Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Iowa

Fast food and sandwich shops in O’Brien County, IA

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for fast food and sandwich shops in O’Brien County, IA, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 69 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #390 of 2,222 scored counties
#15 of 57 scored counties in Iowa

Listings
5
5 chain locations (100%)
Official establishments
8
All limited-service restaurants
Household spending a year
$21.1M
On food away from home · $3,635 a household
Spending per listing
$4.2M
38% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
8.6
35% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
14,220
+0.5% since 2020

See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in O’Brien 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 O’Brien 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

At $3,635 per household (11% below the U.S. average), households in O’Brien County spend about $21.1M a year on food away from home. Spread across 5 fast food and sandwich shops, that is $4.2M per shop, 38% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only fast food and sandwich shops.

There are 5 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in O’Brien County as of September 2026. All of them are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 8.6, 35% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.

Official counts show 8 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in O’Brien County in 2023. That is one for every 726 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 3 one-person businesses without payroll.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of O’Brien County grew 0.5%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops in O’Brien County is 69 (upper middle), #390 of 2,222 scored counties and #15 of 57 scored counties in Iowa. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How O’Brien 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 O’Brien County, IA compared with Iowa and the U.S.
MeasureO’Brien CountyIowaU.S.
Listings per 10k households8.612.213.3
Spending per listing$4.2M$3.2M$3.1M
Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants)726628478
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a−0.9%+6.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+0.5%+1.5%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,635$3,880$4,070
Median household income$68,356$75,059$80,734
Groundwork market score6959

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
8 → 8All limited-service restaurants
Employees, 2023
139
Annual payroll, 2023
$2.1M
One-person businesses, 2023
3All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
55 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
7The 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 O’Brien 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 O’Brien County

Population, 2025 estimate
14,220+0.5% since 2020
Households
5,809
Median age
40.9
Homes lived in by their owners
76%
Vehicles per household
2.2
Land area
573 sq. mi.
People per square mile
25
Median household income
$68,356+27.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$84,439
Median home value
$173,100
Jobs located here
6,296
Daytime population
12,761Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in O’Brien 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 O’Brien 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 O’Brien 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
15O’Brien County, IA6958.6$4.2M+0.5%#390 of 2,222

Other business types in O’Brien County

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

Funeral services

Questions

How many fast food and sandwich shops are in O’Brien County, IA?

As of September 2026, map listings count 5 fast food and sandwich shops in O’Brien County. 5 of them (100%) are chain locations. 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. 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 3 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in O’Brien County, IA spend on food away from home?

About $21.1M a year, or $3,635 per household. That is 11% below the U.S. average (an index of 89, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 5 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $4.2M 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 5,809 households in O’Brien County and national spending patterns by income.

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

O’Brien County has 8.6 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 35% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $4.2M, 38% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, O’Brien County would have about 7, against 5 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 726 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S.

How fast is O’Brien County, IA growing?

Population estimates put O’Brien County at 14,220 people in 2025, up 0.5% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 5,809 households. Median household income in O’Brien County is $68,356, 15% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 27.3%, 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. O’Brien County scores 69 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #390 of 2,222 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in O’Brien 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 O’Brien County

Screening a site or an acquisition in O’Brien County?

A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.

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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.