Food and drink · Small-town market · Indiana
Fast food and sandwich shops in the Washington, IN area
How the Washington, IN area compares with other small-town markets and the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 73 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #71 of 537 scored small-town markets
#6 of 25 scored small-town markets based in Indiana
- Listings
- 15
- 13 chain locations (87%)
- Official establishments
- 17
- All limited-service restaurants
- Household spending a year
- $43M
- On food away from home · $3,638 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.9M
- 6% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 12.7
- 5% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 34,209
- +2.5% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in the Washington 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 Washington 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 15 fast food and sandwich shops in the Washington area. 13 of them (87%) are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. That comes to 12.7 for every 10,000 households, 5% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.
Household spending on food away from home in the Washington area comes to about $43M a year: $3,638 per household, 11% below the U.S. average. That works out to $2.9M per shop, 6% 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.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in the Washington area was 17 in 2023. That is one for every 695 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 4 one-person businesses without payroll.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Washington area grew 2.5%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For fast food and sandwich shops, the Washington area has a Groundwork market score of 73 (upper middle): #71 of 537 scored small-town markets and #6 of 25 scored small-town markets based in Indiana. That puts it in the top quarter of small-town markets.
How the Washington 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 | Washington area | Indiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 12.7 | 14.0 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $2.9M | $2.7M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 695 | 503 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +9.1% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.5% | +2.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,638 | $3,802 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $68,503 | $71,957 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 73 | 37 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 17All limited-service restaurants
- Employees, 2023
- 307
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $5.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 4All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1513 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 14The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the Washington 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 Washington area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 34,209+2.5% since 2020
- Households
- 11,814
- Median age
- 35.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 430 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 78
- Median household income
- $68,503+27.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $86,976
- Median home value
- $197,200
- Jobs located here
- 12,604
- Daytime population
- 31,688Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Washington 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 Washington 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 small-town markets in Indiana for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in Indiana, with the Washington area marked.
Top small-town markets in Indiana
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Decatur, IN | 81 | 11 | 8.9 | $4M | +2.2% | #21 of 537 |
| 2Monticello, IN | 78 | 11 | 10.7 | $3.3M | +2.0% | #40 of 537 |
| 3Crawfordsville, IN | 77 | 16 | 10.3 | $3.6M | +2.7% | #44 of 537 |
| 4Bedford, IN | 74 | 22 | 11.5 | $3.1M | +1.2% | #63 of 537 |
| 5Greencastle, IN | 74 | 18 | 12.7 | $3M | +3.2% | #64 of 537 |
| 6Washington, IN | 73 | 15 | 12.7 | $2.9M | +2.5% | #71 of 537 |
| 7Kendallville, IN | 71 | 19 | 10.5 | $3.5M | +1.0% | #80 of 537 |
| 8Warsaw, IN | 65 | 38 | 11.9 | $3.2M | +0.9% | #131 of 537 |
| 9Huntington, IN | 65 | 19 | 12.3 | $2.9M | +1.6% | #133 of 537 |
| 10Auburn, IN | 59 | 23 | 13.5 | $2.8M | +2.9% | #191 of 537 |
Other business types in the Washington area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes79
- Sit-down restaurants69
- Fast food and sandwich shops73
- Pizza51
- Coffee shops and cafes79
- Bakeries and dessert shops63
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 Washington, IN area?
There are 15 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in the Washington area as of September 2026. 13 of them (87%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 17 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Official counts also show 4 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Washington, IN area spend on food away from home?
About $43M a year, or $3,638 per household. That is 11% below the U.S. average (an index of 89, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 15 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $2.9M 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 11,814 households in the Washington area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Washington, IN area compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
The Washington area has 12.7 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 5% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2.9M, 6% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, the Washington area would have about 14, against 15 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 695 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S.
How fast is the Washington, IN area growing?
Population estimates put the Washington area at 34,209 people in 2025, up 2.5% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 11,814 households. The median household income in the Washington area is $68,503 a year, 15% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 27.7% 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 Washington area scores 73 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #71 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 Washington 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 Washington area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Washington 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 Washington 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.