Food and drink · County · Colorado
Fast food and sandwich shops in Arapahoe County, CO
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for fast food and sandwich shops in Arapahoe County, CO, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 64 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #573 of 2,222 scored counties
#13 of 35 scored counties in Colorado
- Listings
- 317
- 270 chain locations (85%)
- Official establishments
- 563
- All limited-service restaurants · +9.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.2B
- On food away from home · $4,570 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.7M
- 22% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 12.3
- 8% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 673,820
- +2.8% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Arapahoe 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 Arapahoe 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 317 fast food and sandwich shops in Arapahoe County. Chain locations make up 85% of them, against 79% across the U.S. That comes to 12.3 for every 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.
At $4,570 per household (12% above the U.S. average), households in Arapahoe County spend about $1.2B a year on food away from home. Spread across 317 fast food and sandwich shops, that is $3.7M per shop, 22% above 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.
In 2023, official counts showed 563 businesses with payroll in Arapahoe County classed as limited-service restaurants, up 9.3% from 2019. That is one for every 457 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 also show 133 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 28 SBA-backed loans worth $14.1M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Arapahoe County.
Population estimates put the population change in Arapahoe County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.8%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). For fast food and sandwich shops, Arapahoe County has a Groundwork market score of 64 (upper middle): #573 of 2,222 scored counties and #13 of 35 scored counties in Colorado.
How Arapahoe County compares
The same measures for Colorado 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 | Arapahoe County | Colorado | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 12.3 | 12.9 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $3.7M | $3.4M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 457 | 500 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +9.3% | +9.1% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.8% | +3.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,570 | $4,421 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $101,087 | $95,470 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 64 | 65 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 515 → 563All limited-service restaurants · +9.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 11,171
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $273.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 133All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 317270 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 385The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 28
- Amount
- $14.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Arapahoe 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 Arapahoe County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 673,820+2.8% since 2020
- Households
- 257,232
- Median age
- 38.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 65%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 798 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 827
- Median household income
- $101,087+30.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $136,289
- Median home value
- $561,200
- Jobs located here
- 352,398
- Daytime population
- 677,507Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Arapahoe 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 Arapahoe 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 Colorado
Every Colorado market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Colorado for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in Colorado, with Arapahoe County marked.
Top counties in Colorado
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Elbert County, CO | 97 | 8 | 8.0 | $6.5M | +16.5% | #2 of 2,222 |
| 2Douglas County, CO | 82 | 161 | 11.5 | $4.9M | +10.9% | #94 of 2,222 |
| 3Weld County, CO | 81 | 149 | 12.0 | $3.6M | +14.2% | #115 of 2,222 |
| 4Montezuma County, CO | 72 | 10 | 8.9 | $3.9M | +3.0% | #308 of 2,222 |
| 5Delta County, CO | 69 | 9 | 6.9 | $4.8M | +3.6% | #386 of 2,222 |
| 6Broomfield County, CO | 69 | 41 | 12.9 | $4M | +6.3% | #395 of 2,222 |
| 7Larimer County, CO | 68 | 186 | 12.1 | $3.6M | +4.8% | #434 of 2,222 |
| 8Adams County, CO | 67 | 236 | 12.5 | $3.5M | +6.6% | #477 of 2,222 |
| 9Teller County, CO | 66 | 14 | 11.8 | $3.4M | 0.0% | #516 of 2,222 |
| 10Morgan County, CO | 66 | 12 | 10.8 | $3.2M | +4.2% | #525 of 2,222 |
| 13Arapahoe County, CO | 64 | 317 | 12.3 | $3.7M | +2.8% | #573 of 2,222 |
Other business types in Arapahoe County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes62
- Sit-down restaurants61
- Fast food and sandwich shops64
- Pizza70
- Coffee shops and cafes57
- Bakeries and dessert shops65
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 Arapahoe County, CO?
Arapahoe County has 317 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 270 of them (85%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 563 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 9.3% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Another 133 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Arapahoe County, CO spend on food away from home?
About $1.2B a year, or $4,570 per household. That is 12% above the U.S. average (an index of 112, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 317 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $3.7M 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 257,232 households in Arapahoe County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Arapahoe County, CO compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Arapahoe 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 $3.7M, 22% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Arapahoe County would have about 385, against 317 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 457 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 9.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Arapahoe County, CO growing?
Population estimates put Arapahoe County at 673,820 people in 2025, up 2.8% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 257,232 households. The median household income in Arapahoe County is $101,087 a year, 25% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 30.5% 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. Arapahoe County scores 64 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #573 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Arapahoe 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 Arapahoe County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Arapahoe 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 Arapahoe 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.