Food and drink · Metro area · Colorado
Fast food and sandwich shops in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area
How the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area compares with other metro areas and the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 72 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #61 of 387 scored metro areas
#2 of 7 scored metro areas based in Colorado
- Listings
- 1,554
- 1,313 chain locations (84%)
- Official establishments
- 2,542
- All limited-service restaurants · +8.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $5.7B
- On food away from home · $4,682 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.7M
- 21% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 12.7
- 5% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 3,092,037
- +4.1% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area
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 the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area. 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
Household spending on food away from home in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area comes to about $5.7B a year: $4,682 per household, 15% above the U.S. average. Spread across 1,554 fast food and sandwich shops, that is $3.7M per shop, 21% 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 Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area has 1,554 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 1,313 of them (84%) are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. That is 12.7 per 10,000 households, 5% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.
Official counts show 2,542 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area in 2023, up 8.8% from 2019. That is one for every 481 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 445 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 90 SBA-backed loans worth $47.2M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area.
Population estimates show the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area grew 4.1% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area scores 72 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, ranking #61 of 387 scored metro areas and #2 of 7 scored metro areas based in Colorado. That puts it in the top quarter of metro areas.
How the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area 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 | Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area | Colorado | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 12.7 | 12.9 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $3.7M | $3.4M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 481 | 500 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +8.8% | +9.1% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.1% | +3.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,682 | $4,421 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $105,762 | $95,470 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 72 | 65 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 2,542All limited-service restaurants · +8.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 51,122
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.3B
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 445All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,5541,313 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,875The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 90
- Amount
- $47.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area, 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 the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 3,092,037+4.1% since 2020
- Households
- 1,221,636
- Median age
- 38.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 64%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 8,345 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 360
- Median household income
- $105,762+32.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $140,691
- Median home value
- $603,800
- Jobs located here
- 1,626,278
- Daytime population
- 3,090,925Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area. 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 metro areas in Colorado for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in Colorado, with the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Colorado
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Greeley, CO | 89 | 149 | 12.0 | $3.6M | +14.2% | #5 of 387 |
| 2Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | 72 | 1,554 | 12.7 | $3.7M | +4.1% | #61 of 387 |
| 3Fort Collins-Loveland, CO | 72 | 186 | 12.1 | $3.6M | +4.8% | #62 of 387 |
| 4Colorado Springs, CO | 64 | 426 | 14.1 | $3M | +3.1% | #110 of 387 |
| 5Grand Junction, CO | 63 | 86 | 13.1 | $2.9M | +4.4% | #117 of 387 |
| 6Boulder, CO | 62 | 185 | 13.5 | $3.5M | −0.7% | #120 of 387 |
| 7Pueblo, CO | 37 | 101 | 14.7 | $2.4M | +0.6% | #277 of 387 |
Other business types in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes70
- Sit-down restaurants65
- Fast food and sandwich shops72
- Pizza76
- Coffee shops and cafes56
- Bakeries and dessert shops70
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 the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 1,554 fast food and sandwich shops in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area. 1,313 of them (84%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 2,542 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 8.8% 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 445 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area spend on food away from home?
About $5.7B a year, or $4,682 per household. That is 15% above the U.S. average (an index of 115, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,554 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $3.7M 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 1,221,636 households in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
The Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area has 12.7 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 5% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $3.7M, 21% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area would have about 1,875, against 1,554 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 481 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 8.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area at 3,092,037 people in 2025, up 4.1% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 1,221,636 households. Median household income in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area is $105,762, 31% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 32.8%, 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. The Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area scores 72 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #61 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area. 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 the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area?
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 the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area. 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.