Food and drink · County · Connecticut
Fast food and sandwich shops in the Western Connecticut Planning Region, CT
How the Western Connecticut Planning Region, CT compares with other counties and the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 63 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #614 of 2,222 scored counties
#6 of 9 scored counties in Connecticut
- Listings
- 359
- 158 chain locations (44%)
- Official establishments
- 547
- All limited-service restaurants
- Household spending a year
- $1.2B
- On food away from home · $5,267 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.5M
- 13% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 15.3
- 15% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 640,482
- +3.5% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in the Western Connecticut 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 Western Connecticut 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 359 fast food and sandwich shops in the Western Connecticut Planning Region. Of those, 158 are chain locations, or 44%, against 79% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 15.3, 15% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.
Households in the Western Connecticut Planning Region spend about $1.2B a year on food away from home, or $5,267 per household, 29% above the U.S. average. Spread across 359 fast food and sandwich shops, that is $3.5M per shop, 13% 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 547 businesses with payroll in the Western Connecticut Planning Region classed as limited-service restaurants. That is one for every 430 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 99 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 20 SBA-backed loans worth $5.3M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the Western Connecticut Planning Region.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Western Connecticut Planning Region grew 3.5%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). For fast food and sandwich shops, the Western Connecticut Planning Region has a Groundwork market score of 63 (upper middle): #614 of 2,222 scored counties and #6 of 9 scored counties in Connecticut.
How the Western Connecticut 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 | Western Connecticut Planning Region | Connecticut | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 15.3 | 13.0 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $3.5M | $3.5M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 430 | 497 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +7.5% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.5% | +3.0% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $5,267 | $4,498 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $128,188 | $95,781 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 63 | 65 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 547All limited-service restaurants
- Employees, 2023
- 6,294
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $168.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 99All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 359158 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 406The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 20
- Amount
- $5.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the Western Connecticut 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 Western Connecticut Planning Region
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 640,482+3.5% since 2020
- Households
- 235,379
- Median age
- 42.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 532 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,178
- Median household income
- $128,188
- Average household income
- $214,675
- Median home value
- $652,900
- Jobs located here
- 282,077
- Daytime population
- 636,160Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Western Connecticut 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 Western Connecticut 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 Western Connecticut 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 Western Connecticut Planning Region
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes54
- Sit-down restaurants50
- Fast food and sandwich shops63
- Pizza63
- Coffee shops and cafes54
- Bakeries and dessert shops49
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 Western Connecticut Planning Region, CT?
The Western Connecticut Planning Region has 359 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 158 of them (44%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 547 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 99 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Western Connecticut Planning Region, CT spend on food away from home?
About $1.2B a year, or $5,267 per household. That is 29% above the U.S. average (an index of 129, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 359 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $3.5M 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 235,379 households in the Western Connecticut Planning Region and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Western Connecticut Planning Region, CT compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
The Western Connecticut Planning Region has 15.3 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 15% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $3.5M, 13% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, the Western Connecticut Planning Region would have about 406, against 359 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 430 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S.
How fast is the Western Connecticut Planning Region, CT growing?
Population estimates put the Western Connecticut Planning Region at 640,482 people in 2025, up 3.5% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 235,379 households. The median household income in the Western Connecticut Planning Region is $128,188 a year, 59% 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 Western Connecticut Planning Region scores 63 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #614 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 Western Connecticut 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 Western Connecticut Planning Region
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Western Connecticut 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 Western Connecticut 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.