Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Kentucky

Fast food and sandwich shops in Madison County, KY

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 42 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,458 of 2,222 scored counties
#34 of 82 scored counties in Kentucky

Listings
68
63 chain locations (93%)
Official establishments
70
All limited-service restaurants · +6.1% since 2019
Household spending a year
$129M
On food away from home · $3,482 a household
Spending per listing
$1.9M
38% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
18.4
38% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
101,696
+9.4% since 2020

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

Household spending on food away from home in Madison County comes to about $129M a year: $3,482 per household, 14% below the U.S. average. That is about $1.9M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 38% 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 68 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in Madison County as of September 2026. 63 of them (93%) are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. That comes to 18.4 for every 10,000 households, 38% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.

In 2023, official counts showed 70 businesses with payroll in Madison County classed as limited-service restaurants, up 6.1% from 2019. That is one for every 529 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 13 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

Population estimates show Madison County grew 9.4% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For fast food and sandwich shops, Madison County has a Groundwork market score of 42 (lower middle): #1,458 of 2,222 scored counties and #34 of 82 scored counties in Kentucky.

How Madison 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 Madison County, KY compared with Kentucky and the U.S.
MeasureMadison CountyKentuckyU.S.
Listings per 10k households18.414.813.3
Spending per listing$1.9M$2.4M$3.1M
Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants)529519478
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+6.1%+5.7%+6.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+9.4%+2.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,482$3,489$4,070
Median household income$63,351$63,726$80,734
Groundwork market score4228

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
66 → 70All limited-service restaurants · +6.1% over the period
Employees, 2023
1,897
Annual payroll, 2023
$33.2M
One-person businesses, 2023
13All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
6863 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
42The 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 Madison 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 Madison County

Population, 2025 estimate
101,696+9.4% since 2020
Households
37,051
Median age
36.4
Homes lived in by their owners
62%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
438 sq. mi.
People per square mile
219
Median household income
$63,351+26.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$83,157
Median home value
$232,000
Jobs located here
35,314
Daytime population
89,450Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Madison 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 Madison 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 Madison 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
34Madison County, KY426818.4$1.9M+9.4%#1,458 of 2,222

Other business types in Madison 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 Madison County, KY?

As of September 2026, map listings count 68 fast food and sandwich shops in Madison County. 63 of them (93%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 70 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 6.1% 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 13 one-person businesses without payroll.

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

About $129M a year, or $3,482 per household. That is 14% below the U.S. average (an index of 86, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 68 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $1.9M 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 37,051 households in Madison County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Madison County has 18.4 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 38% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $1.9M, 38% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Madison County would have about 42, against 68 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 529 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 6.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.

How fast is Madison County, KY growing?

Population estimates put Madison County at 101,696 people in 2025, up 9.4% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 37,051 households. Median household income in Madison County is $63,351, 22% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 26.6%, 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. Madison County scores 42 for fast food and sandwich shops (lower middle), #1,458 of 2,222 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Madison 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.