Food and drink · Small-town market · Iowa
Fast food and sandwich shops in the Le Mars, IA area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for fast food and sandwich shops in the Le Mars, IA area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 79 out of 100: High
Ranked #29 of 537 scored small-town markets
#1 of 15 scored small-town markets based in Iowa
- Listings
- 9
- 8 chain locations (89%)
- Official establishments
- 16
- All limited-service restaurants
- Household spending a year
- $41.2M
- On food away from home · $4,000 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.6M
- 50% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 8.7
- 35% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 25,697
- 0.0% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in the Le Mars area
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 the Le Mars area. 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
The Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops in the Le Mars area is 79 (high), #29 of 537 scored small-town markets and #1 of 15 scored small-town markets based in Iowa. That puts it in the top 10% of small-town markets for fast food and sandwich shops.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 9 fast food and sandwich shops in the Le Mars area. Of those, 8 are chain locations, or 89%, against 79% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 8.7, 35% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.
Household spending on food away from home in the Le Mars area comes to about $41.2M a year: $4,000 per household, 2% below the U.S. average. That is about $4.6M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 50% 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.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in the Le Mars area was 16 in 2023. That is one for every 645 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. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $1.2M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the Le Mars area. Population estimates put the population change in the Le Mars area from 2020 to 2025 at 0.0%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Le Mars area 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 | Le Mars area | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 8.7 | 12.2 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $4.6M | $3.2M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 645 | 628 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −0.9% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | 0.0% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,000 | $3,880 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $83,251 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 79 | 59 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 16All limited-service restaurants
- Employees, 2023
- 311
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 5All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 98 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 14The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $1.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the Le Mars area, 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 the Le Mars area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 25,6970.0% since 2020
- Households
- 10,313
- Median age
- 41.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 74%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.2
- Land area
- 863 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 30
- Median household income
- $83,251
- Average household income
- $101,116
- Median home value
- $228,900
- Jobs located here
- 12,334
- Daytime population
- 23,763Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Le Mars area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 the Le Mars area. 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 small-town markets in Iowa for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in Iowa, with the Le Mars area marked.
Top small-town markets in Iowa
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Le Mars, IA | 79 | 9 | 8.7 | $4.6M | 0.0% | #29 of 537 |
| 2Marshalltown, IA | 75 | 15 | 9.7 | $3.8M | −0.5% | #52 of 537 |
| 3Storm Lake, IA | 75 | 8 | 10.6 | $3.6M | −1.7% | #53 of 537 |
| 4Fort Dodge, IA | 66 | 18 | 11.7 | $3M | −0.4% | #123 of 537 |
| 5Oskaloosa, IA | 65 | 10 | 11.4 | $3.2M | −1.2% | #132 of 537 |
| 6Carroll, IA | 63 | 9 | 10.2 | $3.7M | −2.0% | #148 of 537 |
| 7Pella, IA | 63 | 18 | 13.5 | $2.9M | +2.3% | #153 of 537 |
| 8Clinton, IA | 59 | 24 | 12.3 | $3M | −0.9% | #188 of 537 |
| 9Mason City, IA | 57 | 29 | 12.8 | $2.9M | −1.5% | #213 of 537 |
| 10Fort Madison, IA | 56 | 18 | 12.6 | $2.7M | −3.6% | #222 of 537 |
Other business types in the Le Mars area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes75
- Sit-down restaurants69
- Fast food and sandwich shops79
- Pizza57
- Coffee shops and cafes49
- Bakeries and dessert shops60
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 the Le Mars, IA area?
There are 9 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in the Le Mars area as of September 2026. 8 of them (89%) 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. Official counts also show 5 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Le Mars, IA area spend on food away from home?
About $41.2M a year, or $4,000 per household. That is 2% below the U.S. average (an index of 98, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 9 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $4.6M 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 10,313 households in the Le Mars area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Le Mars, IA area compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
The Le Mars area has 8.7 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 35% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $4.6M, 50% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, the Le Mars area would have about 14, against 9 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 645 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S.
How fast is the Le Mars, IA area growing?
Population estimates put the Le Mars area at 25,697 people in 2025, unchanged since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 10,313 households. The median household income in the Le Mars area is $83,251 a year, 3% above the U.S. median of $80,734.
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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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. The Le Mars area scores 79 for fast food and sandwich shops (high), #29 of 537 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Le Mars area. 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 the Le Mars area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Le Mars area?
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 the Le Mars area. 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.