Food and drink · County · Maryland
Fast food and sandwich shops in Montgomery County, MD
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for fast food and sandwich shops in Montgomery County, MD, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 69 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #383 of 2,222 scored counties
#9 of 24 scored counties in Maryland
- Listings
- 388
- 273 chain locations (70%)
- Official establishments
- 844
- All limited-service restaurants · −1.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $2B
- On food away from home · $5,254 a household
- Spending per listing
- $5.3M
- 73% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 10.0
- 25% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,074,582
- +1.3% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Montgomery 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 Montgomery 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 $5,254 per household (29% above the U.S. average), households in Montgomery County spend about $2B a year on food away from home. That is about $5.3M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 73% 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 388 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in Montgomery County as of September 2026. 273 of them (70%) are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. That comes to 10.0 for every 10,000 households, 25% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.
In 2023, official counts showed 844 businesses with payroll in Montgomery County classed as limited-service restaurants, down 1.3% from 2019. That is one for every 461 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 202 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 22 SBA-backed loans worth $6M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Montgomery County.
Population estimates show Montgomery County grew 1.3% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For fast food and sandwich shops, Montgomery County has a Groundwork market score of 69 (upper middle): #383 of 2,222 scored counties and #9 of 24 scored counties in Maryland. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Montgomery 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 | Montgomery County | Maryland | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 10.0 | 12.1 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $5.3M | $3.8M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 461 | 431 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −1.3% | −0.1% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.3% | +1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $5,254 | $4,604 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $132,450 | $103,678 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 69 | 58 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 855 → 844All limited-service restaurants · −1.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 13,894
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $342M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 202All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 388273 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 670The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 22
- Amount
- $6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Montgomery 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 Montgomery County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,074,582+1.3% since 2020
- Households
- 389,210
- Median age
- 41.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 65%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 493 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 2,162
- Median household income
- $132,450+21.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $181,353
- Median home value
- $640,300
- Jobs located here
- 491,378
- Daytime population
- 1,073,010Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Montgomery 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 Montgomery 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 Montgomery 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 Montgomery County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes69
- Sit-down restaurants68
- Fast food and sandwich shops69
- Pizza69
- Coffee shops and cafes72
- 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 Montgomery County, MD?
As of September 2026, map listings count 388 fast food and sandwich shops in Montgomery County. 273 of them (70%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 844 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, down 1.3% 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 202 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Montgomery County, MD spend on food away from home?
About $2B a year, or $5,254 per household. That is 29% above the U.S. average (an index of 129, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 388 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $5.3M 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 389,210 households in Montgomery County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Montgomery County, MD compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Montgomery County has 10.0 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 25% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $5.3M, 73% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Montgomery County would have about 670, against 388 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 461 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count fell 1.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Montgomery County, MD growing?
Population estimates put Montgomery County at 1,074,582 people in 2025, up 1.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 389,210 households. Median household income in Montgomery County is $132,450, 64% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 21.7%, 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. Montgomery County scores 69 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #383 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Montgomery 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 Montgomery County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Montgomery 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 Montgomery 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.