Food and drink · Metro area · Louisiana
Fast food and sandwich shops in the Lake Charles, LA metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for fast food and sandwich shops in the Lake Charles, LA metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 19 out of 100: Low
Ranked #362 of 387 scored metro areas
#9 of 10 scored metro areas based in Louisiana
- Listings
- 167
- 144 chain locations (86%)
- Official establishments
- 191
- All limited-service restaurants · −6.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $331.5M
- On food away from home · $3,601 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2M
- 35% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 18.1
- 36% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 244,655
- −3.8% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in the Lake Charles metro area
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 the Lake Charles metro area. 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
The Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops in the Lake Charles metro area is 19 (low), #362 of 387 scored metro areas and #9 of 10 scored metro areas based in Louisiana. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 167 fast food and sandwich shops in the Lake Charles metro area. 144 of them (86%) are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. That is 18.1 per 10,000 households, 36% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.
Household spending on food away from home in the Lake Charles metro area comes to about $331.5M a year: $3,601 per household, 12% below the U.S. average. Spread across 167 fast food and sandwich shops, that is $2M per shop, 35% below 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 191 businesses with payroll in the Lake Charles metro area classed as limited-service restaurants, down 6.4% from 2019. That is one for every 482 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. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $1.3M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the Lake Charles metro area. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Lake Charles metro area declined 3.8%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Lake Charles metro area compares
The same measures for Louisiana 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 | Lake Charles metro area | Louisiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 18.1 | 14.7 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $2M | $2.4M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 482 | 480 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −6.4% | +5.1% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −3.8% | −0.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,601 | $3,469 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $66,700 | $60,756 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 19 | 13 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 191All limited-service restaurants · −6.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 3,634
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $66M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 34All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 167144 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 109The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $1.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the Lake Charles metro area, 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 the Lake Charles metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 244,655−3.8% since 2020
- Households
- 92,043
- Median age
- 38.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 74%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 3,006 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 81
- Median household income
- $66,700
- Average household income
- $91,252
- Median home value
- $207,800
- Jobs located here
- 97,089
- Daytime population
- 245,958Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Lake Charles metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 the Lake Charles metro area. 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 Louisiana
Every Louisiana market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Louisiana for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in Louisiana, with the Lake Charles metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Louisiana
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA | 62 | 141 | 13.4 | $3M | +5.3% | #123 of 387 |
| 2Hammond, LA | 38 | 81 | 15.6 | $2.1M | +5.8% | #274 of 387 |
| 3Baton Rouge, LA | 32 | 501 | 15.1 | $2.5M | +2.1% | #300 of 387 |
| 4Lafayette, LA | 32 | 250 | 15.2 | $2.3M | +3.8% | #303 of 387 |
| 5Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA | 27 | 135 | 16.9 | $2.1M | −3.5% | #331 of 387 |
| 6Monroe, LA | 25 | 132 | 15.2 | $2.1M | −1.9% | #342 of 387 |
| 7New Orleans-Metairie, LA | 21 | 568 | 14.3 | $2.5M | −3.4% | #353 of 387 |
| 8Alexandria, LA | 21 | 85 | 15.1 | $2.2M | −2.5% | #356 of 387 |
| 9Lake Charles, LA | 19 | 167 | 18.1 | $2M | −3.8% | #362 of 387 |
| 10Shreveport-Bossier City, LA | 14 | 229 | 14.6 | $2.3M | −2.3% | #375 of 387 |
Other business types in the Lake Charles metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes29
- Sit-down restaurants35
- Fast food and sandwich shops19
- Pizza51
- Coffee shops and cafes54
- Bakeries and dessert shops24
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 the Lake Charles, LA metro area?
There are 167 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in the Lake Charles metro area as of September 2026. 144 of them (86%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 191 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, down 6.4% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Another 34 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Lake Charles, LA metro area spend on food away from home?
About $331.5M a year, or $3,601 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 167 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $2M 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 92,043 households in the Lake Charles metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Lake Charles, LA metro area compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
The Lake Charles metro area has 18.1 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 36% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2M, 35% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, the Lake Charles metro area would have about 109, against 167 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 482 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count fell 6.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Lake Charles, LA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Lake Charles metro area at 244,655 people in 2025, down 3.8% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 92,043 households. The median household income in the Lake Charles metro area is $66,700 a year, 17% below the U.S. median of $80,734.
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. The Lake Charles metro area scores 19 for fast food and sandwich shops (low), #362 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Lake Charles metro area. 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 the Lake Charles metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Lake Charles metro area?
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 the Lake Charles metro area. 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.