Food and drink · County · Hawaii
Fast food and sandwich shops in Kauai County, HI
How Kauai County, HI 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 50 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #1,125 of 2,222 scored counties
#2 of 4 scored counties in Hawaii
- Listings
- 31
- 20 chain locations (65%)
- Official establishments
- 91
- All limited-service restaurants · +4.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $103.9M
- On food away from home · $4,396 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.4M
- 10% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 13.1
- 2% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 73,400
- +0.3% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Kauai 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 Kauai 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 31 fast food and sandwich shops in Kauai County. Chain locations make up 65% of them, against 79% across the U.S. That comes to 13.1 for every 10,000 households, 2% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.
Households in Kauai County spend about $103.9M a year on food away from home, or $4,396 per household, 8% above the U.S. average. That works out to $3.4M per shop, 10% above 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.
Official counts show 91 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Kauai County in 2023, up 4.6% from 2019. That is one for every 260 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. Official counts list 18 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $50K has gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Kauai County.
Population estimates show Kauai County grew 0.3% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Kauai County scores 50 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, ranking #1,125 of 2,222 scored counties and #2 of 4 scored counties in Hawaii.
How Kauai County compares
The same measures for Hawaii 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 | Kauai County | Hawaii | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 13.1 | 12.3 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $3.4M | $3.7M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 260 | 348 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +4.6% | +2.0% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.3% | −1.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,396 | $4,533 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $97,668 | $100,389 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 50 | 47 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 87 → 91All limited-service restaurants · +4.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,121
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $32.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 18All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 3120 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 34The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $50K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Kauai 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 Kauai County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 73,400+0.3% since 2020
- Households
- 23,632
- Median age
- 43.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.3
- Land area
- 620 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 119
- Median household income
- $97,668+16.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $126,466
- Median home value
- $873,200
- Jobs located here
- 28,378
- Daytime population
- 63,469Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Kauai 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 Kauai 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 Hawaii
Every Hawaii market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Hawaii for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in Hawaii, with Kauai County marked.
Top counties in Hawaii
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Hawaii County, HI | 69 | 60 | 8.1 | $4.9M | +4.6% | #385 of 2,222 |
| 2Kauai County, HI | 50 | 31 | 13.1 | $3.4M | +0.3% | #1,125 of 2,222 |
| 3Honolulu County, HI | 49 | 435 | 12.8 | $3.6M | −2.3% | #1,159 of 2,222 |
| 4Maui County, HI | 46 | 80 | 14.3 | $3.1M | −2.5% | #1,296 of 2,222 |
Other business types in Kauai County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes26
- Sit-down restaurants27
- Fast food and sandwich shops50
- Pizza46
- Coffee shops and cafes25
- Bakeries and dessert shops25
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 Kauai County, HI?
Kauai County has 31 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 20 of them (65%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 91 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 4.6% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Official counts also show 18 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Kauai County, HI spend on food away from home?
About $103.9M a year, or $4,396 per household. That is 8% above the U.S. average (an index of 108, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 31 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $3.4M 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 23,632 households in Kauai County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Kauai County, HI compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Kauai County has 13.1 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 2% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $3.4M, 10% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Kauai County would have about 34, against 31 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 260 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 4.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Kauai County, HI growing?
Population estimates put Kauai County at 73,400 people in 2025, up 0.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 23,632 households. The median household income in Kauai County is $97,668 a year, 21% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 16.9% 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. Kauai County scores 50 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #1,125 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Kauai 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 Kauai County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Kauai 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 Kauai 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.