Food and drink · County · Connecticut
Fast food and sandwich shops in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT
The fast food and sandwich shops in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 76 out of 100: High
Ranked #202 of 2,222 scored counties
#3 of 9 scored counties in Connecticut
- Listings
- 69
- 46 chain locations (67%)
- Official establishments
- 133
- All limited-service restaurants
- Household spending a year
- $345.9M
- On food away from home · $4,670 a household
- Spending per listing
- $5M
- 64% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 9.3
- 30% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 177,311
- +2.3% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region
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 Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region. 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, the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region has a Groundwork market score of 76 (high): #202 of 2,222 scored counties and #3 of 9 scored counties in Connecticut. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for fast food and sandwich shops.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 69 fast food and sandwich shops in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region. 46 of them (67%) are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. That comes to 9.3 for every 10,000 households, 30% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.
At $4,670 per household (15% above the U.S. average), households in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region spend about $345.9M a year on food away from home. That is about $5M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 64% 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.
Official counts show 133 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region in 2023. That is one for every 557 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. Since fiscal 2022, 6 SBA-backed loans worth $2.7M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region. Population estimates show the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region grew 2.3% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region 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 | Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region | Connecticut | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 9.3 | 13.0 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $5M | $3.5M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 557 | 497 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +7.5% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.3% | +3.0% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,670 | $4,498 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $104,428 | $95,781 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 76 | 65 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 133All limited-service restaurants
- Employees, 2023
- 1,357
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $33.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 27All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 6946 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 113The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 6
- Amount
- $2.7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, 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 Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 177,311+2.3% since 2020
- Households
- 74,068
- Median age
- 45.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 76%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 424 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 415
- Median household income
- $104,428
- Average household income
- $138,522
- Median home value
- $379,700
- Jobs located here
- 70,497
- Daytime population
- 159,861Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region?
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 the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region. 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 counties in Connecticut for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in Connecticut, with the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region marked.
Top counties in Connecticut
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 84 | 36 | 9.1 | $4.7M | +3.0% | #77 of 2,222 |
| 2Northwest Hills Planning Region, CT | 81 | 43 | 9.0 | $4.9M | +2.2% | #109 of 2,222 |
| 3Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT | 76 | 69 | 9.3 | $5M | +2.3% | #202 of 2,222 |
| 4Capitol Planning Region, CT | 69 | 453 | 11.6 | $3.8M | +3.1% | #400 of 2,222 |
| 5Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, CT | 68 | 223 | 12.4 | $3.4M | +3.2% | #439 of 2,222 |
| 6Western Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 63 | 359 | 15.3 | $3.5M | +3.5% | #614 of 2,222 |
| 7Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 61 | 137 | 11.8 | $3.5M | +2.0% | #691 of 2,222 |
| 8Greater Bridgeport Planning Region, CT | 60 | 182 | 15.2 | $2.9M | +4.1% | #759 of 2,222 |
| 9South Central Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 52 | 367 | 15.9 | $2.7M | +2.5% | #1,072 of 2,222 |
Other business types in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes53
- Sit-down restaurants48
- Fast food and sandwich shops76
- Pizza63
- Coffee shops and cafes59
- Bakeries and dessert shops43
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 Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT?
There are 69 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region as of September 2026. 46 of them (67%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 133 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 27 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT spend on food away from home?
About $345.9M a year, or $4,670 per household. That is 15% above the U.S. average (an index of 115, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 69 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $5M 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 74,068 households in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
The Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region has 9.3 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 30% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $5M, 64% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region would have about 113, against 69 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 557 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S.
How fast is the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT growing?
Population estimates put the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region at 177,311 people in 2025, up 2.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 74,068 households. The median household income in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region is $104,428 a year, 29% 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 Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region scores 76 for fast food and sandwich shops (high), #202 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region. 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 Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region?
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 Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region. 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.