Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Kentucky

Fast food and sandwich shops in Boone County, KY

How Boone County, KY 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 43 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,420 of 2,222 scored counties
#31 of 82 scored counties in Kentucky

Listings
107
101 chain locations (94%)
Official establishments
137
All limited-service restaurants · −0.7% since 2019
Household spending a year
$223.1M
On food away from home · $4,378 a household
Spending per listing
$2.1M
32% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
21.0
58% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
145,316
+6.5% since 2020

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

Map listings as of September 2026 show 107 fast food and sandwich shops in Boone County. Chain locations make up 94% of them, against 79% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 21.0, 58% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.

Households in Boone County spend about $223.1M a year on food away from home, or $4,378 per household, 8% above the U.S. average. That works out to $2.1M per shop, 32% 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 137 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Boone County in 2023, down 0.7% from 2019. That is one for every 372 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 15 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $3M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Boone County.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Boone County grew 6.5%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Boone County scores 43 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, ranking #1,420 of 2,222 scored counties and #31 of 82 scored counties in Kentucky.

How Boone County compares

The same measures for Kentucky 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 Boone County, KY compared with Kentucky and the U.S.
MeasureBoone CountyKentuckyU.S.
Listings per 10k households21.014.813.3
Spending per listing$2.1M$2.4M$3.1M
Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants)372519478
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−0.7%+5.7%+6.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+6.5%+2.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$4,378$3,489$4,070
Median household income$99,414$63,726$80,734
Groundwork market score4328

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
138 → 137All limited-service restaurants · −0.7% over the period
Employees, 2023
3,165
Annual payroll, 2023
$58.2M
One-person businesses, 2023
15All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
107101 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
73The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
3
Amount
$3M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Boone 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 Boone County

Population, 2025 estimate
145,316+6.5% since 2020
Households
50,963
Median age
38.8
Homes lived in by their owners
76%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
246 sq. mi.
People per square mile
568
Median household income
$99,414+26.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$124,006
Median home value
$277,300
Jobs located here
107,951
Daytime population
176,181Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Boone 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 Boone 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 Kentucky

Every Kentucky market ranked →

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

Top counties in Kentucky

Counties in Kentucky ranked for fast food and sandwich shops by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Spencer County, KY90810.9$4M+7.7%#16 of 2,222
2Oldham County, KY832611.3$4.4M+4.9%#88 of 2,222
3Meade County, KY7698.2$4.6M+2.2%#206 of 2,222
4Allen County, KY7467.5$4.3M+9.5%#248 of 2,222
5Garrard County, KY7369.0$3.6M+7.3%#288 of 2,222
6Kenton County, KY728011.9$3.4M+3.9%#316 of 2,222
7Lincoln County, KY6988.2$3.8M+4.6%#401 of 2,222
8Scott County, KY693113.7$3M+8.2%#414 of 2,222
9Nelson County, KY68199.9$3.6M+4.8%#436 of 2,222
10Larue County, KY6758.3$4M+2.1%#467 of 2,222
31Boone County, KY4310721.0$2.1M+6.5%#1,420 of 2,222

Other business types in Boone County

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

Questions

How many fast food and sandwich shops are in Boone County, KY?

There are 107 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in Boone County as of September 2026. 101 of them (94%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 137 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, down 0.7% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Another 15 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in Boone County, KY spend on food away from home?

About $223.1M a year, or $4,378 per household. That is 8% above the U.S. average (an index of 108, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 107 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $2.1M 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 50,963 households in Boone County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Boone County has 21.0 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 58% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2.1M, 32% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Boone County would have about 73, against 107 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 372 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count fell 0.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.

How fast is Boone County, KY growing?

Population estimates put Boone County at 145,316 people in 2025, up 6.5% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 50,963 households. The median household income in Boone County is $99,414 a year, 23% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 26.9% 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. Boone County scores 43 for fast food and sandwich shops (lower middle), #1,420 of 2,222 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Boone 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 Boone 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.