Food and drink · Metro area · Connecticut
Fast food and sandwich shops in the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT metro area
The fast food and sandwich shops in the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 76 out of 100: High
Ranked #40 of 387 scored metro areas
#1 of 5 scored metro areas based in Connecticut
- Listings
- 522
- 382 chain locations (73%)
- Official establishments
- 902
- All limited-service restaurants
- Household spending a year
- $2.1B
- On food away from home · $4,450 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4M
- 30% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.2
- 16% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,171,426
- +3.0% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford 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 Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 522 fast food and sandwich shops in the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford metro area. Chain locations make up 73% of them, against 79% across the U.S. That is 11.2 per 10,000 households, 16% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.
Households in the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford metro area spend about $2.1B a year on food away from home, or $4,450 per household, 9% above the U.S. average. That is about $4M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 30% 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.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford metro area was 902 in 2023. That is one for every 516 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 190 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 33 SBA-backed loans worth $14M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford metro area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford metro area grew 3.0%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). For fast food and sandwich shops, the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford metro area has a Groundwork market score of 76 (high): #40 of 387 scored metro areas and #1 of 5 scored metro areas based in Connecticut. That puts it in the top quarter of metro areas.
How the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford metro area compares
The same measures for Connecticut 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 | Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford metro area | Connecticut | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 11.2 | 13.0 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $4M | $3.5M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 516 | 497 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +7.5% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.0% | +3.0% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,450 | $4,498 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $95,118 | $95,781 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 76 | 65 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 902All limited-service restaurants
- Employees, 2023
- 12,271
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $277.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 190All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 522382 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 679The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 33
- Amount
- $14M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford 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 Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,171,426+3.0% since 2020
- Households
- 465,181
- Median age
- 42.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 1,452 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 794
- Median household income
- $95,118
- Average household income
- $127,867
- Median home value
- $333,500
- Jobs located here
- 597,826
- Daytime population
- 1,193,128Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford 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 Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford 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 Connecticut
Every Connecticut market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Connecticut for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in Connecticut, with the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Connecticut
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | 76 | 522 | 11.2 | $4M | +3.0% | #40 of 387 |
| 2Waterbury-Shelton, CT | 73 | 223 | 12.4 | $3.4M | +3.2% | #55 of 387 |
| 3Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | 64 | 541 | 15.2 | $3.3M | +3.7% | #106 of 387 |
| 4Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT | 63 | 137 | 11.8 | $3.5M | +2.0% | #113 of 387 |
| 5New Haven, CT | 51 | 367 | 15.9 | $2.7M | +2.5% | #188 of 387 |
Other business types in the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes61
- Sit-down restaurants53
- Fast food and sandwich shops76
- Pizza55
- Coffee shops and cafes57
- Bakeries and dessert shops45
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 Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT metro area?
The Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford metro area has 522 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 382 of them (73%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 902 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Another 190 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT metro area spend on food away from home?
About $2.1B a year, or $4,450 per household. That is 9% above the U.S. average (an index of 109, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 522 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $4M 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 465,181 households in the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT metro area compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
The Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford metro area has 11.2 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 16% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $4M, 30% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford metro area would have about 679, against 522 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 516 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S.
How fast is the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford metro area at 1,171,426 people in 2025, up 3.0% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 465,181 households. The median household income in the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford metro area is $95,118 a year, 18% above the U.S. median of $80,734.
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 Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford metro area scores 76 for fast food and sandwich shops (high), #40 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 Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford 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 Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford 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 Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford 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.