Food and drink · Metro area · Massachusetts
Fast food and sandwich shops in the Amherst Town-Northampton, MA metro area
The fast food and sandwich shops in the Amherst Town-Northampton, MA metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 91 out of 100: Very high
Ranked #2 of 387 scored metro areas
#1 of 6 scored metro areas based in Massachusetts
- Listings
- 52
- 40 chain locations (77%)
- Official establishments
- 106
- All limited-service restaurants · +7.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $261.5M
- On food away from home · $4,210 a household
- Spending per listing
- $5M
- 65% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 8.4
- 37% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 164,065
- +10.4% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in the Amherst Town-Northampton metro area
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 the Amherst Town-Northampton metro area. 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
The Amherst Town-Northampton metro area scores 91 (very high) on the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, ranking #2 of 387 scored metro areas and #1 of 6 scored metro areas based in Massachusetts. That puts it in the top 10% of metro areas for fast food and sandwich shops.
As of September 2026, map listings count 52 fast food and sandwich shops in the Amherst Town-Northampton metro area. 40 of them (77%) are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. That is 8.4 per 10,000 households, 37% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.
Household spending on food away from home in the Amherst Town-Northampton metro area comes to about $261.5M a year: $4,210 per household, 3% above the U.S. average. That works out to $5M per shop, 65% 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.
In 2023, official counts showed 106 businesses with payroll in the Amherst Town-Northampton metro area classed as limited-service restaurants, up 7.1% from 2019. That is one for every 586 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, 8 SBA-backed loans worth $4M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the Amherst Town-Northampton metro area. Population estimates show the Amherst Town-Northampton metro area grew 10.4% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Amherst Town-Northampton metro area compares
The same measures for Massachusetts 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 | Amherst Town-Northampton metro area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 8.4 | 8.8 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $5M | $5.3M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 586 | 522 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +7.1% | −1.3% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +10.4% | +2.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,210 | $4,685 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $87,001 | $103,960 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 91 | 81 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 106All limited-service restaurants · +7.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,863
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $44.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 11All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 5240 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 86The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 8
- Amount
- $4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the Amherst Town-Northampton metro area, 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 the Amherst Town-Northampton metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 164,065+10.4% since 2020
- Households
- 62,114
- Median age
- 40.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 527 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 307
- Median household income
- $87,001
- Average household income
- $117,338
- Median home value
- $390,300
- Jobs located here
- 70,980
- Daytime population
- 165,358Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Amherst Town-Northampton metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 the Amherst Town-Northampton metro area. 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 Massachusetts
Every Massachusetts market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Massachusetts for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in Massachusetts (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Amherst Town-Northampton metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Massachusetts
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Amherst Town-Northampton, MA | 91 | 52 | 8.4 | $5M | +10.4% | #2 of 387 |
| 2Worcester, MA | 84 | 300 | 8.9 | $5M | +3.7% | #9 of 387 |
| 3Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 76 | 1,656 | 8.5 | $5.8M | +2.3% | #38 of 387 |
| Providence-Warwick, RI-MA | 72 | 658 | 9.7 | $4.3M | +2.1% | #57 of 387 |
| 4Barnstable Town, MA | 72 | 114 | 10.8 | $4.2M | +2.4% | #59 of 387 |
| 5Springfield, MA | 65 | 208 | 11.3 | $3.3M | +0.2% | #102 of 387 |
| 6Pittsfield, MA | 63 | 67 | 11.6 | $3.4M | −1.2% | #114 of 387 |
Other business types in the Amherst Town-Northampton metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes65
- Sit-down restaurants67
- Fast food and sandwich shops91
- Pizza75
- Coffee shops and cafes42
- Bakeries and dessert shops49
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 the Amherst Town-Northampton, MA metro area?
The Amherst Town-Northampton metro area has 52 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 40 of them (77%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 106 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 7.1% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Official counts also show 11 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Amherst Town-Northampton, MA metro area spend on food away from home?
About $261.5M a year, or $4,210 per household. That is 3% above the U.S. average (an index of 103, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 52 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $5M 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 62,114 households in the Amherst Town-Northampton metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Amherst Town-Northampton, MA metro area compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
The Amherst Town-Northampton metro area has 8.4 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 37% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $5M, 65% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, the Amherst Town-Northampton metro area would have about 86, against 52 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 586 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 7.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Amherst Town-Northampton, MA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Amherst Town-Northampton metro area at 164,065 people in 2025, up 10.4% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 62,114 households. The median household income in the Amherst Town-Northampton metro area is $87,001 a year, 8% above the U.S. median of $80,734.
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. The Amherst Town-Northampton metro area scores 91 for fast food and sandwich shops (very high), #2 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Amherst Town-Northampton metro area. 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 the Amherst Town-Northampton metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Amherst Town-Northampton metro area?
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 the Amherst Town-Northampton metro area. 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.