Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Kentucky

Fast food and sandwich shops in Johnson County, KY

How Johnson 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 23 out of 100: Low

Ranked #2,007 of 2,222 scored counties
#60 of 82 scored counties in Kentucky

Listings
17
15 chain locations (88%)
Official establishments
13
All limited-service restaurants
Household spending a year
$25.8M
On food away from home · $2,857 a household
Spending per listing
$1.5M
50% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
18.8
41% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
22,051
−2.6% since 2020

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

Johnson County scores 23 (low) on the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, ranking #2,007 of 2,222 scored counties and #60 of 82 scored counties in Kentucky. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

Households in Johnson County spend about $25.8M a year on food away from home, or $2,857 per household, 30% below the U.S. average. Spread across 17 fast food and sandwich shops, that is $1.5M per shop, 50% below 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 17 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in Johnson County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 88% of them, against 79% across the U.S. That is 18.8 per 10,000 households, 41% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Johnson County was 13 in 2023. That is one for every 695 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, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $150K has gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Johnson County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Johnson County declined 2.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How Johnson 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 Johnson County, KY compared with Kentucky and the U.S.
MeasureJohnson CountyKentuckyU.S.
Listings per 10k households18.814.813.3
Spending per listing$1.5M$2.4M$3.1M
Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants)695519478
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+5.7%+6.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025−2.6%+2.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$2,857$3,489$4,070
Median household income$44,904$63,726$80,734
Groundwork market score2328

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
18 → 13All limited-service restaurants
Employees, 2023
339
Annual payroll, 2023
$5.8M
One-person businesses, 2023
0All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
1715 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
9The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$150K

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

Population, 2025 estimate
22,051−2.6% since 2020
Households
9,040
Median age
42.2
Homes lived in by their owners
68%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
262 sq. mi.
People per square mile
85
Median household income
$44,904+21.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$61,524
Median home value
$120,200
Jobs located here
4,685
Daytime population
20,881Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Johnson 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 Johnson 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 Johnson 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
60Johnson County, KY231718.8$1.5M−2.6%#2,007 of 2,222

Other business types in Johnson 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 Johnson County, KY?

As of September 2026, map listings count 17 fast food and sandwich shops in Johnson County. 15 of them (88%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 13 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.

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

About $25.8M a year, or $2,857 per household. That is 30% below the U.S. average (an index of 70, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 17 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $1.5M 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 9,040 households in Johnson County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Johnson County has 18.8 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 41% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $1.5M, 50% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Johnson County would have about 9, against 17 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 695 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S.

How fast is Johnson County, KY growing?

Population estimates put Johnson County at 22,051 people in 2025, down 2.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 9,040 households. Median household income in Johnson County is $44,904, 44% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 21.2%, 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. Johnson County scores 23 for fast food and sandwich shops (low), #2,007 of 2,222 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Johnson 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.