Food and drink · County · Indiana
Fast food and sandwich shops in Whitley County, IN
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for fast food and sandwich shops in Whitley County, IN, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 70 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #356 of 2,222 scored counties
#11 of 81 scored counties in Indiana
- Listings
- 13
- 13 chain locations (100%)
- Official establishments
- 24
- All limited-service restaurants · +9.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $54.2M
- On food away from home · $3,860 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.2M
- 37% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 9.3
- 30% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 35,046
- +2.1% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Whitley 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 Whitley 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 13 fast food and sandwich shops in Whitley County. All of them are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. That is 9.3 per 10,000 households, 30% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.
Household spending on food away from home in Whitley County comes to about $54.2M a year: $3,860 per household, 5% below the U.S. average. That is about $4.2M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 37% above 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 24 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Whitley County in 2023, up 9.1% from 2019. That is one for every 585 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. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $4.3M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Whitley County.
Population estimates put the population change in Whitley County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.1%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Whitley County scores 70 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, ranking #356 of 2,222 scored counties and #11 of 81 scored counties in Indiana. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Whitley 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 | Whitley County | Indiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 9.3 | 14.0 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $4.2M | $2.7M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 585 | 503 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +9.1% | +9.1% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.1% | +2.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,860 | $3,802 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $78,083 | $71,957 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 70 | 37 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 22 → 24All limited-service restaurants · +9.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 565
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $9.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 4All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1313 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 18The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $4.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Whitley 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 Whitley County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 35,046+2.1% since 2020
- Households
- 14,029
- Median age
- 41.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 82%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 336 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 103
- Median household income
- $78,083+26.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $94,006
- Median home value
- $219,400
- Jobs located here
- 13,433
- Daytime population
- 31,218Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Whitley 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 Whitley 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 Whitley 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 |
| 11Whitley County, IN | 70 | 13 | 9.3 | $4.2M | +2.1% | #356 of 2,222 |
Other business types in Whitley County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes71
- Sit-down restaurants75
- Fast food and sandwich shops70
- Pizza50
- Coffee shops and cafes70
- Bakeries and dessert shops58
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 Whitley County, IN?
There are 13 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in Whitley County as of September 2026. 13 of them (100%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 24 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 9.1% from 2019. 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 Whitley County, IN spend on food away from home?
About $54.2M a year, or $3,860 per household. That is 5% below the U.S. average (an index of 95, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 13 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $4.2M 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 14,029 households in Whitley County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Whitley County, IN compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Whitley County has 9.3 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 30% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $4.2M, 37% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Whitley County would have about 18, against 13 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 585 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 9.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Whitley County, IN growing?
Population estimates put Whitley County at 35,046 people in 2025, up 2.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 14,029 households. The median household income in Whitley County is $78,083 a year, 3% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 26.5% 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. 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. Whitley County scores 70 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #356 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Whitley 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 Whitley County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Whitley 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 Whitley 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.