Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Kentucky

Fast food and sandwich shops in Marion County, KY

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for fast food and sandwich shops in Marion County, KY, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 35 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,687 of 2,222 scored counties
#44 of 82 scored counties in Kentucky

Listings
13
11 chain locations (85%)
Official establishments
13
All limited-service restaurants
Household spending a year
$24.6M
On food away from home · $3,178 a household
Spending per listing
$1.9M
38% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
16.8
26% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
20,115
+2.7% since 2020

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

Marion County scores 35 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, ranking #1,687 of 2,222 scored counties and #44 of 82 scored counties in Kentucky. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

Households in Marion County spend about $24.6M a year on food away from home, or $3,178 per household, 22% below the U.S. average. That works out to $1.9M per shop, 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 13 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in Marion County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 85% of them, against 79% across the U.S. That comes to 16.8 for every 10,000 households, 26% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.

In 2023, official counts showed 13 businesses with payroll in Marion County classed as limited-service restaurants. That is one for every 594 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. Population estimates show Marion County grew 2.7% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%).

How Marion 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 Marion County, KY compared with Kentucky and the U.S.
MeasureMarion CountyKentuckyU.S.
Listings per 10k households16.814.813.3
Spending per listing$1.9M$2.4M$3.1M
Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants)594519478
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+5.7%+6.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+2.7%+2.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,178$3,489$4,070
Median household income$59,627$63,726$80,734
Groundwork market score3528

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
12 → 13All limited-service restaurants
Employees, 2023
372
Annual payroll, 2023
$4.9M
One-person businesses, 2023
0All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
1311 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
8The 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 Marion 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 Marion County

Population, 2025 estimate
20,115+2.7% since 2020
Households
7,724
Median age
40.5
Homes lived in by their owners
78%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
344 sq. mi.
People per square mile
57
Median household income
$59,627+48.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$72,085
Median home value
$168,100
Jobs located here
9,028
Daytime population
19,568Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Marion 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 Marion 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 Marion 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
44Marion County, KY351316.8$1.9M+2.7%#1,687 of 2,222

Other business types in Marion 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 Marion County, KY?

As of September 2026, map listings count 13 fast food and sandwich shops in Marion County. 11 of them (85%) 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 Marion County, KY spend on food away from home?

About $24.6M a year, or $3,178 per household. That is 22% below the U.S. average (an index of 78, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 13 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 7,724 households in Marion County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Marion County has 16.8 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 26% 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, Marion County would have about 8, against 13 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 594 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S.

How fast is Marion County, KY growing?

Population estimates put Marion County at 20,115 people in 2025, up 2.7% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 7,724 households. Median household income in Marion County is $59,627, 26% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 48.7%, 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. Marion County scores 35 for fast food and sandwich shops (lower middle), #1,687 of 2,222 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Marion 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.