Groundwork

Market rankings · District of Columbia

Fast food and sandwich shops in the District of Columbia

Every metro area, small-town market and county in the District of Columbia, ranked by the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, with competitor counts and household spending for each.

Listings
475
302 chain locations (64%)
Official establishments
851
All limited-service restaurants · −1.5% since 2019
Household spending a year
$1.6B
On food away from home
Listings per 10k households
14.6
10% above the U.S.
Spending per listing
$3.3M
8% above the U.S.
Rank among states
#24 of 51
Market score 55 · Upper middle

A site report maps the fast food and sandwich shops on map listings around any address in the District of Columbia by name and distance, and the spending within reach.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

The District of Columbia has 475 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 302 of them (64%) are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. That is 14.6 per 10,000 households, 10% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.

At $4,813 per household (18% above the U.S. average), households in the District of Columbia spend about $1.6B a year on food away from home. That is about $3.3M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 8% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only fast food and sandwich shops.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in the District of Columbia was 851 in 2023, down 1.5% from 2019. That is one for every 381 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 6.1% over the same years. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Since fiscal 2022, 20 SBA-backed loans worth $9.5M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the District of Columbia.

Among the 50 states and DC, the District of Columbia ranks #24 for fast food and sandwich shops, with a Groundwork market score of 55 (upper middle). The one scored metro area in or partly in the District of Columbia, the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area, scores 68.

Every market in the District of Columbia for fast food and sandwich shops

Download the ranking (CSV)

Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in the District of Columbia, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.

Metro areas

Metro areas reaching the District of Columbia, ranked for fast food and sandwich shops by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV682,86312.1$4.3M+3.3%#82 of 387

Counties

Counties in the District of Columbia, ranked for fast food and sandwich shops by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
District of ColumbiaNot scored47514.6$3.3M+3.4%

Markets with fewer than 5 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored; they’re listed last in each table.

Questions

How many fast food and sandwich shops are in the District of Columbia?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 475 fast food and sandwich shops in the District of Columbia. 302 of them (64%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 851 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, down 1.5% from 2019. The official count takes in all limited-service restaurants, not only fast food and sandwich shops: pizza places are counted too. Another 115 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in the District of Columbia spend on food away from home?

About $1.6B a year, or $4,813 per household. That is 18% above the U.S. average (an index of 118, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 475 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $3.3M 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 324,491 households in the District of Columbia and national spending patterns by income.

How does the District of Columbia compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?

The District of Columbia has 14.6 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 10% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $3.3M, 8% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, the District of Columbia would have about 512, against 475 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 381 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count fell 1.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.

Which market in the District of Columbia has the highest market score for fast food and sandwich shops?

The one scored metro area in or partly in the District of Columbia is the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area, at 68 (upper middle). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.

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 District of Columbia scores 55 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #24 of the 50 states and DC.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the District of Columbia. 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.

Fast food and sandwich shops in other states

All 51 states

Top markets for fast food and sandwich shops across the U.S. · All business types in the District of Columbia

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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.