Food and drink · County · Kansas
Fast food and sandwich shops in Riley County, KS
The fast food and sandwich shops in Riley County, KS, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 37 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,619 of 2,222 scored counties
#26 of 36 scored counties in Kansas
- Listings
- 47
- 44 chain locations (94%)
- Official establishments
- 52
- All limited-service restaurants · +4.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $98.7M
- On food away from home · $3,565 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.1M
- 31% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 17.0
- 28% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 72,598
- +0.8% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Riley 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 Riley 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
At $3,565 per household (12% below the U.S. average), households in Riley County spend about $98.7M a year on food away from home. That is about $2.1M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 31% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only fast food and sandwich shops.
Riley County has 47 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 94% of them, against 79% across the U.S. That is 17.0 per 10,000 households, 28% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.
In 2023, official counts showed 52 businesses with payroll in Riley County classed as limited-service restaurants, up 4.0% from 2019. That is one for every 533 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. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $560K have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Riley County.
Population estimates put the population change in Riley County from 2020 to 2025 at +0.8%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops in Riley County is 37 (lower middle), #1,619 of 2,222 scored counties and #26 of 36 scored counties in Kansas.
How Riley 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.
| Measure | Riley County | Kansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 17.0 | 14.2 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $2.1M | $2.8M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 533 | 526 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +4.0% | +4.7% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.8% | +1.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,565 | $3,910 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $61,098 | $74,275 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 37 | 44 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 50 → 52All limited-service restaurants · +4.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,498
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $23.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4744 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 32The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $560K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Riley 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 Riley County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 72,598+0.8% since 2020
- Households
- 27,695
- Median age
- 30.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 46%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 610 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 118
- Median household income
- $61,098+19.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $85,486
- Median home value
- $237,100
- Jobs located here
- 27,758
- Daytime population
- 75,612Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Riley 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 Riley 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 Kansas
Every Kansas market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Kansas for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in Kansas, with Riley County marked.
Top counties in Kansas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Miami County, KS | 84 | 14 | 10.2 | $4.1M | +5.9% | #81 of 2,222 |
| 2Pottawatomie County, KS | 76 | 11 | 11.7 | $3.6M | +6.9% | #214 of 2,222 |
| 3Sumner County, KS | 71 | 7 | 7.8 | $4.6M | −0.1% | #324 of 2,222 |
| 4Johnson County, KS | 71 | 332 | 13.3 | $3.7M | +4.2% | #333 of 2,222 |
| 5Leavenworth County, KS | 71 | 42 | 13.9 | $3.1M | +3.2% | #341 of 2,222 |
| 6Dickinson County, KS | 70 | 8 | 10.0 | $3.6M | +1.4% | #361 of 2,222 |
| 7Franklin County, KS | 68 | 9 | 8.6 | $4.3M | +1.1% | #421 of 2,222 |
| 8Jackson County, KS | 65 | 6 | 12.0 | $3.2M | +1.5% | #554 of 2,222 |
| 9Neosho County, KS | 61 | 5 | 7.7 | $4.3M | −1.7% | #672 of 2,222 |
| 10Marion County, KS | 60 | 5 | 10.5 | $3.3M | −1.3% | #740 of 2,222 |
| 26Riley County, KS | 37 | 47 | 17.0 | $2.1M | +0.8% | #1,619 of 2,222 |
Other business types in Riley County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes32
- Sit-down restaurants44
- Fast food and sandwich shops37
- Pizza40
- Coffee shops and cafes22
- Bakeries and dessert shops26
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 Riley County, KS?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 47 fast food and sandwich shops in Riley County. 44 of them (94%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 52 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 4.0% from 2019. The official count takes in all limited-service restaurants, not only fast food and sandwich shops: pizza places are counted too.
How much do households in Riley County, KS spend on food away from home?
About $98.7M a year, or $3,565 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 47 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $2.1M 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 27,695 households in Riley County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Riley County, KS compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Riley County has 17.0 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 28% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2.1M, 31% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Riley County would have about 32, against 47 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 533 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 4.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Riley County, KS growing?
Population estimates put Riley County at 72,598 people in 2025, up 0.8% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 27,695 households. Median household income in Riley County is $61,098, 24% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 19.3%, 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. Riley County scores 37 for fast food and sandwich shops (lower middle), #1,619 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Riley 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 Riley County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Riley 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 Riley 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.