Food and drink · County · Kentucky
Fast food and sandwich shops in Mercer County, KY
How Mercer 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 67 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #484 of 2,222 scored counties
#11 of 82 scored counties in Kentucky
- Listings
- 10
- 8 chain locations (80%)
- Official establishments
- 10
- All limited-service restaurants
- Household spending a year
- $31.2M
- On food away from home · $3,398 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.1M
- 2% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 10.9
- 18% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 23,733
- +4.8% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Mercer 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 Mercer 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 10 fast food and sandwich shops in Mercer County. Chain locations make up 80% of them, against 79% across the U.S. That comes to 10.9 for every 10,000 households, 18% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.
Households in Mercer County spend about $31.2M a year on food away from home, or $3,398 per household, 17% below the U.S. average. That is about $3.1M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 2% above 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.
In 2023, official counts showed 10 businesses with payroll in Mercer County classed as limited-service restaurants. That is one for every 918 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. Another 3 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
Population estimates put the population change in Mercer County from 2020 to 2025 at +4.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Mercer County scores 67 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, ranking #484 of 2,222 scored counties and #11 of 82 scored counties in Kentucky. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Mercer 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 | Mercer County | Kentucky | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 10.9 | 14.8 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $3.1M | $2.4M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 918 | 519 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +5.7% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.8% | +2.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,398 | $3,489 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $64,824 | $63,726 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 67 | 28 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 10 → 10All limited-service restaurants
- Employees, 2023
- 268
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $4.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 3All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 108 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
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Mercer 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 Mercer County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 23,733+4.8% since 2020
- Households
- 9,181
- Median age
- 42.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 76%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 249 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 92
- Median household income
- $64,824+17.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $82,091
- Median home value
- $202,300
- Jobs located here
- 6,702
- Daytime population
- 19,848Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Mercer 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 Mercer 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 Mercer 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 |
| 11Mercer County, KY | 67 | 10 | 10.9 | $3.1M | +4.8% | #484 of 2,222 |
Other business types in Mercer County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes74
- Sit-down restaurants74
- Fast food and sandwich shops67
- Pizza56
- Coffee shops and cafes58
- 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 Mercer County, KY?
Mercer County has 10 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 8 of them (80%) 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. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Official counts list 3 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Mercer County, KY spend on food away from home?
About $31.2M a year, or $3,398 per household. That is 17% below the U.S. average (an index of 83, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 10 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $3.1M 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 9,181 households in Mercer County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Mercer County, KY compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Mercer County has 10.9 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 18% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $3.1M, 2% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 918 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S.
How fast is Mercer County, KY growing?
Population estimates put Mercer County at 23,733 people in 2025, up 4.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 9,181 households. The median household income in Mercer County is $64,824 a year, 20% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 17.7% 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. Mercer County scores 67 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #484 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Mercer 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 Mercer County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Mercer 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 Mercer 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.