Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Kansas

Fast food and sandwich shops in Cowley County, KS

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 46 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,297 of 2,222 scored counties
#17 of 36 scored counties in Kansas

Listings
15
13 chain locations (87%)
Official establishments
24
All limited-service restaurants · +9.1% since 2019
Household spending a year
$45.1M
On food away from home · $3,367 a household
Spending per listing
$3M
In line with the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
11.2
16% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
34,382
−0.4% since 2020

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

Households in Cowley County spend about $45.1M a year on food away from home, or $3,367 per household, 17% below the U.S. average. That works out to $3M per shop, in line with 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 15 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in Cowley County as of September 2026. Of those, 13 are chain locations, or 87%, against 79% across the U.S. That comes to 11.2 for every 10,000 households, 16% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.

In 2023, official counts showed 24 businesses with payroll in Cowley County classed as limited-service restaurants, up 9.1% from 2019. That is one for every 558 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. Another 4 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Cowley County declined 0.4%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For fast food and sandwich shops, Cowley County has a Groundwork market score of 46 (lower middle): #1,297 of 2,222 scored counties and #17 of 36 scored counties in Kansas.

How Cowley County compares

The same measures for Kansas 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 Cowley County, KS compared with Kansas and the U.S.
MeasureCowley CountyKansasU.S.
Listings per 10k households11.214.213.3
Spending per listing$3M$2.8M$3.1M
Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants)558526478
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+9.1%+4.7%+6.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025−0.4%+1.3%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,367$3,910$4,070
Median household income$57,878$74,275$80,734
Groundwork market score4644

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
22 → 24All limited-service restaurants · +9.1% over the period
Employees, 2023
563
Annual payroll, 2023
$8.5M
One-person businesses, 2023
4All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
1513 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
15The 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 Cowley 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 Cowley County

Population, 2025 estimate
34,382−0.4% since 2020
Households
13,387
Median age
39.5
Homes lived in by their owners
68%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
1,126 sq. mi.
People per square mile
31
Median household income
$57,878+15.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$81,245
Median home value
$120,900
Jobs located here
13,490
Daytime population
33,626Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Cowley 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 Cowley 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 Kansas

Every Kansas market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Kansas for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in Kansas, with Cowley County marked.

Top counties in Kansas

Counties in Kansas ranked for fast food and sandwich shops by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Miami County, KS841410.2$4.1M+5.9%#81 of 2,222
2Pottawatomie County, KS761111.7$3.6M+6.9%#214 of 2,222
3Sumner County, KS7177.8$4.6M−0.1%#324 of 2,222
4Johnson County, KS7133213.3$3.7M+4.2%#333 of 2,222
5Leavenworth County, KS714213.9$3.1M+3.2%#341 of 2,222
6Dickinson County, KS70810.0$3.6M+1.4%#361 of 2,222
7Franklin County, KS6898.6$4.3M+1.1%#421 of 2,222
8Jackson County, KS65612.0$3.2M+1.5%#554 of 2,222
9Neosho County, KS6157.7$4.3M−1.7%#672 of 2,222
10Marion County, KS60510.5$3.3M−1.3%#740 of 2,222
17Cowley County, KS461511.2$3M−0.4%#1,297 of 2,222

Other business types in Cowley 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 Cowley County, KS?

As of September 2026, map listings count 15 fast food and sandwich shops in Cowley County. 13 of them (87%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 24 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 9.1% 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 list 4 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Cowley County, KS spend on food away from home?

About $45.1M a year, or $3,367 per household. That is 17% below the U.S. average (an index of 83, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 15 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $3M 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 13,387 households in Cowley County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Cowley County has 11.2 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 16% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $3M, in line with the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 558 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 9.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.

How fast is Cowley County, KS growing?

Population estimates put Cowley County at 34,382 people in 2025, down 0.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 13,387 households. Median household income in Cowley County is $57,878, 28% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 15.5%, 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. Cowley County scores 46 for fast food and sandwich shops (lower middle), #1,297 of 2,222 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Cowley 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.