Groundwork

Market rankings · Hawaii

Fast food and sandwich shops in Hawaii

Every metro area, small-town market and county in Hawaii, ranked by the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, with competitor counts and household spending for each.

Listings
606
414 chain locations (68%)
Official establishments
1,414
All limited-service restaurants · +2.0% since 2019
Household spending a year
$2.2B
On food away from home
Listings per 10k households
12.3
8% below the U.S.
Spending per listing
$3.7M
21% above the U.S.
Rank among states
#28 of 51
Market score 47 · Lower middle

A site report maps the fast food and sandwich shops on map listings around any address in Hawaii by name and distance, and the spending within reach.

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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

Hawaii has 606 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 414 of them (68%) are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. That is 12.3 per 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.

At $4,533 per household (11% above the U.S. average), households in Hawaii spend about $2.2B a year on food away from home. Spread across 606 fast food and sandwich shops, that is $3.7M per shop, 21% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only fast food and sandwich shops.

Official counts show 1,414 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Hawaii in 2023, up 2.0% from 2019. That is one for every 348 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 6.1% over the same years. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Since fiscal 2022, 38 SBA-backed loans worth $13M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Hawaii.

Among the 50 states and DC, Hawaii ranks #28 for fast food and sandwich shops, with a Groundwork market score of 47 (lower middle). Of the 2 scored metro areas in or partly in Hawaii, the Urban Honolulu metro area scores highest (50). Of the 2 scored small-town markets in or partly in Hawaii, the Hilo-Kailua area scores highest (74).

Every market in Hawaii for fast food and sandwich shops

Download the ranking (CSV)

Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in Hawaii, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.

Metro areas

Metro areas reaching Hawaii, ranked for fast food and sandwich shops by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Urban Honolulu, HI5043512.8$3.6M−2.3%#192 of 387
2Kahului-Wailuku, HI468014.3$3.1M−2.5%#221 of 387

Small-town markets

Small-town markets reaching Hawaii, ranked for fast food and sandwich shops by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Hilo-Kailua, HI74608.1$4.9M+4.6%#58 of 537
2Kapaa, HI573113.1$3.4M+0.3%#209 of 537

Counties

Counties in Hawaii, ranked for fast food and sandwich shops by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Hawaii County, HI69608.1$4.9M+4.6%#385 of 2,222
2Kauai County, HI503113.1$3.4M+0.3%#1,125 of 2,222
3Honolulu County, HI4943512.8$3.6M−2.3%#1,159 of 2,222
4Maui County, HI468014.3$3.1M−2.5%#1,296 of 2,222
Kalawao County, HINot scored00.0n/a+2.5%

Markets with fewer than 5 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored; they’re listed last in each table.

Questions

How many fast food and sandwich shops are in Hawaii?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 606 fast food and sandwich shops in Hawaii. 414 of them (68%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 1,414 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 2.0% 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 list 231 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Hawaii spend on food away from home?

About $2.2B a year, or $4,533 per household. That is 11% above the U.S. average (an index of 111, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 606 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $3.7M 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 492,453 households in Hawaii and national spending patterns by income.

How does Hawaii compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?

Hawaii has 12.3 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $3.7M, 21% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Hawaii would have about 732, against 606 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 348 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 2.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.

Which market in Hawaii has the highest market score for fast food and sandwich shops?

Among 2 scored metro areas in or partly in Hawaii, the Urban Honolulu metro area scores highest, at 50 (upper middle). Among 2 scored small-town markets in or partly in Hawaii, the Hilo-Kailua area scores highest, at 74 (upper middle). Among 4 scored counties in Hawaii, Hawaii County scores highest, at 69 (upper middle). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.

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. Hawaii scores 47 for fast food and sandwich shops (lower middle), #28 of the 50 states and DC.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Hawaii. 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.

Fast food and sandwich shops in other states

All 51 states

Top markets for fast food and sandwich shops across the U.S. · All business types in Hawaii

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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.