Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Maryland

Fast food and sandwich shops in Kent County, MD

The fast food and sandwich shops in Kent County, MD, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 81 out of 100: High

Ranked #111 of 2,222 scored counties
#1 of 24 scored counties in Maryland

Listings
7
4 chain locations (57%)
Official establishments
10
All limited-service restaurants
Household spending a year
$33.2M
On food away from home · $3,904 a household
Spending per listing
$4.7M
55% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
8.2
38% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
19,565
+2.3% since 2020

See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Kent 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 Kent County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

Kent County scores 81 (high) on the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, ranking #111 of 2,222 scored counties and #1 of 24 scored counties in Maryland. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for fast food and sandwich shops.

As of September 2026, map listings count 7 fast food and sandwich shops in Kent County. 4 of them (57%) are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 8.2, 38% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.

Household spending on food away from home in Kent County comes to about $33.2M a year: $3,904 per household, 4% below the U.S. average. That works out to $4.7M per shop, 55% 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.

Official counts show 10 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Kent County in 2023. That is one for every 849 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. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $50K has gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Kent County. Population estimates show Kent County grew 2.3% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How Kent 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.

Fast food and sandwich shops in Kent County, MD compared with Maryland and the U.S.
MeasureKent CountyMarylandU.S.
Listings per 10k households8.212.113.3
Spending per listing$4.7M$3.8M$3.1M
Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants)849431478
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a−0.1%+6.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+2.3%+1.4%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,904$4,604$4,070
Median household income$80,147$103,678$80,734
Groundwork market score8158

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
12 → 10All limited-service restaurants
Employees, 2023
153
Annual payroll, 2023
$3.9M
One-person businesses, 2023
4All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
74 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
11The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$50K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Kent 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 Kent County

Population, 2025 estimate
19,565+2.3% since 2020
Households
8,493
Median age
47.0
Homes lived in by their owners
73%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
277 sq. mi.
People per square mile
70
Median household income
$80,147+36.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$106,060
Median home value
$330,900
Jobs located here
7,746
Daytime population
19,068Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Kent 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 Kent County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Fast 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 Kent County marked.

Top counties in Maryland

Counties in Maryland ranked for fast food and sandwich shops by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Kent County, MD8178.2$4.7M+2.3%#111 of 2,222
2Frederick County, MD7811410.9$4.6M+11.0%#159 of 2,222
3Queen Anne’s County, MD782311.6$4.2M+8.8%#166 of 2,222
4Harford County, MD74989.6$4.9M+2.0%#240 of 2,222
5Cecil County, MD744511.1$3.8M+3.2%#253 of 2,222
6Calvert County, MD72319.3$5.7M+1.7%#293 of 2,222
7Carroll County, MD72629.6$5.1M+2.2%#297 of 2,222
8Charles County, MD707812.8$3.9M+5.9%#359 of 2,222
9Montgomery County, MD6938810.0$5.3M+1.3%#383 of 2,222
10St. Mary’s County, MD695011.8$4.2M+2.4%#392 of 2,222

Other business types in Kent County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many fast food and sandwich shops are in Kent County, MD?

Kent County has 7 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 4 of them (57%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 10 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Another 4 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in Kent County, MD spend on food away from home?

About $33.2M a year, or $3,904 per household. That is 4% below the U.S. average (an index of 96, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 7 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $4.7M 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 8,493 households in Kent County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Kent County, MD compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?

Kent County has 8.2 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 38% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $4.7M, 55% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Kent County would have about 11, against 7 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 849 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S.

How fast is Kent County, MD growing?

Population estimates put Kent County at 19,565 people in 2025, up 2.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 8,493 households. The median household income in Kent County is $80,147 a year, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 36.8% 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. Kent County scores 81 for fast food and sandwich shops (high), #111 of 2,222 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Kent 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 Kent County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Kent 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 Kent 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.