Food and drink · County · Iowa
Fast food and sandwich shops in Johnson County, IA
The fast food and sandwich shops in Johnson County, IA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 58 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #839 of 2,222 scored counties
#31 of 57 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 96
- 86 chain locations (90%)
- Official establishments
- 120
- All limited-service restaurants · 0.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $254.6M
- On food away from home · $4,019 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.7M
- 13% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 15.2
- 14% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 160,044
- +4.6% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Johnson 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 Johnson 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
Household spending on food away from home in Johnson County comes to about $254.6M a year: $4,019 per household, in line with the U.S. average. That is about $2.7M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 13% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only fast food and sandwich shops.
Johnson County has 96 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 86 are chain locations, or 90%, against 79% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 15.2, 14% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.
In 2023, official counts showed 120 businesses with payroll in Johnson County classed as limited-service restaurants, unchanged from 2019. That is one for every 528 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 23 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 6 SBA-backed loans worth $2.3M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Johnson County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Johnson County grew 4.6%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For fast food and sandwich shops, Johnson County has a Groundwork market score of 58 (upper middle): #839 of 2,222 scored counties and #31 of 57 scored counties in Iowa.
How Johnson 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 | Johnson County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 15.2 | 12.2 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $2.7M | $3.2M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 528 | 628 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | 0.0% | −0.9% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.6% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,019 | $3,880 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $74,935 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 58 | 59 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 120 → 120All limited-service restaurants · 0.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,393
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $44.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 23All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 9686 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 83The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 6
- Amount
- $2.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Johnson 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 Johnson County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 160,044+4.6% since 2020
- Households
- 63,341
- Median age
- 34.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 59%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 613 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 256
- Median household income
- $74,935+19.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $108,874
- Median home value
- $308,600
- Jobs located here
- 88,327
- Daytime population
- 171,516Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Johnson 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 Johnson 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 Johnson 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 |
| 31Johnson County, IA | 58 | 96 | 15.2 | $2.7M | +4.6% | #839 of 2,222 |
Other business types in Johnson County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes45
- Sit-down restaurants47
- Fast food and sandwich shops58
- Pizza57
- Coffee shops and cafes42
- Bakeries and dessert shops47
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 Johnson County, IA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 96 fast food and sandwich shops in Johnson County. 86 of them (90%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 120 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, unchanged 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 23 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Johnson County, IA spend on food away from home?
About $254.6M a year, or $4,019 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 99, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 96 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $2.7M 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 63,341 households in Johnson County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Johnson County, IA compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Johnson County has 15.2 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 14% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2.7M, 13% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Johnson County would have about 83, against 96 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 528 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count held level from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Johnson County, IA growing?
Population estimates put Johnson County at 160,044 people in 2025, up 4.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 63,341 households. Median household income in Johnson County is $74,935, 7% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 19.8%, 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. Johnson County scores 58 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #839 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Johnson 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 Johnson County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Johnson 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 Johnson 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.