Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Iowa

Fast food and sandwich shops in Clayton County, IA

The fast food and sandwich shops in Clayton County, IA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score

Not scored

The score needs at least 5 listings; this market has 4.

Listings
4
3 chain locations (75%)
Official establishments
8
All limited-service restaurants
Household spending a year
$26.9M
On food away from home · $3,583 a household
Spending per listing
$6.7M
2.2 times the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
5.3
60% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
16,845
−1.1% since 2020

See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Clayton 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 Clayton County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey 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 4 fast food and sandwich shops in Clayton County. That is 5.3 per 10,000 households, 60% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.

Households in Clayton County spend about $26.9M a year on food away from home, or $3,583 per household, 12% below the U.S. average. That works out to $6.7M per shop, 2.2 times 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 8 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Clayton County in 2023. That is one for every 939 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 9 one-person businesses without payroll.

Population estimates put the population change in Clayton County from 2020 to 2025 at −1.1%, against +3.1% for the U.S. With 4 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, Clayton County isn’t given a market score: the score needs at least 5, since one listing more or less would swing it.

How Clayton 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.

Fast food and sandwich shops in Clayton County, IA compared with Iowa and the U.S.
MeasureClayton CountyIowaU.S.
Listings per 10k households5.312.213.3
Spending per listing$6.7M$3.2M$3.1M
Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants)939628478
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a−0.9%+6.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025−1.1%+1.5%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,583$3,880$4,070
Median household income$67,242$75,059$80,734
Groundwork market scoreNot scored59

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
11 → 8All limited-service restaurants
Employees, 2023
87
Annual payroll, 2023
$940K
One-person businesses, 2023
9All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
43 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 Clayton 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 Clayton County

Population, 2025 estimate
16,845−1.1% since 2020
Households
7,509
Median age
46.9
Homes lived in by their owners
78%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
779 sq. mi.
People per square mile
22
Median household income
$67,242+26.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$86,441
Median home value
$168,500
Jobs located here
6,129
Daytime population
14,966Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Clayton 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 Clayton County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Fast 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 Clayton County marked.

Top counties in Iowa

Counties in Iowa ranked for fast food and sandwich shops by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Madison County, IA8957.5$5.6M+3.8%#22 of 2,222
2Warren County, IA882110.2$4.3M+9.0%#33 of 2,222
3Jones County, IA8467.3$5.1M+2.9%#71 of 2,222
4Dallas County, IA835011.8$4M+17.8%#89 of 2,222
5Bremer County, IA8099.3$4.3M+1.1%#128 of 2,222
6Buchanan County, IA7978.5$4.4M+1.3%#149 of 2,222
7Delaware County, IA7856.8$5.6M+1.3%#156 of 2,222
8Boone County, IA781110.1$4M+0.4%#169 of 2,222
9Winneshiek County, IA7378.6$4.5M−1.6%#275 of 2,222
10Jackson County, IA7378.5$4.4M−0.8%#276 of 2,222
Clayton County, IANot scored45.3$6.7M−1.1%

Other business types in Clayton County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many fast food and sandwich shops are in Clayton County, IA?

Clayton County has 4 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 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 also show 9 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Clayton County, IA spend on food away from home?

About $26.9M a year, or $3,583 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 4 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $6.7M 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 7,509 households in Clayton County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Clayton County, IA compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?

Clayton County has 5.3 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 60% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $6.7M, 2.2 times the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Clayton County would have about 9, against 4 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 939 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S.

How fast is Clayton County, IA growing?

Population estimates put Clayton County at 16,845 people in 2025, down 1.1% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 7,509 households. The median household income in Clayton County is $67,242 a year, 17% 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. Clayton County has no market score for fast food and sandwich shops: the score needs at least 5 on map listings, and it has 4.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Clayton 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 Clayton County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Clayton 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 Clayton 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.