Food and drink · County · Florida
Fast food and sandwich shops in Polk County, FL
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for fast food and sandwich shops in Polk County, FL, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 65 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #559 of 2,222 scored counties
#28 of 62 scored counties in Florida
- Listings
- 338
- 276 chain locations (82%)
- Official establishments
- 482
- All limited-service restaurants · +27.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1B
- On food away from home · $3,500 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3M
- 2% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.7
- 12% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 874,790
- +19.8% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Polk 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 Polk 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 338 fast food and sandwich shops in Polk County. 276 of them (82%) are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 11.7, 12% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.
At $3,500 per household (14% below the U.S. average), households in Polk County spend about $1B a year on food away from home. Spread across 338 fast food and sandwich shops, that is $3M per shop, 2% below 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 482 businesses with payroll in Polk County classed as limited-service restaurants, up 27.5% from 2019. That is one for every 600 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 131 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 18 SBA-backed loans worth $11.4M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Polk County.
Population estimates put the population change in Polk County from 2020 to 2025 at +19.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops in Polk County is 65 (upper middle), #559 of 2,222 scored counties and #28 of 62 scored counties in Florida.
How Polk 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.
| Measure | Polk County | Florida | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 11.7 | 12.2 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $3M | $3.2M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 600 | 548 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +27.5% | +12.5% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +19.8% | +8.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,500 | $3,841 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $65,978 | $74,568 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 65 | 64 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 378 → 482All limited-service restaurants · +27.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 10,584
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $191.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 131All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 338276 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 332The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 18
- Amount
- $11.4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Polk 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 Polk County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 874,790+19.8% since 2020
- Households
- 289,425
- Median age
- 40.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 70%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 1,799 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 440
- Median household income
- $65,978+30.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $87,487
- Median home value
- $266,500
- Jobs located here
- 284,856
- Daytime population
- 728,367Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Polk 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 Polk 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 Florida
Every Florida market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Florida for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in Florida, with Polk County marked.
Top counties in Florida
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Sarasota County, FL | 87 | 200 | 9.4 | $4.3M | +10.0% | #34 of 2,222 |
| 2Sumter County, FL | 87 | 64 | 9.1 | $4.1M | +21.1% | #36 of 2,222 |
| 3Flagler County, FL | 85 | 47 | 8.9 | $4.3M | +21.0% | #59 of 2,222 |
| 4Collier County, FL | 85 | 166 | 10.0 | $4.3M | +10.6% | #60 of 2,222 |
| 5Wakulla County, FL | 85 | 13 | 10.2 | $3.7M | +12.3% | #63 of 2,222 |
| 6Charlotte County, FL | 84 | 76 | 8.4 | $4.3M | +15.5% | #80 of 2,222 |
| 7Manatee County, FL | 82 | 183 | 10.4 | $3.8M | +16.6% | #100 of 2,222 |
| 8St. Johns County, FL | 80 | 127 | 11.0 | $4.4M | +25.0% | #125 of 2,222 |
| 9Indian River County, FL | 80 | 72 | 10.2 | $3.8M | +7.7% | #132 of 2,222 |
| 10Lee County, FL | 80 | 344 | 10.5 | $3.7M | +14.4% | #134 of 2,222 |
| 28Polk County, FL | 65 | 338 | 11.7 | $3M | +19.8% | #559 of 2,222 |
Other business types in Polk County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes72
- Sit-down restaurants71
- Fast food and sandwich shops65
- Pizza74
- Coffee shops and cafes78
- Bakeries and dessert shops76
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 Polk County, FL?
There are 338 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in Polk County as of September 2026. 276 of them (82%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 482 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 27.5% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Official counts also show 131 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Polk County, FL spend on food away from home?
About $1B a year, or $3,500 per household. That is 14% below the U.S. average (an index of 86, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 338 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $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 289,425 households in Polk County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Polk County, FL compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Polk County has 11.7 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 12% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $3M, 2% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Polk County would have about 332, against 338 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 600 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 27.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Polk County, FL growing?
Population estimates put Polk County at 874,790 people in 2025, up 19.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 289,425 households. The median household income in Polk County is $65,978 a year, 18% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 30.4% from the 2015–2019 survey, 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. Polk County scores 65 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #559 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Polk 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 Polk County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Polk 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 Polk 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.