That is 12.3 per 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in San Francisco County was 973 in 2023, down 6.9% from 2019. That is one for every 374 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. Official counts list 109 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 23 SBA-backed loans worth $9.5M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in San Francisco County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of San Francisco County declined 5.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S. San Francisco County scores 53 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, ranking #1,006 of 2,222 scored counties and #28 of 53 scored counties in California.
How San Francisco 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 Francisco County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 12.3 | 12.9 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $4.3M | $3.5M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 374 | 392 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −6.9% | +6.5% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −5.6% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $5,358 | $4,559 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $140,970 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 53 | 49 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 1,045 → 973All limited-service restaurants · −6.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 11,344
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $366.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 109All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 449143 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 639The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 23
- Amount
- $9.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in San Francisco 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 Francisco County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 826,079−5.6% since 2020
- Households
- 363,970
- Median age
- 41.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 38%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.1
- Land area
- 47 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 17,777
- Median household income
- $140,970+25.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $206,854
- Median home value
- $1,394,500
- Jobs located here
- 747,999
- Daytime population
- 1,133,228Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in San Francisco 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 Francisco 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 Francisco 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 |
| 28San Francisco County, CA | 53 | 449 | 12.3 | $4.3M | −5.6% | #1,006 of 2,222 |
Other business types in San Francisco County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes23
- Sit-down restaurants22
- Fast food and sandwich shops53
- Pizza53
- Coffee shops and cafes22
- Bakeries and dessert shops30
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 Francisco County, CA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 449 fast food and sandwich shops in San Francisco County. 143 of them (32%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 973 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, down 6.9% 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 also show 109 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in San Francisco County, CA spend on food away from home?
About $2B a year, or $5,358 per household. That is 32% above the U.S. average (an index of 132, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 449 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $4.3M 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 363,970 households in San Francisco County and national spending patterns by income.
How does San Francisco County, CA compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
San Francisco County has 12.3 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $4.3M, 42% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, San Francisco County would have about 639, against 449 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 374 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count fell 6.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is San Francisco County, CA growing?
Population estimates put San Francisco County at 826,079 people in 2025, down 5.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 363,970 households. Median household income in San Francisco County is $140,970, 75% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.4%, 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 Francisco County scores 53 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #1,006 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 Francisco 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 Francisco County
Screening a site or an acquisition in San Francisco 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 Francisco 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.