Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Iowa

Fast food and sandwich shops in Clinton County, IA

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 51 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #1,104 of 2,222 scored counties
#40 of 57 scored counties in Iowa

Listings
24
22 chain locations (92%)
Official establishments
34
All limited-service restaurants · +6.3% since 2019
Household spending a year
$71.5M
On food away from home · $3,666 a household
Spending per listing
$3M
2% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
12.3
8% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
46,002
−0.9% since 2020

See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Clinton 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 Clinton 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

Map listings as of September 2026 show 24 fast food and sandwich shops in Clinton County. Chain locations make up 92% of them, against 79% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 12.3, 8% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.

At $3,666 per household (10% below the U.S. average), households in Clinton County spend about $71.5M a year on food away from home. That is about $3M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 2% below 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 34 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Clinton County in 2023, up 6.3% from 2019. That is one for every 574 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 also show 9 one-person businesses without payroll.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Clinton County declined 0.9%, against +3.1% for the U.S. Clinton County scores 51 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, ranking #1,104 of 2,222 scored counties and #40 of 57 scored counties in Iowa.

How Clinton 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 Clinton County, IA compared with Iowa and the U.S.
MeasureClinton CountyIowaU.S.
Listings per 10k households12.312.213.3
Spending per listing$3M$3.2M$3.1M
Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants)574628478
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+6.3%−0.9%+6.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025−0.9%+1.5%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,666$3,880$4,070
Median household income$66,981$75,059$80,734
Groundwork market score5159

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
32 → 34All limited-service restaurants · +6.3% over the period
Employees, 2023
619
Annual payroll, 2023
$11.1M
One-person businesses, 2023
9All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
2422 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
23The 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 Clinton 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 Clinton County

Population, 2025 estimate
46,002−0.9% since 2020
Households
19,506
Median age
42.8
Homes lived in by their owners
75%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
695 sq. mi.
People per square mile
67
Median household income
$66,981+29.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$88,373
Median home value
$160,600
Jobs located here
19,215
Daytime population
42,953Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Clinton 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 Clinton 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 Clinton 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
40Clinton County, IA512412.3$3M−0.9%#1,104 of 2,222

Other business types in Clinton 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 Clinton County, IA?

There are 24 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in Clinton County as of September 2026. 22 of them (92%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 34 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 6.3% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Another 9 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

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

About $71.5M a year, or $3,666 per household. That is 10% below the U.S. average (an index of 90, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 24 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $3M 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 19,506 households in Clinton County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Clinton County has 12.3 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $3M, 2% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Clinton County would have about 23, against 24 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 574 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 6.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.

How fast is Clinton County, IA growing?

Population estimates put Clinton County at 46,002 people in 2025, down 0.9% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 19,506 households. The median household income in Clinton County is $66,981 a year, 17% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 29.6% 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. Clinton County scores 51 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #1,104 of 2,222 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Clinton 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 Clinton 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.