Food and drink · County · Iowa
Fast food and sandwich shops in Cerro Gordo County, IA
The fast food and sandwich shops in Cerro Gordo County, IA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 42 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,431 of 2,222 scored counties
#49 of 57 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 26
- 23 chain locations (88%)
- Official establishments
- 39
- All limited-service restaurants · −7.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $71.8M
- On food away from home · $3,673 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.8M
- 10% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 13.3
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 42,372
- −1.5% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Cerro Gordo 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 Cerro Gordo 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
At $3,673 per household (10% below the U.S. average), households in Cerro Gordo County spend about $71.8M a year on food away from home. That is about $2.8M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 10% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only fast food and sandwich shops.
Cerro Gordo County has 26 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 23 are chain locations, or 88%, against 79% across the U.S. That is 13.3 per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 13.3.
In 2023, official counts showed 39 businesses with payroll in Cerro Gordo County classed as limited-service restaurants, down 7.1% from 2019. That is one for every 501 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 list 6 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $875K has gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Cerro Gordo County.
Population estimates put the population change in Cerro Gordo County from 2020 to 2025 at −1.5%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For fast food and sandwich shops, Cerro Gordo County has a Groundwork market score of 42 (lower middle): #1,431 of 2,222 scored counties and #49 of 57 scored counties in Iowa.
How Cerro Gordo 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 | Cerro Gordo County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 13.3 | 12.2 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $2.8M | $3.2M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 501 | 628 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −7.1% | −0.9% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.5% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,673 | $3,880 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $68,189 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 42 | 59 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 42 → 39All limited-service restaurants · −7.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 882
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $16.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 6All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 2623 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 24The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $875K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Cerro Gordo 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 Cerro Gordo County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 42,372−1.5% since 2020
- Households
- 19,538
- Median age
- 45.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 70%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 568 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 75
- Median household income
- $68,189+26.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $92,087
- Median home value
- $166,400
- Jobs located here
- 22,381
- Daytime population
- 45,188Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Cerro Gordo 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 Cerro Gordo 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 Cerro Gordo 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 |
| 49Cerro Gordo County, IA | 42 | 26 | 13.3 | $2.8M | −1.5% | #1,431 of 2,222 |
Other business types in Cerro Gordo County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes27
- Sit-down restaurants32
- Fast food and sandwich shops42
- Pizza38
- Coffee shops and cafes29
- Bakeries and dessert shops23
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 Cerro Gordo County, IA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 26 fast food and sandwich shops in Cerro Gordo County. 23 of them (88%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 39 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, down 7.1% from 2019. The official count takes in all limited-service restaurants, not only fast food and sandwich shops: pizza places are counted too. Official counts also show 6 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Cerro Gordo County, IA spend on food away from home?
About $71.8M a year, or $3,673 per household. That is 10% below the U.S. average (an index of 90, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 26 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $2.8M 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 19,538 households in Cerro Gordo County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Cerro Gordo County, IA compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Cerro Gordo County has 13.3 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2.8M, 10% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Cerro Gordo County would have about 24, against 26 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 501 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count fell 7.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Cerro Gordo County, IA growing?
Population estimates put Cerro Gordo County at 42,372 people in 2025, down 1.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 19,538 households. Median household income in Cerro Gordo County is $68,189, 16% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 26.4%, 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. Cerro Gordo County scores 42 for fast food and sandwich shops (lower middle), #1,431 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Cerro Gordo 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 Cerro Gordo County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Cerro Gordo 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 Cerro Gordo 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.