Food and drink · Metro area · District of Columbia
Fast food and sandwich shops in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area
How the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area compares with other metro areas and the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 68 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #82 of 387 scored metro areas
The only scored metro area based in the District of Columbia
- Listings
- 2,863
- 2,223 chain locations (78%)
- Official establishments
- 5,579
- All limited-service restaurants · +0.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $12.2B
- On food away from home · $5,137 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.3M
- 40% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 12.1
- 9% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 6,465,724
- +3.3% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria 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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria 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 2,863 fast food and sandwich shops in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area. Of those, 2,223 are chain locations, or 78%, against 79% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 12.1, 9% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.
Households in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area spend about $12.2B a year on food away from home, or $5,137 per household, 26% above the U.S. average. Spread across 2,863 fast food and sandwich shops, that is $4.3M per shop, 40% 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 5,579 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area in 2023, up 0.8% from 2019. That is one for every 425 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 list 1,087 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 193 SBA-backed loans worth $94.1M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area grew 3.3%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). The Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area scores 68 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, ranking #82 of 387 scored metro areas and the only scored metro area based in the District of Columbia. That puts it in the top quarter of metro areas.
How the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area compares
The same measures for District of Columbia 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 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area | District of Columbia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 12.1 | 14.6 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $4.3M | $3.3M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 425 | 381 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +0.8% | −1.5% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.3% | +3.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $5,137 | $4,813 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $126,684 | $109,870 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 68 | 55 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 5,579All limited-service restaurants · +0.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 96,399
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.2B
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 1,087All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 2,8632,223 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 3,996The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 193
- Amount
- $94.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria 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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 6,465,724+3.3% since 2020
- Households
- 2,373,022
- Median age
- 39.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 64%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 6,034 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,047
- Median household income
- $126,684
- Average household income
- $166,652
- Median home value
- $579,900
- Jobs located here
- 3,140,160
- Daytime population
- 6,505,668Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria 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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardOther business types in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes71
- Sit-down restaurants66
- Fast food and sandwich shops68
- Pizza69
- Coffee shops and cafes77
- Bakeries and dessert shops75
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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area?
The Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area has 2,863 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 2,223 of them (78%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 5,579 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 0.8% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Official counts also show 1,087 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area spend on food away from home?
About $12.2B a year, or $5,137 per household. That is 26% above the U.S. average (an index of 126, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 2,863 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $4.3M 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 2,373,022 households in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
The Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area has 12.1 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $4.3M, 40% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area would have about 3,996, against 2,863 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 425 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 0.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area at 6,465,724 people in 2025, up 3.3% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 2,373,022 households. The median household income in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area is $126,684 a year, 57% 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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area scores 68 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #82 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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria 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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria 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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria 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.