Food and drink · County · Delaware
Fast food and sandwich shops in Kent County, DE
How Kent County, DE 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 62 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #660 of 2,222 scored counties
#2 of 3 scored counties in Delaware
- Listings
- 86
- 73 chain locations (85%)
- Official establishments
- 137
- All limited-service restaurants · +16.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $265.5M
- On food away from home · $3,717 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.1M
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 12.0
- 10% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 194,786
- +6.8% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Kent 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 Kent 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
At $3,717 per household (9% below the U.S. average), households in Kent County spend about $265.5M a year on food away from home. Spread across 86 fast food and sandwich shops, that is $3.1M per shop, in line with the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only fast food and sandwich shops.
Kent County has 86 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 73 are chain locations, or 85%, against 79% across the U.S. That is 12.0 per 10,000 households, 10% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.
In 2023, official counts showed 137 businesses with payroll in Kent County classed as limited-service restaurants, up 16.1% from 2019. That is one for every 521 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 27 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $1.6M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Kent County.
Population estimates put the population change in Kent County from 2020 to 2025 at +6.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Kent County scores 62 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, ranking #660 of 2,222 scored counties and #2 of 3 scored counties in Delaware.
How Kent County compares
The same measures for Delaware 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 | Kent County | Delaware | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 12.0 | 11.9 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $3.1M | $3.4M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 521 | 475 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +16.1% | +10.0% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +6.8% | +6.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,717 | $4,092 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $74,477 | $84,954 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 62 | 63 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 118 → 137All limited-service restaurants · +16.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,480
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $57.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 27All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 8673 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 87The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $1.6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Kent 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 Kent County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 194,786+6.8% since 2020
- Households
- 71,424
- Median age
- 39.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 586 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 320
- Median household income
- $74,477+22.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $92,801
- Median home value
- $316,600
- Jobs located here
- 66,799
- Daytime population
- 177,320Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Kent 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 Kent 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 Delaware
Every Delaware market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Delaware for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in Delaware, with Kent County marked.
Top counties in Delaware
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Sussex County, DE | 73 | 124 | 11.6 | $3.4M | +16.1% | #290 of 2,222 |
| 2Kent County, DE | 62 | 86 | 12.0 | $3.1M | +6.8% | #660 of 2,222 |
| 3New Castle County, DE | 61 | 268 | 12.0 | $3.6M | +3.0% | #689 of 2,222 |
Other business types in Kent County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes64
- Sit-down restaurants60
- Fast food and sandwich shops62
- Pizza54
- Coffee shops and cafes77
- Bakeries and dessert shops64
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 Kent County, DE?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 86 fast food and sandwich shops in Kent County. 73 of them (85%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 137 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 16.1% 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 27 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Kent County, DE spend on food away from home?
About $265.5M a year, or $3,717 per household. That is 9% below the U.S. average (an index of 91, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 86 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $3.1M 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 71,424 households in Kent County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Kent County, DE compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Kent County has 12.0 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 10% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $3.1M, in line with the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Kent County would have about 87, against 86 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 521 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 16.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Kent County, DE growing?
Population estimates put Kent County at 194,786 people in 2025, up 6.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 71,424 households. Median household income in Kent County is $74,477, 8% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 22.3%, 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. Kent County scores 62 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #660 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Kent 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 Kent County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Kent 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 Kent 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.