Food and drink · County · Colorado
Fast food and sandwich shops in Douglas County, CO
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for fast food and sandwich shops in Douglas County, CO, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 82 out of 100: High
Ranked #94 of 2,222 scored counties
#2 of 35 scored counties in Colorado
- Listings
- 161
- 151 chain locations (94%)
- Official establishments
- 269
- All limited-service restaurants · +11.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $785M
- On food away from home · $5,609 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.9M
- 60% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.5
- 14% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 399,396
- +10.9% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Douglas 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 Douglas 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
For fast food and sandwich shops, Douglas County has a Groundwork market score of 82 (high): #94 of 2,222 scored counties and #2 of 35 scored counties in Colorado. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for fast food and sandwich shops.
At $5,609 per household (38% above the U.S. average), households in Douglas County spend about $785M a year on food away from home. That works out to $4.9M per shop, 60% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only fast food and sandwich shops.
Douglas County has 161 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 94% of them, against 79% across the U.S. That comes to 11.5 for every 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.
Official counts show 269 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Douglas County in 2023, up 11.6% from 2019. That is one for every 520 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. Since fiscal 2022, 11 SBA-backed loans worth $6.1M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Douglas County. Population estimates put the population change in Douglas County from 2020 to 2025 at +10.9%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Douglas 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 | Douglas County | Colorado | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 11.5 | 12.9 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $4.9M | $3.4M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 520 | 500 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +11.6% | +9.1% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +10.9% | +3.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $5,609 | $4,421 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $149,594 | $95,470 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 82 | 65 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 241 → 269All limited-service restaurants · +11.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 5,976
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $145.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 35All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 161151 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 257The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 11
- Amount
- $6.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Douglas 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 Douglas County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 399,396+10.9% since 2020
- Households
- 139,960
- Median age
- 40.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 77%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 840 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 449
- Median household income
- $149,594+24.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $183,544
- Median home value
- $713,600
- Jobs located here
- 144,461
- Daytime population
- 321,562Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Douglas 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 Douglas 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 Douglas 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 |
Other business types in Douglas County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes83
- Sit-down restaurants88
- Fast food and sandwich shops82
- Pizza84
- Coffee shops and cafes73
- Bakeries and dessert shops78
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 Douglas County, CO?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 161 fast food and sandwich shops in Douglas County. 151 of them (94%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 269 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 11.6% from 2019. The official count takes in all limited-service restaurants, not only fast food and sandwich shops: pizza places are counted too. Another 35 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Douglas County, CO spend on food away from home?
About $785M a year, or $5,609 per household. That is 38% above the U.S. average (an index of 138, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 161 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $4.9M 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 139,960 households in Douglas County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Douglas County, CO compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Douglas County has 11.5 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $4.9M, 60% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Douglas County would have about 257, against 161 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 520 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 11.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Douglas County, CO growing?
Population estimates put Douglas County at 399,396 people in 2025, up 10.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 139,960 households. Median household income in Douglas County is $149,594, 85% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 24.9%, 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. Douglas County scores 82 for fast food and sandwich shops (high), #94 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Douglas 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 Douglas County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Douglas 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 Douglas 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.