Food and drink · County · Maine
Fast food and sandwich shops in Waldo County, ME
The fast food and sandwich shops in Waldo County, ME, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 80 out of 100: High
Ranked #117 of 2,222 scored counties
#1 of 15 scored counties in Maine
- Listings
- 9
- 6 chain locations (67%)
- Official establishments
- 20
- All limited-service restaurants
- Household spending a year
- $63.2M
- On food away from home · $3,620 a household
- Spending per listing
- $7M
- 2.3 times the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.2
- 61% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 40,693
- +2.6% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Waldo 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 Waldo 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
For fast food and sandwich shops, Waldo County has a Groundwork market score of 80 (high): #117 of 2,222 scored counties and #1 of 15 scored counties in Maine. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for fast food and sandwich shops.
Household spending on food away from home in Waldo County comes to about $63.2M a year: $3,620 per household, 11% below the U.S. average. That is about $7M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 2.3 times 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 9 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in Waldo County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 67% of them, against 79% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 5.2, 61% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.
In 2023, official counts showed 20 businesses with payroll in Waldo County classed as limited-service restaurants. That is one for every 874 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 Waldo County grew 2.6% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Waldo County compares
The same measures for Maine 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 | Waldo County | Maine | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.2 | 10.0 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $7M | $3.8M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 874 | 588 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +1.8% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.6% | +3.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,620 | $3,835 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $72,782 | $74,733 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 80 | 72 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 19 → 20All limited-service restaurants
- Employees, 2023
- 153
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $4.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 96 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 21The 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 Waldo 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 Waldo County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 40,693+2.6% since 2020
- Households
- 17,470
- Median age
- 46.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 82%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 730 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 55
- Median household income
- $72,782+40.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $91,541
- Median home value
- $257,700
- Jobs located here
- 11,338
- Daytime population
- 35,620Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Waldo 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 Waldo 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 Maine
Every Maine market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Maine for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in Maine, with Waldo County marked.
Top counties in Maine
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Waldo County, ME | 80 | 9 | 5.2 | $7M | +2.6% | #117 of 2,222 |
| 2Oxford County, ME | 77 | 15 | 6.2 | $5.5M | +4.2% | #178 of 2,222 |
| 3Sagadahoc County, ME | 77 | 17 | 10.3 | $3.9M | +3.4% | #193 of 2,222 |
| 4Somerset County, ME | 72 | 13 | 5.6 | $5.8M | +2.3% | #292 of 2,222 |
| 5Lincoln County, ME | 72 | 14 | 8.4 | $4.5M | +3.8% | #301 of 2,222 |
| 6York County, ME | 70 | 105 | 11.5 | $3.6M | +4.8% | #364 of 2,222 |
| 7Kennebec County, ME | 69 | 50 | 9.2 | $3.9M | +3.5% | #396 of 2,222 |
| 8Cumberland County, ME | 69 | 164 | 12.4 | $3.6M | +4.5% | #406 of 2,222 |
| 9Penobscot County, ME | 69 | 71 | 10.9 | $3.3M | +3.8% | #410 of 2,222 |
| 10Knox County, ME | 68 | 18 | 9.7 | $4M | +1.1% | #430 of 2,222 |
Other business types in Waldo County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes66
- Sit-down restaurants69
- Fast food and sandwich shops80
- Pizza69
- Coffee shops and cafes40
- Bakeries and dessert shops32
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 Waldo County, ME?
As of September 2026, map listings count 9 fast food and sandwich shops in Waldo County. 6 of them (67%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 20 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 Waldo County, ME spend on food away from home?
About $63.2M a year, or $3,620 per household. That is 11% below the U.S. average (an index of 89, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 9 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $7M 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 17,470 households in Waldo County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Waldo County, ME compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Waldo County has 5.2 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 61% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $7M, 2.3 times the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Waldo County would have about 21, against 9 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 874 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S.
How fast is Waldo County, ME growing?
Population estimates put Waldo County at 40,693 people in 2025, up 2.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 17,470 households. Median household income in Waldo County is $72,782, 10% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 40.2%, 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. Waldo County scores 80 for fast food and sandwich shops (high), #117 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Waldo 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 Waldo County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Waldo 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 Waldo 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.