Food and drink · Small-town market · Georgia
Fast food and sandwich shops in the Waycross, GA area
How the Waycross, GA area compares with other small-town markets and the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 22 out of 100: Low
Ranked #490 of 537 scored small-town markets
#18 of 23 scored small-town markets based in Georgia
- Listings
- 36
- 29 chain locations (81%)
- Official establishments
- 56
- All limited-service restaurants · +9.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $62.8M
- On food away from home · $3,054 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.7M
- 43% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 17.5
- 32% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 57,670
- +3.0% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in the Waycross 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 Waycross 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
For fast food and sandwich shops, the Waycross area has a Groundwork market score of 22 (low): #490 of 537 scored small-town markets and #18 of 23 scored small-town markets based in Georgia. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.
Households in the Waycross area spend about $62.8M a year on food away from home, or $3,054 per household, 25% below the U.S. average. That works out to $1.7M per shop, 43% 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 Waycross area has 36 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 29 are chain locations, or 81%, against 79% across the U.S. That is 17.5 per 10,000 households, 32% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.
In 2023, official counts showed 56 businesses with payroll in the Waycross area classed as limited-service restaurants, up 9.8% from 2019. That is one for every 367 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, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $995K has gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the Waycross area. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Waycross area grew 3.0%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Waycross 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 | Waycross area | Georgia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 17.5 | 15.8 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $1.7M | $2.5M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 367 | 419 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +9.8% | +9.0% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.0% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,054 | $3,917 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $51,821 | $77,353 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 22 | 34 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 56All limited-service restaurants · +9.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,324
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $18.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 11All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 3629 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 21The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $995K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the Waycross 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 Waycross area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 57,670+3.0% since 2020
- Households
- 20,562
- Median age
- 38.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 1,240 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 45
- Median household income
- $51,821+34.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $70,222
- Median home value
- $126,600
- Jobs located here
- 19,660
- Daytime population
- 54,001Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Waycross area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 Waycross 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 small-town markets in Georgia for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in Georgia, with the Waycross area marked.
Top small-town markets in Georgia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Jefferson, GA | 65 | 54 | 19.0 | $2.2M | +29.3% | #138 of 537 |
| 2Thomaston, GA | 49 | 13 | 12.3 | $2.6M | +2.7% | #283 of 537 |
| 3Kingsland, GA | 49 | 38 | 17.5 | $2.1M | +9.5% | #289 of 537 |
| 4Thomasville, GA | 47 | 33 | 11.5 | $2.9M | +1.3% | #296 of 537 |
| 5Moultrie, GA | 47 | 23 | 13.7 | $2.3M | +3.3% | #303 of 537 |
| 6Summerville, GA | 47 | 12 | 13.1 | $2.2M | +1.5% | #306 of 537 |
| 7Calhoun, GA | 46 | 40 | 18.7 | $1.9M | +6.9% | #318 of 537 |
| 8Cornelia, GA | 45 | 33 | 19.7 | $1.8M | +9.3% | #329 of 537 |
| 9Douglas, GA | 41 | 28 | 15.1 | $2M | +2.9% | #364 of 537 |
| 10Statesboro, GA | 37 | 56 | 16.0 | $2M | +8.0% | #390 of 537 |
| 18Waycross, GA | 22 | 36 | 17.5 | $1.7M | +3.0% | #490 of 537 |
Other business types in the Waycross area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes37
- Sit-down restaurants49
- Fast food and sandwich shops22
- Pizza33
- Coffee shops and cafes36
- Bakeries and dessert shops52
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 Waycross, GA area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 36 fast food and sandwich shops in the Waycross area. 29 of them (81%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 56 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 9.8% 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 11 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Waycross, GA area spend on food away from home?
About $62.8M a year, or $3,054 per household. That is 25% below the U.S. average (an index of 75, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 36 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $1.7M 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 20,562 households in the Waycross area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Waycross, GA area compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
The Waycross area has 17.5 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 32% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $1.7M, 43% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, the Waycross area would have about 21, against 36 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 367 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 9.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Waycross, GA area growing?
Population estimates put the Waycross area at 57,670 people in 2025, up 3.0% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 20,562 households. Median household income in the Waycross area is $51,821, 36% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 34.7%, 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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 Waycross area scores 22 for fast food and sandwich shops (low), #490 of 537 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Waycross 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 Waycross area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Waycross 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 Waycross 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.