Food and drink · County · Maryland
Fast food and sandwich shops in Talbot County, MD
How Talbot 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 63 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #628 of 2,222 scored counties
#12 of 24 scored counties in Maryland
- Listings
- 23
- 19 chain locations (83%)
- Official establishments
- 28
- All limited-service restaurants · −22.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $68.6M
- On food away from home · $4,173 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3M
- 2% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 14.0
- 5% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 38,238
- +2.0% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Talbot 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 Talbot 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 23 fast food and sandwich shops in Talbot County. 19 of them (83%) are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. That comes to 14.0 for every 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.
At $4,173 per household (3% above the U.S. average), households in Talbot County spend about $68.6M a year on food away from home. Spread across 23 fast food and sandwich shops, that is $3M per shop, 2% below 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 Talbot County was 28 in 2023, down 22.2% from 2019. That is one for every 587 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 list 7 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $209K have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Talbot County.
Population estimates put the population change in Talbot County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.0%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops in Talbot County is 63 (upper middle), #628 of 2,222 scored counties and #12 of 24 scored counties in Maryland.
How Talbot 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 | Talbot County | Maryland | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 14.0 | 12.1 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $3M | $3.8M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 587 | 431 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −22.2% | −0.1% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.0% | +1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,173 | $4,604 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $84,811 | $103,678 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 63 | 58 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 36 → 28All limited-service restaurants · −22.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 571
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $11.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 7All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 2319 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 23The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $209K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Talbot 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 Talbot County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 38,238+2.0% since 2020
- Households
- 16,433
- Median age
- 50.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 75%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 269 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 141
- Median household income
- $84,811+15.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $126,276
- Median home value
- $409,700
- Jobs located here
- 17,017
- Daytime population
- 37,878Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Talbot 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 Talbot 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 Talbot 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 |
| 12Talbot County, MD | 63 | 23 | 14.0 | $3M | +2.0% | #628 of 2,222 |
Other business types in Talbot County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes35
- Sit-down restaurants34
- Fast food and sandwich shops63
- Pizza60
- Coffee shops and cafes37
- Bakeries and dessert shops40
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 Talbot County, MD?
There are 23 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in Talbot County as of September 2026. 19 of them (83%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 28 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, down 22.2% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Official counts also show 7 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Talbot County, MD spend on food away from home?
About $68.6M a year, or $4,173 per household. That is 3% above the U.S. average (an index of 103, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 23 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $3M 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 16,433 households in Talbot County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Talbot County, MD compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Talbot County has 14.0 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $3M, 2% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 587 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count fell 22.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Talbot County, MD growing?
Population estimates put Talbot County at 38,238 people in 2025, up 2.0% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 16,433 households. The median household income in Talbot County is $84,811 a year, 5% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 15.3% 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. Talbot County scores 63 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #628 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Talbot 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 Talbot County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Talbot 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 Talbot 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.