Food and drink · County · Indiana
Fast food and sandwich shops in Lake County, IN
How Lake County, IN 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 37 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,606 of 2,222 scored counties
#66 of 81 scored counties in Indiana
- Listings
- 306
- 258 chain locations (84%)
- Official establishments
- 484
- All limited-service restaurants · +6.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $742.2M
- On food away from home · $3,804 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.4M
- 20% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 15.7
- 18% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 504,612
- +1.1% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Lake 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 Lake 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
Households in Lake County spend about $742.2M a year on food away from home, or $3,804 per household, 7% below the U.S. average. That works out to $2.4M per shop, 20% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only fast food and sandwich shops.
Lake County has 306 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 258 are chain locations, or 84%, against 79% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 15.7, 18% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.
Official counts show 484 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Lake County in 2023, up 6.8% from 2019. That is one for every 403 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 89 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 20 SBA-backed loans worth $6.3M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Lake County.
Population estimates show Lake County grew 1.1% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Lake County scores 37 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, ranking #1,606 of 2,222 scored counties and #66 of 81 scored counties in Indiana.
How Lake 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 | Lake County | Indiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 15.7 | 14.0 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $2.4M | $2.7M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 403 | 503 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +6.8% | +9.1% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.1% | +2.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,804 | $3,802 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $71,493 | $71,957 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 37 | 37 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 453 → 484All limited-service restaurants · +6.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 9,201
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $163.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 89All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 306258 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 243The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 20
- Amount
- $6.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Lake 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 Lake County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 504,612+1.1% since 2020
- Households
- 195,130
- Median age
- 40.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 499 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,003
- Median household income
- $71,493+27.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $93,636
- Median home value
- $230,600
- Jobs located here
- 191,504
- Daytime population
- 472,818Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Lake 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 Lake 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 Lake 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 |
| 66Lake County, IN | 37 | 306 | 15.7 | $2.4M | +1.1% | #1,606 of 2,222 |
Other business types in Lake County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes44
- Sit-down restaurants50
- Fast food and sandwich shops37
- Pizza40
- Coffee shops and cafes54
- Bakeries and dessert shops43
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 Lake County, IN?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 306 fast food and sandwich shops in Lake County. 258 of them (84%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 484 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 6.8% from 2019. The official count takes in all limited-service restaurants, not only fast food and sandwich shops: pizza places are counted too. Another 89 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Lake County, IN spend on food away from home?
About $742.2M a year, or $3,804 per household. That is 7% below the U.S. average (an index of 93, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 306 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $2.4M 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 195,130 households in Lake County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Lake County, IN compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Lake County has 15.7 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 18% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2.4M, 20% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Lake County would have about 243, against 306 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 403 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 6.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Lake County, IN growing?
Population estimates put Lake County at 504,612 people in 2025, up 1.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 195,130 households. Median household income in Lake County is $71,493, 11% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 27.4%, 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. Lake County scores 37 for fast food and sandwich shops (lower middle), #1,606 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Lake 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 Lake County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Lake 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 Lake 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.