Food and drink · Metro area · Indiana
Fast food and sandwich shops in the Columbus, IN metro area
How the Columbus, IN metro area compares with other metro areas 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 #196 of 387 scored metro areas
#4 of 12 scored metro areas based in Indiana
- Listings
- 53
- 47 chain locations (89%)
- Official establishments
- 70
- All limited-service restaurants · +9.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $133.9M
- On food away from home · $4,013 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.5M
- 17% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 15.9
- 20% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 85,729
- +4.3% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in the Columbus metro 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 Columbus metro 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
At $4,013 per household (in line with the U.S. average), households in the Columbus metro area spend about $133.9M a year on food away from home. That works out to $2.5M per shop, 17% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only fast food and sandwich shops.
There are 53 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in the Columbus metro area as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 89% of them, against 79% across the U.S. That is 15.9 per 10,000 households, 20% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in the Columbus metro area was 70 in 2023, up 9.4% from 2019. That is one for every 477 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. Official counts also show 7 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $1.8M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the Columbus metro area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Columbus metro area from 2020 to 2025 at +4.3%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Columbus metro area scores 50 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, ranking #196 of 387 scored metro areas and #4 of 12 scored metro areas based in Indiana.
How the Columbus metro 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.
| Measure | Columbus metro area | Indiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 15.9 | 14.0 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $2.5M | $2.7M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 477 | 503 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +9.4% | +9.1% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.3% | +2.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,013 | $3,802 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $79,901 | $71,957 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 50 | 37 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 70All limited-service restaurants · +9.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,678
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $32.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 7All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 5347 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 44The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $1.8M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the Columbus metro 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 Columbus metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 85,729+4.3% since 2020
- Households
- 33,359
- Median age
- 39.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 407 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 205
- Median household income
- $79,901+26.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $102,124
- Median home value
- $232,800
- Jobs located here
- 52,041
- Daytime population
- 94,547Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Columbus metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 Columbus metro 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 Indiana
Every Indiana market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Indiana for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in Indiana (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Columbus metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Indiana
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN | 58 | 1,219 | 14.5 | $2.8M | +5.4% | #152 of 387 |
| 2Fort Wayne, IN | 55 | 241 | 13.2 | $2.8M | +3.9% | #168 of 387 |
| Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | 54 | 1,292 | 14.2 | $2.9M | +2.7% | #175 of 387 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 53 | 4,994 | 13.7 | $3.2M | 0.0% | #177 of 387 |
| 3Bloomington, IN | 52 | 80 | 11.8 | $3.1M | +2.0% | #185 of 387 |
| Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN | 51 | 807 | 14.5 | $2.6M | +2.9% | #190 of 387 |
| 4Columbus, IN | 50 | 53 | 15.9 | $2.5M | +4.3% | #196 of 387 |
| 5Michigan City-La Porte, IN | 48 | 57 | 13.1 | $2.8M | −0.9% | #210 of 387 |
| 6Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN | 44 | 112 | 12.3 | $2.9M | +2.1% | #232 of 387 |
| 7South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI | 43 | 185 | 14.4 | $2.6M | +0.1% | #242 of 387 |
Other business types in the Columbus metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes71
- Sit-down restaurants67
- Fast food and sandwich shops50
- Pizza44
- Coffee shops and cafes83
- Bakeries and dessert shops71
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 Columbus, IN metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 53 fast food and sandwich shops in the Columbus metro area. 47 of them (89%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 70 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 9.4% from 2019. The official count takes in all limited-service restaurants, not only fast food and sandwich shops: pizza places are counted too. Another 7 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Columbus, IN metro area spend on food away from home?
About $133.9M a year, or $4,013 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 99, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 53 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $2.5M 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 33,359 households in the Columbus metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Columbus, IN metro area compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
The Columbus metro area has 15.9 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 20% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2.5M, 17% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, the Columbus metro area would have about 44, against 53 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 477 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 9.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Columbus, IN metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Columbus metro area at 85,729 people in 2025, up 4.3% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 33,359 households. Median household income in the Columbus metro area is $79,901, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 26.0%, 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. The Columbus metro area scores 50 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #196 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Columbus metro 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 Columbus metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Columbus metro 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 Columbus metro 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.