Food and drink · Metro area · Georgia
Fast food and sandwich shops in the Dalton, GA metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for fast food and sandwich shops in the Dalton, GA metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 27 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #329 of 387 scored metro areas
#8 of 14 scored metro areas based in Georgia
- Listings
- 80
- 76 chain locations (95%)
- Official establishments
- 120
- All limited-service restaurants · +11.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $179.9M
- On food away from home · $3,455 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.2M
- 26% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 15.4
- 16% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 147,819
- +3.5% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in the Dalton 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 Dalton 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
The Dalton metro area scores 27 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, ranking #329 of 387 scored metro areas and #8 of 14 scored metro areas based in Georgia. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.
At $3,455 per household (15% below the U.S. average), households in the Dalton metro area spend about $179.9M a year on food away from home. That is about $2.2M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 26% 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 80 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in the Dalton metro area as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 95% of them, against 79% across the U.S. That comes to 15.4 for every 10,000 households, 16% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.
In 2023, official counts showed 120 businesses with payroll in the Dalton metro area classed as limited-service restaurants, up 11.1% from 2019. That is one for every 434 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. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $397K have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the Dalton metro area. Population estimates show the Dalton metro area grew 3.5% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Dalton 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 | Dalton metro area | Georgia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 15.4 | 15.8 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $2.2M | $2.5M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 434 | 419 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +11.1% | +9.0% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.5% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,455 | $3,917 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $67,846 | $77,353 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 27 | 34 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 120All limited-service restaurants · +11.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,662
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $45.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 28All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 8076 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 59The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $397K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the Dalton 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 Dalton metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 147,819+3.5% since 2020
- Households
- 52,080
- Median age
- 37.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 635 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 227
- Median household income
- $67,846+39.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $86,684
- Median home value
- $208,800
- Jobs located here
- 67,757
- Daytime population
- 144,718Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Dalton 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 Dalton 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 Dalton 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 Dalton metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes51
- Sit-down restaurants49
- Fast food and sandwich shops27
- Pizza40
- Coffee shops and cafes69
- Bakeries and dessert shops50
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 Dalton, GA metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 80 fast food and sandwich shops in the Dalton metro area. 76 of them (95%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 120 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 11.1% 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 list 28 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Dalton, GA metro area spend on food away from home?
About $179.9M a year, or $3,455 per household. That is 15% below the U.S. average (an index of 85, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 80 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $2.2M 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 52,080 households in the Dalton metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Dalton, GA metro area compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
The Dalton metro area has 15.4 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 16% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2.2M, 26% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, the Dalton metro area would have about 59, against 80 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 434 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 11.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Dalton, GA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Dalton metro area at 147,819 people in 2025, up 3.5% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 52,080 households. Median household income in the Dalton metro area is $67,846, 16% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 39.9%, 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. The Dalton metro area scores 27 for fast food and sandwich shops (lower middle), #329 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 Dalton 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 Dalton metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Dalton 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 Dalton 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.