Food and drink · County · Maryland
Fast food and sandwich shops in Dorchester County, MD
How Dorchester 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 43 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,421 of 2,222 scored counties
#18 of 24 scored counties in Maryland
- Listings
- 23
- 17 chain locations (74%)
- Official establishments
- 23
- All limited-service restaurants · 0.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $47.1M
- On food away from home · $3,474 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2M
- 33% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 17.0
- 28% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 33,628
- +3.4% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Dorchester 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 Dorchester 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 $3,474 per household (15% below the U.S. average), households in Dorchester County spend about $47.1M a year on food away from home. That is about $2M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 33% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only fast food and sandwich shops.
Dorchester County has 23 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 74% of them, against 79% across the U.S. That comes to 17.0 for every 10,000 households, 28% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.
Official counts show 23 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Dorchester County in 2023, unchanged from 2019. That is one for every 589 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 5 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $170K has gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Dorchester County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Dorchester County grew 3.4%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops in Dorchester County is 43 (lower middle), #1,421 of 2,222 scored counties and #18 of 24 scored counties in Maryland.
How Dorchester 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 | Dorchester County | Maryland | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 17.0 | 12.1 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $2M | $3.8M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 589 | 431 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | 0.0% | −0.1% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.4% | +1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,474 | $4,604 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $61,839 | $103,678 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 43 | 58 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 23 → 23All limited-service restaurants · 0.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 370
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $6.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 5All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 2317 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 15The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $170K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Dorchester 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 Dorchester County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 33,628+3.4% since 2020
- Households
- 13,546
- Median age
- 43.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 541 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 61
- Median household income
- $61,839+16.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $84,771
- Median home value
- $262,400
- Jobs located here
- 12,352
- Daytime population
- 29,247Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Dorchester 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 Dorchester 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 Dorchester 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 |
| 18Dorchester County, MD | 43 | 23 | 17.0 | $2M | +3.4% | #1,421 of 2,222 |
Other business types in Dorchester County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes48
- Sit-down restaurants46
- Fast food and sandwich shops43
- Pizza60
- Coffee shops and cafes70
- Bakeries and dessert shops71
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 Dorchester County, MD?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 23 fast food and sandwich shops in Dorchester County. 17 of them (74%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 23 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. Official counts list 5 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Dorchester County, MD spend on food away from home?
About $47.1M a year, or $3,474 per household. That is 15% below the U.S. average (an index of 85, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 23 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $2M 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 13,546 households in Dorchester County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Dorchester County, MD compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Dorchester County has 17.0 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 28% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2M, 33% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Dorchester County would have about 15, against 23 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 589 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 Dorchester County, MD growing?
Population estimates put Dorchester County at 33,628 people in 2025, up 3.4% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 13,546 households. Median household income in Dorchester County is $61,839, 23% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 16.9%, 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. Dorchester County scores 43 for fast food and sandwich shops (lower middle), #1,421 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Dorchester 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 Dorchester County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Dorchester 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 Dorchester 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.