Food and drink · County · Iowa
Fast food and sandwich shops in Carroll County, IA
How Carroll County, IA 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 56 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #889 of 2,222 scored counties
#33 of 57 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 9
- 7 chain locations (78%)
- Official establishments
- 16
- All limited-service restaurants
- Household spending a year
- $33.1M
- On food away from home · $3,763 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.7M
- 21% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 10.2
- 23% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 20,303
- −2.0% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Carroll 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 Carroll 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 9 fast food and sandwich shops in Carroll County. Chain locations make up 78% of them, against 79% across the U.S. That is 10.2 per 10,000 households, 23% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.
At $3,763 per household (8% below the U.S. average), households in Carroll County spend about $33.1M a year on food away from home. Spread across 9 fast food and sandwich shops, that is $3.7M per shop, 21% 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.
In 2023, official counts showed 16 businesses with payroll in Carroll County classed as limited-service restaurants. That is one for every 550 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.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Carroll County declined 2.0%, against +3.1% for the U.S. Carroll County scores 56 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, ranking #889 of 2,222 scored counties and #33 of 57 scored counties in Iowa.
How Carroll 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 | Carroll County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 10.2 | 12.2 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $3.7M | $3.2M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 550 | 628 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −0.9% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.0% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,763 | $3,880 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $72,930 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 56 | 59 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 14 → 16All limited-service restaurants
- Employees, 2023
- 312
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $6.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 97 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 11The 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 Carroll 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 Carroll County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 20,303−2.0% since 2020
- Households
- 8,801
- Median age
- 41.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 77%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 570 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 36
- Median household income
- $72,930+23.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $93,964
- Median home value
- $176,000
- Jobs located here
- 10,716
- Daytime population
- 20,571Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Carroll 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 Carroll 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 Carroll 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 |
| 33Carroll County, IA | 56 | 9 | 10.2 | $3.7M | −2.0% | #889 of 2,222 |
Other business types in Carroll County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes36
- Sit-down restaurants36
- Fast food and sandwich shops56
- Pizza45
- Coffee shops and cafes29
- Bakeries and dessert shops
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 Carroll County, IA?
There are 9 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in Carroll County as of September 2026. 7 of them (78%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 16 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.
How much do households in Carroll County, IA spend on food away from home?
About $33.1M a year, or $3,763 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 9 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $3.7M 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 8,801 households in Carroll County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Carroll County, IA compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Carroll County has 10.2 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 23% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $3.7M, 21% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Carroll County would have about 11, against 9 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 550 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S.
How fast is Carroll County, IA growing?
Population estimates put Carroll County at 20,303 people in 2025, down 2.0% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 8,801 households. The median household income in Carroll County is $72,930 a year, 10% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.2% 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. Carroll County scores 56 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #889 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Carroll 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 Carroll County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Carroll 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 Carroll 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.