Food and drink · County · Maryland
Fast food and sandwich shops in Carroll County, MD
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for fast food and sandwich shops in Carroll County, MD, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 72 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #297 of 2,222 scored counties
#7 of 24 scored counties in Maryland
- Listings
- 62
- 53 chain locations (85%)
- Official establishments
- 131
- All limited-service restaurants · +3.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $315.7M
- On food away from home · $4,910 a household
- Spending per listing
- $5.1M
- 67% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 9.6
- 28% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 176,677
- +2.2% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Carroll 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 Carroll 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
At $4,910 per household (21% above the U.S. average), households in Carroll County spend about $315.7M a year on food away from home. Spread across 62 fast food and sandwich shops, that is $5.1M per shop, 67% above 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 62 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in Carroll County as of September 2026. 53 of them (85%) are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. That comes to 9.6 for every 10,000 households, 28% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.
Official counts show 131 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Carroll County in 2023, up 3.2% from 2019. That is one for every 491 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 24 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 7 SBA-backed loans worth $1.5M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Carroll County.
Population estimates show Carroll County grew 2.2% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops in Carroll County is 72 (upper middle), #297 of 2,222 scored counties and #7 of 24 scored counties in Maryland. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Carroll County compares
The same measures for Maryland 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 | Carroll County | Maryland | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 9.6 | 12.1 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $5.1M | $3.8M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 491 | 431 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +3.2% | −0.1% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.2% | +1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,910 | $4,604 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $118,211 | $103,678 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 72 | 58 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 127 → 131All limited-service restaurants · +3.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,476
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $46.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 24All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 6253 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 104The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 7
- Amount
- $1.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Carroll 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 Carroll County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 176,677+2.2% since 2020
- Households
- 64,285
- Median age
- 42.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 84%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 448 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 392
- Median household income
- $118,211+22.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $142,587
- Median home value
- $434,000
- Jobs located here
- 57,897
- Daytime population
- 147,678Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Carroll 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 Carroll 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 Maryland
Every Maryland market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Maryland for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in Maryland, with Carroll County marked.
Top counties in Maryland
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Kent County, MD | 81 | 7 | 8.2 | $4.7M | +2.3% | #111 of 2,222 |
| 2Frederick County, MD | 78 | 114 | 10.9 | $4.6M | +11.0% | #159 of 2,222 |
| 3Queen Anne’s County, MD | 78 | 23 | 11.6 | $4.2M | +8.8% | #166 of 2,222 |
| 4Harford County, MD | 74 | 98 | 9.6 | $4.9M | +2.0% | #240 of 2,222 |
| 5Cecil County, MD | 74 | 45 | 11.1 | $3.8M | +3.2% | #253 of 2,222 |
| 6Calvert County, MD | 72 | 31 | 9.3 | $5.7M | +1.7% | #293 of 2,222 |
| 7Carroll County, MD | 72 | 62 | 9.6 | $5.1M | +2.2% | #297 of 2,222 |
| 8Charles County, MD | 70 | 78 | 12.8 | $3.9M | +5.9% | #359 of 2,222 |
| 9Montgomery County, MD | 69 | 388 | 10.0 | $5.3M | +1.3% | #383 of 2,222 |
| 10St. Mary’s County, MD | 69 | 50 | 11.8 | $4.2M | +2.4% | #392 of 2,222 |
Other business types in Carroll County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes73
- Sit-down restaurants74
- Fast food and sandwich shops72
- Pizza67
- Coffee shops and cafes79
- Bakeries and dessert shops69
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 Carroll County, MD?
As of September 2026, map listings count 62 fast food and sandwich shops in Carroll County. 53 of them (85%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 131 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 3.2% 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 24 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Carroll County, MD spend on food away from home?
About $315.7M a year, or $4,910 per household. That is 21% above the U.S. average (an index of 121, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 62 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $5.1M 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 64,285 households in Carroll County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Carroll County, MD compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Carroll County has 9.6 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 28% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $5.1M, 67% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Carroll County would have about 104, against 62 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 491 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 3.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Carroll County, MD growing?
Population estimates put Carroll County at 176,677 people in 2025, up 2.2% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 64,285 households. Median household income in Carroll County is $118,211, 46% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 22.2%, 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. Carroll County scores 72 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #297 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Carroll 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 Carroll County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Carroll 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 Carroll 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.