Food and drink · County · Indiana
Fast food and sandwich shops in Howard County, IN
The fast food and sandwich shops in Howard County, IN, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 32 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,773 of 2,222 scored counties
#74 of 81 scored counties in Indiana
- Listings
- 50
- 44 chain locations (88%)
- Official establishments
- 90
- All limited-service restaurants · +5.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $124.7M
- On food away from home · $3,503 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.5M
- 18% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 14.0
- 5% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 83,904
- +0.4% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Howard 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 Howard 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
Howard County scores 32 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, ranking #1,773 of 2,222 scored counties and #74 of 81 scored counties in Indiana. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Households in Howard County spend about $124.7M a year on food away from home, or $3,503 per household, 14% below the U.S. average. That is about $2.5M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 18% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only fast food and sandwich shops.
Howard County has 50 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 44 are chain locations, or 88%, against 79% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 14.0, 5% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.
Official counts show 90 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Howard County in 2023, up 5.9% from 2019. That is one for every 395 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, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $5.2M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Howard County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Howard County grew 0.4%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Howard County 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 | Howard County | Indiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 14.0 | 14.0 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $2.5M | $2.7M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 395 | 503 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +5.9% | +9.1% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.4% | +2.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,503 | $3,802 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $64,027 | $71,957 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 32 | 37 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 85 → 90All limited-service restaurants · +5.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,860
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $30.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 14All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 5044 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 41The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $5.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Howard 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 Howard County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 83,904+0.4% since 2020
- Households
- 35,593
- Median age
- 40.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 293 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 286
- Median household income
- $64,027+22.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $83,020
- Median home value
- $165,000
- Jobs located here
- 35,309
- Daytime population
- 82,151Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Howard 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 Howard 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 Indiana
Every Indiana market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Indiana for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in Indiana, with Howard County marked.
Top counties in Indiana
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1LaGrange County, IN | 84 | 10 | 7.8 | $5.2M | +1.9% | #69 of 2,222 |
| 2Morgan County, IN | 80 | 31 | 11.0 | $3.7M | +4.4% | #135 of 2,222 |
| 3Hancock County, IN | 80 | 44 | 13.1 | $3.4M | +13.5% | #137 of 2,222 |
| 4Warrick County, IN | 77 | 29 | 11.5 | $3.7M | +4.4% | #195 of 2,222 |
| 5Posey County, IN | 76 | 8 | 7.6 | $5.2M | −0.8% | #200 of 2,222 |
| 6Hamilton County, IN | 72 | 174 | 12.7 | $4.1M | +10.9% | #305 of 2,222 |
| 7Franklin County, IN | 71 | 5 | 5.4 | $7.2M | +2.2% | #321 of 2,222 |
| 8Boone County, IN | 71 | 48 | 16.7 | $3M | +13.5% | #342 of 2,222 |
| 9Owen County, IN | 70 | 5 | 5.8 | $5.9M | +2.6% | #347 of 2,222 |
| 10Starke County, IN | 70 | 6 | 6.7 | $5M | +0.1% | #348 of 2,222 |
| 74Howard County, IN | 32 | 50 | 14.0 | $2.5M | +0.4% | #1,773 of 2,222 |
Other business types in Howard County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes37
- Sit-down restaurants45
- Fast food and sandwich shops32
- Pizza26
- Coffee shops and cafes40
- Bakeries and dessert shops34
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 Howard County, IN?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 50 fast food and sandwich shops in Howard County. 44 of them (88%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 90 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 5.9% 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 14 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Howard County, IN spend on food away from home?
About $124.7M a year, or $3,503 per household. That is 14% below the U.S. average (an index of 86, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 50 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 35,593 households in Howard County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Howard County, IN compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Howard County has 14.0 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2.5M, 18% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Howard County would have about 41, against 50 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 395 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Howard County, IN growing?
Population estimates put Howard County at 83,904 people in 2025, up 0.4% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 35,593 households. Median household income in Howard County is $64,027, 21% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 22.3%, 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. Howard County scores 32 for fast food and sandwich shops (lower middle), #1,773 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Howard 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 Howard County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Howard 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 Howard 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.