Food and drink · Metro area · Georgia
Fast food and sandwich shops in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA metro area
How the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 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 52 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #186 of 387 scored metro areas
#2 of 14 scored metro areas based in Georgia
- Listings
- 3,527
- 3,083 chain locations (87%)
- Official establishments
- 5,712
- All limited-service restaurants · +8.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $9.8B
- On food away from home · $4,257 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.8M
- 8% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 15.2
- 14% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 6,482,182
- +5.9% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell 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 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell 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
At $4,257 per household (5% above the U.S. average), households in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell metro area spend about $9.8B a year on food away from home. Spread across 3,527 fast food and sandwich shops, that is $2.8M per shop, 8% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only fast food and sandwich shops.
The Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell metro area has 3,527 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 87% of them, against 79% across the U.S. That comes to 15.2 for every 10,000 households, 14% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell metro area was 5,712 in 2023, up 8.0% from 2019. That is one for every 405 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 list 1,256 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 277 SBA-backed loans worth $148.4M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell metro area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell metro area from 2020 to 2025 at +5.9%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For fast food and sandwich shops, the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell metro area has a Groundwork market score of 52 (upper middle): #186 of 387 scored metro areas and #2 of 14 scored metro areas based in Georgia.
How the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell metro area compares
The same measures for Georgia 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 | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell metro area | Georgia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 15.2 | 15.8 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $2.8M | $2.5M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 405 | 419 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +8.0% | +9.0% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +5.9% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,257 | $3,917 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $89,724 | $77,353 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 52 | 34 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 5,712All limited-service restaurants · +8.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 106,071
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2B
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 1,256All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 3,5273,083 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 3,228The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 277
- Amount
- $148.4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell 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 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 6,482,182+5.9% since 2020
- Households
- 2,313,055
- Median age
- 38.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 8,784 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 712
- Median household income
- $89,724
- Average household income
- $122,540
- Median home value
- $367,600
- Jobs located here
- 2,999,529
- Daytime population
- 6,397,894Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell 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 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell metro area. 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 Georgia
Every Georgia market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Georgia for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in Georgia (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Georgia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Gainesville, GA | 55 | 113 | 15.4 | $2.6M | +11.4% | #171 of 387 |
| 2Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 52 | 3,527 | 15.2 | $2.8M | +5.9% | #186 of 387 |
| 3Athens-Clarke County, GA | 41 | 121 | 14.1 | $2.6M | +3.9% | #253 of 387 |
| Chattanooga, TN-GA | 40 | 394 | 17.0 | $2.2M | +5.3% | #261 of 387 |
| 4Savannah, GA | 35 | 280 | 17.4 | $2.2M | +8.1% | #288 of 387 |
| 5Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC | 34 | 384 | 16.6 | $2.2M | +4.7% | #291 of 387 |
| 6Warner Robins, GA | 32 | 143 | 19.2 | $2M | +8.2% | #305 of 387 |
| 7Hinesville, GA | 29 | 44 | 14.6 | $2.2M | +12.6% | #320 of 387 |
| 8Dalton, GA | 27 | 80 | 15.4 | $2.2M | +3.5% | #329 of 387 |
| 9Brunswick-St. Simons, GA | 26 | 78 | 16.5 | $2.2M | +4.4% | #335 of 387 |
Other business types in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes51
- Sit-down restaurants45
- Fast food and sandwich shops52
- Pizza60
- Coffee shops and cafes66
- Bakeries and dessert shops61
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 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA metro area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 3,527 fast food and sandwich shops in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell metro area. 3,083 of them (87%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 5,712 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 8.0% 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 also show 1,256 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA metro area spend on food away from home?
About $9.8B a year, or $4,257 per household. That is 5% above the U.S. average (an index of 105, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 3,527 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $2.8M 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 2,313,055 households in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA metro area compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
The Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell metro area has 15.2 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 14% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2.8M, 8% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell metro area would have about 3,228, against 3,527 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 405 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 8.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell metro area at 6,482,182 people in 2025, up 5.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 2,313,055 households. Median household income in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell metro area is $89,724, 11% 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 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell metro area scores 52 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #186 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 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell 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 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell 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 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell 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.