Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Georgia

Fast food and sandwich shops in Rockdale County, GA

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for fast food and sandwich shops in Rockdale County, GA, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 42 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,447 of 2,222 scored counties
#49 of 114 scored counties in Georgia

Listings
56
51 chain locations (91%)
Official establishments
88
All limited-service restaurants · −2.2% since 2019
Household spending a year
$131.6M
On food away from home · $3,820 a household
Spending per listing
$2.3M
23% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
16.3
23% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
98,416
+5.2% since 2020

See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Rockdale 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 Rockdale 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

As of September 2026, map listings count 56 fast food and sandwich shops in Rockdale County. Of those, 51 are chain locations, or 91%, against 79% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 16.3, 23% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.

At $3,820 per household (6% below the U.S. average), households in Rockdale County spend about $131.6M a year on food away from home. That is about $2.3M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 23% 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.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Rockdale County was 88 in 2023, down 2.2% from 2019. That is one for every 391 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. Another 20 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $1.7M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Rockdale County.

Population estimates show Rockdale County grew 5.2% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops in Rockdale County is 42 (lower middle), #1,447 of 2,222 scored counties and #49 of 114 scored counties in Georgia.

How Rockdale 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.

Fast food and sandwich shops in Rockdale County, GA compared with Georgia and the U.S.
MeasureRockdale CountyGeorgiaU.S.
Listings per 10k households16.315.813.3
Spending per listing$2.3M$2.5M$3.1M
Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants)391419478
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−2.2%+9.0%+6.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+5.2%+5.3%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,820$3,917$4,070
Median household income$77,247$77,353$80,734
Groundwork market score4234

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
90 → 88All limited-service restaurants · −2.2% over the period
Employees, 2023
1,983
Annual payroll, 2023
$34.9M
One-person businesses, 2023
20All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
5651 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
43The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
3
Amount
$1.7M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
98,416+5.2% since 2020
Households
34,437
Median age
39.8
Homes lived in by their owners
70%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
130 sq. mi.
People per square mile
734
Median household income
$77,247+28.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$100,790
Median home value
$292,900
Jobs located here
36,965
Daytime population
90,739Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Rockdale 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 Rockdale 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 Georgia

Every Georgia market ranked →

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

Top counties in Georgia

Counties in Georgia ranked for fast food and sandwich shops by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Harris County, GA9564.6$9.5M+6.8%#3 of 2,222
2Pike County, GA8957.4$5.4M+10.5%#24 of 2,222
3Paulding County, GA856510.8$4M+12.7%#62 of 2,222
4Jones County, GA8187.4$5M+2.8%#107 of 2,222
5Madison County, GA7987.1$4.7M+8.8%#144 of 2,222
6Putnam County, GA791211.5$3.3M+7.0%#154 of 2,222
7Monroe County, GA7798.5$4.7M+14.1%#185 of 2,222
8Forsyth County, GA7611913.4$4.1M+11.8%#210 of 2,222
9Effingham County, GA762811.5$3.5M+14.1%#216 of 2,222
10Lamar County, GA7579.8$3.7M+12.9%#231 of 2,222
49Rockdale County, GA425616.3$2.3M+5.2%#1,447 of 2,222

Other business types in Rockdale County

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

Questions

How many fast food and sandwich shops are in Rockdale County, GA?

Rockdale County has 56 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 51 of them (91%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 88 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, down 2.2% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Official counts list 20 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Rockdale County, GA spend on food away from home?

About $131.6M a year, or $3,820 per household. That is 6% below the U.S. average (an index of 94, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 56 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $2.3M 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 34,437 households in Rockdale County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Rockdale County has 16.3 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 23% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2.3M, 23% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Rockdale County would have about 43, against 56 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 391 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count fell 2.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.

How fast is Rockdale County, GA growing?

Population estimates put Rockdale County at 98,416 people in 2025, up 5.2% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 34,437 households. The median household income in Rockdale County is $77,247 a year, 4% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 28.3% 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. Rockdale County scores 42 for fast food and sandwich shops (lower middle), #1,447 of 2,222 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Rockdale 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 Rockdale 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.