Food and drink · County · Georgia
Fast food and sandwich shops in Cherokee County, GA
How Cherokee County, GA compares with other counties and the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 75 out of 100: High
Ranked #237 of 2,222 scored counties
#12 of 114 scored counties in Georgia
- Listings
- 140
- 123 chain locations (88%)
- Official establishments
- 186
- All limited-service restaurants · +12.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $471.2M
- On food away from home · $4,642 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.4M
- 10% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 13.8
- 4% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 299,273
- +11.6% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Cherokee 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 Cherokee 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
At $4,642 per household (14% above the U.S. average), households in Cherokee County spend about $471.2M a year on food away from home. That is about $3.4M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 10% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only fast food and sandwich shops.
Cherokee County has 140 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 123 are chain locations, or 88%, against 79% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 13.8, 4% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Cherokee County was 186 in 2023, up 12.1% from 2019. That is one for every 546 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 27 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 10 SBA-backed loans worth $4.5M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Cherokee County.
Population estimates show Cherokee County grew 11.6% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For fast food and sandwich shops, Cherokee County has a Groundwork market score of 75 (high): #237 of 2,222 scored counties and #12 of 114 scored counties in Georgia. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Cherokee County 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 | Cherokee County | Georgia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 13.8 | 15.8 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $3.4M | $2.5M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 546 | 419 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +12.1% | +9.0% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +11.6% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,642 | $3,917 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $108,115 | $77,353 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 75 | 34 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 166 → 186All limited-service restaurants · +12.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 4,144
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $76.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 27All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 140123 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 154The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 10
- Amount
- $4.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Cherokee 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 Cherokee County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 299,273+11.6% since 2020
- Households
- 101,514
- Median age
- 40.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 77%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 421 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 668
- Median household income
- $108,115+30.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $131,625
- Median home value
- $435,100
- Jobs located here
- 78,270
- Daytime population
- 228,185Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Cherokee 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 Cherokee 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 Georgia
Every Georgia market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Georgia for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in Georgia, with Cherokee County marked.
Top counties in Georgia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Harris County, GA | 95 | 6 | 4.6 | $9.5M | +6.8% | #3 of 2,222 |
| 2Pike County, GA | 89 | 5 | 7.4 | $5.4M | +10.5% | #24 of 2,222 |
| 3Paulding County, GA | 85 | 65 | 10.8 | $4M | +12.7% | #62 of 2,222 |
| 4Jones County, GA | 81 | 8 | 7.4 | $5M | +2.8% | #107 of 2,222 |
| 5Madison County, GA | 79 | 8 | 7.1 | $4.7M | +8.8% | #144 of 2,222 |
| 6Putnam County, GA | 79 | 12 | 11.5 | $3.3M | +7.0% | #154 of 2,222 |
| 7Monroe County, GA | 77 | 9 | 8.5 | $4.7M | +14.1% | #185 of 2,222 |
| 8Forsyth County, GA | 76 | 119 | 13.4 | $4.1M | +11.8% | #210 of 2,222 |
| 9Effingham County, GA | 76 | 28 | 11.5 | $3.5M | +14.1% | #216 of 2,222 |
| 10Lamar County, GA | 75 | 7 | 9.8 | $3.7M | +12.9% | #231 of 2,222 |
| 12Cherokee County, GA | 75 | 140 | 13.8 | $3.4M | +11.6% | #237 of 2,222 |
Other business types in Cherokee County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes79
- Sit-down restaurants78
- Fast food and sandwich shops75
- Pizza80
- Coffee shops and cafes80
- Bakeries and dessert shops74
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 Cherokee County, GA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 140 fast food and sandwich shops in Cherokee County. 123 of them (88%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 186 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 12.1% 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 27 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Cherokee County, GA spend on food away from home?
About $471.2M a year, or $4,642 per household. That is 14% above the U.S. average (an index of 114, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 140 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $3.4M 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 101,514 households in Cherokee County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Cherokee County, GA compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Cherokee County has 13.8 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 4% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $3.4M, 10% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Cherokee County would have about 154, against 140 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 546 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 12.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Cherokee County, GA growing?
Population estimates put Cherokee County at 299,273 people in 2025, up 11.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 101,514 households. Median household income in Cherokee County is $108,115, 34% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 30.7%, 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. Cherokee County scores 75 for fast food and sandwich shops (high), #237 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Cherokee 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 Cherokee County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Cherokee 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 Cherokee 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.