Food and drink · County · Iowa
Fast food and sandwich shops in Buena Vista County, IA
The fast food and sandwich shops in Buena Vista County, IA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 66 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #512 of 2,222 scored counties
#19 of 57 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 8
- 8 chain locations (100%)
- Official establishments
- 8
- All limited-service restaurants
- Household spending a year
- $28.5M
- On food away from home · $3,782 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.6M
- 17% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 10.6
- 20% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 20,449
- −1.7% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Buena Vista 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 Buena Vista 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 8 fast food and sandwich shops in Buena Vista County. All of them are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. That is 10.6 per 10,000 households, 20% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.
Households in Buena Vista County spend about $28.5M a year on food away from home, or $3,782 per household, 7% below the U.S. average. Spread across 8 fast food and sandwich shops, that is $3.6M per shop, 17% 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.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Buena Vista County was 8 in 2023. That is one for every 943 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. Another 4 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
Population estimates show Buena Vista County declined 1.7% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. For fast food and sandwich shops, Buena Vista County has a Groundwork market score of 66 (upper middle): #512 of 2,222 scored counties and #19 of 57 scored counties in Iowa. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Buena Vista County compares
The same measures for Iowa 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 | Buena Vista County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 10.6 | 12.2 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $3.6M | $3.2M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 943 | 628 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −0.9% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.7% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,782 | $3,880 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $71,719 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 66 | 59 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 9 → 8All limited-service restaurants
- Employees, 2023
- 212
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 4All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 88 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 9The 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 Buena Vista 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 Buena Vista County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 20,449−1.7% since 2020
- Households
- 7,546
- Median age
- 36.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 575 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 36
- Median household income
- $71,719+25.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $94,361
- Median home value
- $159,500
- Jobs located here
- 11,467
- Daytime population
- 22,374Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Buena Vista 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 Buena Vista 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 Iowa
Every Iowa market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Iowa for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in Iowa, with Buena Vista County marked.
Top counties in Iowa
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Madison County, IA | 89 | 5 | 7.5 | $5.6M | +3.8% | #22 of 2,222 |
| 2Warren County, IA | 88 | 21 | 10.2 | $4.3M | +9.0% | #33 of 2,222 |
| 3Jones County, IA | 84 | 6 | 7.3 | $5.1M | +2.9% | #71 of 2,222 |
| 4Dallas County, IA | 83 | 50 | 11.8 | $4M | +17.8% | #89 of 2,222 |
| 5Bremer County, IA | 80 | 9 | 9.3 | $4.3M | +1.1% | #128 of 2,222 |
| 6Buchanan County, IA | 79 | 7 | 8.5 | $4.4M | +1.3% | #149 of 2,222 |
| 7Delaware County, IA | 78 | 5 | 6.8 | $5.6M | +1.3% | #156 of 2,222 |
| 8Boone County, IA | 78 | 11 | 10.1 | $4M | +0.4% | #169 of 2,222 |
| 9Winneshiek County, IA | 73 | 7 | 8.6 | $4.5M | −1.6% | #275 of 2,222 |
| 10Jackson County, IA | 73 | 7 | 8.5 | $4.4M | −0.8% | #276 of 2,222 |
| 19Buena Vista County, IA | 66 | 8 | 10.6 | $3.6M | −1.7% | #512 of 2,222 |
Other business types in Buena Vista County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes48
- Sit-down restaurants44
- Fast food and sandwich shops66
- Pizza46
- Coffee shops and cafes40
- Bakeries and dessert shops55
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 Buena Vista County, IA?
Buena Vista County has 8 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 8 of them (100%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 8 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 list 4 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Buena Vista County, IA spend on food away from home?
About $28.5M a year, or $3,782 per household. That is 7% below the U.S. average (an index of 93, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 8 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $3.6M 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 7,546 households in Buena Vista County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Buena Vista County, IA compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Buena Vista County has 10.6 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 20% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $3.6M, 17% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Buena Vista County would have about 9, against 8 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 943 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S.
How fast is Buena Vista County, IA growing?
Population estimates put Buena Vista County at 20,449 people in 2025, down 1.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 7,546 households. The median household income in Buena Vista County is $71,719 a year, 11% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 25.6% 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. Buena Vista County scores 66 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #512 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Buena Vista 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 Buena Vista County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Buena Vista 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 Buena Vista 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.