Food and drink · County · Maryland
Fast food and sandwich shops in Cecil County, MD
How Cecil County, MD 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 74 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #253 of 2,222 scored counties
#5 of 24 scored counties in Maryland
- Listings
- 45
- 28 chain locations (62%)
- Official establishments
- 68
- All limited-service restaurants · 0.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $170.6M
- On food away from home · $4,202 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.8M
- 24% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.1
- 17% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 107,131
- +3.2% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Cecil 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 Cecil 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 $4,202 per household (3% above the U.S. average), households in Cecil County spend about $170.6M a year on food away from home. That works out to $3.8M per shop, 24% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only fast food and sandwich shops.
Cecil County has 45 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 28 are chain locations, or 62%, against 79% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 11.1, 17% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.
In 2023, official counts showed 68 businesses with payroll in Cecil County classed as limited-service restaurants, unchanged from 2019. That is one for every 597 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. Official counts also show 20 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $803K have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Cecil County.
Population estimates put the population change in Cecil County from 2020 to 2025 at +3.2%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops in Cecil County is 74 (upper middle), #253 of 2,222 scored counties and #5 of 24 scored counties in Maryland. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Cecil 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 | Cecil County | Maryland | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 11.1 | 12.1 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $3.8M | $3.8M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 597 | 431 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | 0.0% | −0.1% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.2% | +1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,202 | $4,604 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $92,007 | $103,678 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 74 | 58 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 68 → 68All limited-service restaurants · 0.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,498
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $31M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 20All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4528 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 56The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $803K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Cecil 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 Cecil County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 107,131+3.2% since 2020
- Households
- 40,595
- Median age
- 42.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 75%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 346 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 303
- Median household income
- $92,007+19.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $112,022
- Median home value
- $343,400
- Jobs located here
- 32,838
- Daytime population
- 90,110Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Cecil 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 Cecil 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 Cecil 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 Cecil County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes76
- Sit-down restaurants74
- Fast food and sandwich shops74
- Pizza66
- Coffee shops and cafes78
- Bakeries and dessert shops80
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 Cecil County, MD?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 45 fast food and sandwich shops in Cecil County. 28 of them (62%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 68 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, unchanged from 2019. The official count takes in all limited-service restaurants, not only fast food and sandwich shops: pizza places are counted too. Another 20 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Cecil County, MD spend on food away from home?
About $170.6M a year, or $4,202 per household. That is 3% above the U.S. average (an index of 103, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 45 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $3.8M 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 40,595 households in Cecil County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Cecil County, MD compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Cecil County has 11.1 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 17% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $3.8M, 24% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Cecil County would have about 56, against 45 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 597 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count held level from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Cecil County, MD growing?
Population estimates put Cecil County at 107,131 people in 2025, up 3.2% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 40,595 households. Median household income in Cecil County is $92,007, 14% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 19.7%, 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. Cecil County scores 74 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #253 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Cecil 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 Cecil County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Cecil 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 Cecil 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.