Food and drink · County · Iowa
Fast food and sandwich shops in Lee County, IA
How Lee County, IA compares with other counties and the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 47 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,267 of 2,222 scored counties
#44 of 57 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 18
- 16 chain locations (89%)
- Official establishments
- 18
- All limited-service restaurants · −10.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $49.2M
- On food away from home · $3,434 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.7M
- 10% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 12.6
- 5% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 32,306
- −3.6% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Lee 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 Lee 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 18 fast food and sandwich shops in Lee County. 16 of them (89%) are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. That comes to 12.6 for every 10,000 households, 5% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.
At $3,434 per household (16% below the U.S. average), households in Lee County spend about $49.2M a year on food away from home. Spread across 18 fast food and sandwich shops, that is $2.7M per shop, 10% 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 18 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Lee County in 2023, down 10.0% from 2019. That is one for every 796 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 7 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $370K has gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Lee County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Lee County declined 3.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For fast food and sandwich shops, Lee County has a Groundwork market score of 47 (lower middle): #1,267 of 2,222 scored counties and #44 of 57 scored counties in Iowa.
How Lee 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 | Lee County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 12.6 | 12.2 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $2.7M | $3.2M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 796 | 628 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −10.0% | −0.9% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −3.6% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,434 | $3,880 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $62,382 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 47 | 59 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 20 → 18All limited-service restaurants · −10.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 475
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $8.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 7All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1816 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 16The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $370K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Lee 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 Lee County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 32,306−3.6% since 2020
- Households
- 14,323
- Median age
- 42.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 76%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 518 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 64
- Median household income
- $62,382+25.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $79,169
- Median home value
- $141,400
- Jobs located here
- 13,626
- Daytime population
- 31,700Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Lee 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 Lee 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 Lee 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 |
| 44Lee County, IA | 47 | 18 | 12.6 | $2.7M | −3.6% | #1,267 of 2,222 |
Other business types in Lee County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes32
- Sit-down restaurants30
- Fast food and sandwich shops47
- Pizza34
- Coffee shops and cafes30
- Bakeries and dessert shops52
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 Lee County, IA?
Lee County has 18 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 16 of them (89%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 18 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, down 10.0% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Another 7 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Lee County, IA spend on food away from home?
About $49.2M a year, or $3,434 per household. That is 16% below the U.S. average (an index of 84, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 18 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $2.7M 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 14,323 households in Lee County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Lee County, IA compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Lee County has 12.6 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 5% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2.7M, 10% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Lee County would have about 16, against 18 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 796 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count fell 10.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Lee County, IA growing?
Population estimates put Lee County at 32,306 people in 2025, down 3.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 14,323 households. The median household income in Lee County is $62,382 a year, 23% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 25.9% 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. Lee County scores 47 for fast food and sandwich shops (lower middle), #1,267 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Lee 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 Lee County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Lee 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 Lee 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.