Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Florida

Fast food and sandwich shops in Alachua County, FL

The fast food and sandwich shops in Alachua County, FL, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 47 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,274 of 2,222 scored counties
#45 of 62 scored counties in Florida

Listings
162
132 chain locations (81%)
Official establishments
238
All limited-service restaurants · +8.7% since 2019
Household spending a year
$417.4M
On food away from home · $3,574 a household
Spending per listing
$2.6M
16% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
13.9
5% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
290,028
+3.7% since 2020

See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Alachua 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 Alachua County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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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

Household spending on food away from home in Alachua County comes to about $417.4M a year: $3,574 per household, 12% below the U.S. average. That is about $2.6M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 16% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only fast food and sandwich shops.

There are 162 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in Alachua County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 81% of them, against 79% across the U.S. That comes to 13.9 for every 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.

Official counts show 238 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Alachua County in 2023, up 8.7% from 2019. That is one for every 491 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. Official counts also show 32 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 12 SBA-backed loans worth $8.3M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Alachua County.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Alachua County grew 3.7%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For fast food and sandwich shops, Alachua County has a Groundwork market score of 47 (lower middle): #1,274 of 2,222 scored counties and #45 of 62 scored counties in Florida.

How Alachua County compares

The same measures for Florida 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.

Fast food and sandwich shops in Alachua County, FL compared with Florida and the U.S.
MeasureAlachua CountyFloridaU.S.
Listings per 10k households13.912.213.3
Spending per listing$2.6M$3.2M$3.1M
Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants)491548478
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+8.7%+12.5%+6.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+3.7%+8.7%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,574$3,841$4,070
Median household income$61,949$74,568$80,734
Groundwork market score4764

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
219 → 238All limited-service restaurants · +8.7% over the period
Employees, 2023
5,024
Annual payroll, 2023
$95.6M
One-person businesses, 2023
32All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
162132 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
137The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
12
Amount
$8.3M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Alachua 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 Alachua County

Population, 2025 estimate
290,028+3.7% since 2020
Households
116,786
Median age
36.6
Homes lived in by their owners
54%
Vehicles per household
1.6
Land area
876 sq. mi.
People per square mile
326
Median household income
$61,949+24.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$93,386
Median home value
$288,800
Jobs located here
139,721
Daytime population
316,161Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Alachua 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 Alachua County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Fast food and sandwich shops across Florida

Every Florida market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Florida for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in Florida, with Alachua County marked.

Top counties in Florida

Counties in Florida ranked for fast food and sandwich shops by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Sarasota County, FL872009.4$4.3M+10.0%#34 of 2,222
2Sumter County, FL87649.1$4.1M+21.1%#36 of 2,222
3Flagler County, FL85478.9$4.3M+21.0%#59 of 2,222
4Collier County, FL8516610.0$4.3M+10.6%#60 of 2,222
5Wakulla County, FL851310.2$3.7M+12.3%#63 of 2,222
6Charlotte County, FL84768.4$4.3M+15.5%#80 of 2,222
7Manatee County, FL8218310.4$3.8M+16.6%#100 of 2,222
8St. Johns County, FL8012711.0$4.4M+25.0%#125 of 2,222
9Indian River County, FL807210.2$3.8M+7.7%#132 of 2,222
10Lee County, FL8034410.5$3.7M+14.4%#134 of 2,222
45Alachua County, FL4716213.9$2.6M+3.7%#1,274 of 2,222

Other business types in Alachua County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Funeral services

Questions

How many fast food and sandwich shops are in Alachua County, FL?

As of September 2026, map listings count 162 fast food and sandwich shops in Alachua County. 132 of them (81%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 238 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 8.7% from 2019. The official count takes in all limited-service restaurants, not only fast food and sandwich shops: pizza places are counted too. Another 32 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in Alachua County, FL spend on food away from home?

About $417.4M a year, or $3,574 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 162 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $2.6M 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 116,786 households in Alachua County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Alachua County, FL compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?

Alachua County has 13.9 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2.6M, 16% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Alachua County would have about 137, against 162 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 491 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 8.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.

How fast is Alachua County, FL growing?

Population estimates put Alachua County at 290,028 people in 2025, up 3.7% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 116,786 households. Median household income in Alachua County is $61,949, 23% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 24.7%, 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. Alachua County scores 47 for fast food and sandwich shops (lower middle), #1,274 of 2,222 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Alachua 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 Alachua County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Alachua County?

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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.