Food and drink · County · Kentucky
Fast food and sandwich shops in Lincoln County, KY
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for fast food and sandwich shops in Lincoln County, KY, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 69 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #401 of 2,222 scored counties
#7 of 82 scored counties in Kentucky
- Listings
- 8
- 8 chain locations (100%)
- Official establishments
- 10
- All limited-service restaurants
- Household spending a year
- $30.1M
- On food away from home · $3,099 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.8M
- 23% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 8.2
- 38% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 25,353
- +4.6% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Lincoln 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 Lincoln 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
Households in Lincoln County spend about $30.1M a year on food away from home, or $3,099 per household, 24% below the U.S. average. That is about $3.8M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 23% 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 8 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in Lincoln County as of September 2026. All of them are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. That comes to 8.2 for every 10,000 households, 38% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.
In 2023, official counts showed 10 businesses with payroll in Lincoln County classed as limited-service restaurants. That is one for every 971 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 $679K has gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Lincoln County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Lincoln County grew 4.6%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Lincoln County scores 69 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, ranking #401 of 2,222 scored counties and #7 of 82 scored counties in Kentucky. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Lincoln 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.
| Measure | Lincoln County | Kentucky | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 8.2 | 14.8 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $3.8M | $2.4M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 971 | 519 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +5.7% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.6% | +2.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,099 | $3,489 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $52,440 | $63,726 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 69 | 28 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 10 → 10All limited-service restaurants
- Employees, 2023
- 212
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 88 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 10The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $679K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Lincoln 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 Lincoln County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 25,353+4.6% since 2020
- Households
- 9,705
- Median age
- 41.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 76%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 333 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 74
- Median household income
- $52,440+22.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $71,952
- Median home value
- $147,300
- Jobs located here
- 4,062
- Daytime population
- 20,096Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Lincoln 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 Lincoln 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 Kentucky
Every Kentucky market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Kentucky for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in Kentucky, with Lincoln County marked.
Top counties in Kentucky
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Spencer County, KY | 90 | 8 | 10.9 | $4M | +7.7% | #16 of 2,222 |
| 2Oldham County, KY | 83 | 26 | 11.3 | $4.4M | +4.9% | #88 of 2,222 |
| 3Meade County, KY | 76 | 9 | 8.2 | $4.6M | +2.2% | #206 of 2,222 |
| 4Allen County, KY | 74 | 6 | 7.5 | $4.3M | +9.5% | #248 of 2,222 |
| 5Garrard County, KY | 73 | 6 | 9.0 | $3.6M | +7.3% | #288 of 2,222 |
| 6Kenton County, KY | 72 | 80 | 11.9 | $3.4M | +3.9% | #316 of 2,222 |
| 7Lincoln County, KY | 69 | 8 | 8.2 | $3.8M | +4.6% | #401 of 2,222 |
| 8Scott County, KY | 69 | 31 | 13.7 | $3M | +8.2% | #414 of 2,222 |
| 9Nelson County, KY | 68 | 19 | 9.9 | $3.6M | +4.8% | #436 of 2,222 |
| 10Larue County, KY | 67 | 5 | 8.3 | $4M | +2.1% | #467 of 2,222 |
Other business types in Lincoln County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes77
- Sit-down restaurants76
- Fast food and sandwich shops69
- Pizza46
- Coffee shops and cafes
- Bakeries and dessert shops
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 Lincoln County, KY?
As of September 2026, map listings count 8 fast food and sandwich shops in Lincoln County. 8 of them (100%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 10 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 Lincoln County, KY spend on food away from home?
About $30.1M a year, or $3,099 per household. That is 24% below the U.S. average (an index of 76, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 8 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $3.8M 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 9,705 households in Lincoln County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Lincoln County, KY compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Lincoln County has 8.2 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 38% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $3.8M, 23% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Lincoln County would have about 10, against 8 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 971 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S.
How fast is Lincoln County, KY growing?
Population estimates put Lincoln County at 25,353 people in 2025, up 4.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 9,705 households. Median household income in Lincoln County is $52,440, 35% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 22.2%, 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. Lincoln County scores 69 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #401 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Lincoln 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 Lincoln County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Lincoln 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 Lincoln 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.