Groundwork

Food and drink · Small-town market · Indiana

Fast food and sandwich shops in the Auburn, IN area

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for fast food and sandwich shops in the Auburn, IN area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 59 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #191 of 537 scored small-town markets
#10 of 25 scored small-town markets based in Indiana

Listings
23
20 chain locations (87%)
Official establishments
35
All limited-service restaurants · +20.7% since 2019
Household spending a year
$63.4M
On food away from home · $3,708 a household
Spending per listing
$2.8M
10% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
13.5
2% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
44,535
+2.9% since 2020

See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in the Auburn 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 Auburn area. 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

Map listings as of September 2026 show 23 fast food and sandwich shops in the Auburn area. 20 of them (87%) are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. That comes to 13.5 for every 10,000 households, 2% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.

Household spending on food away from home in the Auburn area comes to about $63.4M a year: $3,708 per household, 9% below the U.S. average. That works out to $2.8M per shop, 10% 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.

Official counts show 35 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in the Auburn area in 2023, up 20.7% from 2019. That is one for every 488 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. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $2.2M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the Auburn area.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Auburn area grew 2.9%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). The Auburn area scores 59 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, ranking #191 of 537 scored small-town markets and #10 of 25 scored small-town markets based in Indiana.

How the Auburn area compares

The same measures for Indiana 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 Auburn, IN area compared with Indiana and the U.S.
MeasureAuburn areaIndianaU.S.
Listings per 10k households13.514.013.3
Spending per listing$2.8M$2.7M$3.1M
Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants)488503478
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+20.7%+9.1%+6.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+2.9%+2.7%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,708$3,802$4,070
Median household income$74,331$71,957$80,734
Groundwork market score5937

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
35All limited-service restaurants · +20.7% over the period
Employees, 2023
773
Annual payroll, 2023
$13.1M
One-person businesses, 2023
0All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
2320 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
4
Amount
$2.2M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the Auburn 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 Auburn area

Population, 2025 estimate
44,535+2.9% since 2020
Households
17,096
Median age
39.9
Homes lived in by their owners
82%
Vehicles per household
2.1
Land area
363 sq. mi.
People per square mile
121
Median household income
$74,331+31.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$88,977
Median home value
$194,100
Jobs located here
21,740
Daytime population
43,616Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Auburn 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 Auburn area. 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 Indiana

Every Indiana market ranked →

The highest-scoring small-town markets in Indiana for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in Indiana, with the Auburn area marked.

Top small-town markets in Indiana

Small-town markets in Indiana ranked for fast food and sandwich shops by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Decatur, IN81118.9$4M+2.2%#21 of 537
2Monticello, IN781110.7$3.3M+2.0%#40 of 537
3Crawfordsville, IN771610.3$3.6M+2.7%#44 of 537
4Bedford, IN742211.5$3.1M+1.2%#63 of 537
5Greencastle, IN741812.7$3M+3.2%#64 of 537
6Washington, IN731512.7$2.9M+2.5%#71 of 537
7Kendallville, IN711910.5$3.5M+1.0%#80 of 537
8Warsaw, IN653811.9$3.2M+0.9%#131 of 537
9Huntington, IN651912.3$2.9M+1.6%#133 of 537
10Auburn, IN592313.5$2.8M+2.9%#191 of 537

Other business types in the Auburn area

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

Questions

How many fast food and sandwich shops are in the Auburn, IN area?

There are 23 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in the Auburn area as of September 2026. 20 of them (87%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 35 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 20.7% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops.

How much do households in the Auburn, IN area spend on food away from home?

About $63.4M a year, or $3,708 per household. That is 9% below the U.S. average (an index of 91, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 23 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $2.8M 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 17,096 households in the Auburn area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the Auburn, IN area compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?

The Auburn area has 13.5 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 2% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2.8M, 10% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, the Auburn area would have about 21, against 23 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 488 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 20.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.

How fast is the Auburn, IN area growing?

Population estimates put the Auburn area at 44,535 people in 2025, up 2.9% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 17,096 households. The median household income in the Auburn area is $74,331 a year, 8% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.7% 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. 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 Auburn area scores 59 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #191 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 Auburn 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 Auburn area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Auburn 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 Auburn 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.