Food and drink · County · Maryland
Fast food and sandwich shops in Harford County, MD
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for fast food and sandwich shops in Harford County, MD, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 74 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #240 of 2,222 scored counties
#4 of 24 scored counties in Maryland
- Listings
- 98
- 76 chain locations (78%)
- Official establishments
- 192
- All limited-service restaurants · +12.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $480.4M
- On food away from home · $4,719 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.9M
- 61% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 9.6
- 28% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 266,446
- +2.0% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Harford 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 Harford 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 98 fast food and sandwich shops in Harford County. 76 of them (78%) are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 9.6, 28% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.
Households in Harford County spend about $480.4M a year on food away from home, or $4,719 per household, 16% above the U.S. average. Spread across 98 fast food and sandwich shops, that is $4.9M per shop, 61% above 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.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Harford County was 192 in 2023, up 12.3% from 2019. That is one for every 530 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. Official counts also show 55 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 11 SBA-backed loans worth $3M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Harford County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Harford County grew 2.0%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops in Harford County is 74 (upper middle), #240 of 2,222 scored counties and #4 of 24 scored counties in Maryland. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Harford 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 | Harford County | Maryland | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 9.6 | 12.1 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $4.9M | $3.8M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 530 | 431 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +12.3% | −0.1% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.0% | +1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,719 | $4,604 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $112,265 | $103,678 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 74 | 58 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 171 → 192All limited-service restaurants · +12.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 3,920
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $82M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 55All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 9876 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 158The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 11
- Amount
- $3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Harford 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 Harford County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 266,446+2.0% since 2020
- Households
- 101,795
- Median age
- 41.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 80%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 437 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 603
- Median household income
- $112,265+25.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $133,186
- Median home value
- $386,400
- Jobs located here
- 87,506
- Daytime population
- 226,500Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Harford 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 Harford 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 Harford 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 Harford County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes78
- Sit-down restaurants82
- Fast food and sandwich shops74
- Pizza71
- Coffee shops and cafes79
- Bakeries and dessert shops67
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 Harford County, MD?
Harford County has 98 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 76 of them (78%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 192 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 12.3% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Another 55 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Harford County, MD spend on food away from home?
About $480.4M a year, or $4,719 per household. That is 16% above the U.S. average (an index of 116, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 98 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $4.9M 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 101,795 households in Harford County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Harford County, MD compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Harford 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 $4.9M, 61% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Harford County would have about 158, against 98 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 530 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 12.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Harford County, MD growing?
Population estimates put Harford County at 266,446 people in 2025, up 2.0% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 101,795 households. The median household income in Harford County is $112,265 a year, 39% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 25.9% from the 2015–2019 survey, 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. Harford County scores 74 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #240 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Harford 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 Harford County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Harford 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 Harford 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.