Food and drink · County · Massachusetts
Fast food and sandwich shops in Middlesex County, MA
The fast food and sandwich shops in Middlesex County, MA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 77 out of 100: High
Ranked #176 of 2,222 scored counties
#5 of 14 scored counties in Massachusetts
- Listings
- 478
- 285 chain locations (60%)
- Official establishments
- 1,226
- All limited-service restaurants · −9.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $3.3B
- On food away from home · $5,261 a household
- Spending per listing
- $7M
- 2.3 times the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.5
- 44% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,669,979
- +2.8% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Middlesex 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 Middlesex 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
Middlesex County scores 77 (high) on the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, ranking #176 of 2,222 scored counties and #5 of 14 scored counties in Massachusetts. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for fast food and sandwich shops.
As of September 2026, map listings count 478 fast food and sandwich shops in Middlesex County. 285 of them (60%) are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. That comes to 7.5 for every 10,000 households, 44% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.
At $5,261 per household (29% above the U.S. average), households in Middlesex County spend about $3.3B a year on food away from home. Spread across 478 fast food and sandwich shops, that is $7M per shop, 2.3 times 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 1,226 businesses with payroll in Middlesex County classed as limited-service restaurants, down 9.1% from 2019. That is one for every 517 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, 52 SBA-backed loans worth $17.9M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Middlesex County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Middlesex County grew 2.8%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Middlesex County 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 | Middlesex County | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.5 | 8.8 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $7M | $5.3M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 517 | 522 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −9.1% | −1.3% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.8% | +2.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $5,261 | $4,685 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $130,847 | $103,960 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 77 | 81 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 1,349 → 1,226All limited-service restaurants · −9.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 15,276
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $420.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 236All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 478285 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,094The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 52
- Amount
- $17.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Middlesex 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 Middlesex County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,669,979+2.8% since 2020
- Households
- 634,215
- Median age
- 40.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 61%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 818 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 2,003
- Median household income
- $130,847+27.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $178,065
- Median home value
- $727,800
- Jobs located here
- 949,767
- Daytime population
- 1,753,217Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Middlesex 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 Middlesex 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 Massachusetts
Every Massachusetts market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Massachusetts for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in Massachusetts, with Middlesex County marked.
Top counties in Massachusetts
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Hampshire County, MA | 84 | 52 | 8.4 | $5M | +10.4% | #73 of 2,222 |
| 2Plymouth County, MA | 81 | 174 | 8.6 | $5.7M | +3.5% | #104 of 2,222 |
| 3Worcester County, MA | 78 | 300 | 8.9 | $5M | +3.7% | #157 of 2,222 |
| 4Franklin County, MA | 77 | 17 | 5.4 | $7M | −0.3% | #175 of 2,222 |
| 5Middlesex County, MA | 77 | 478 | 7.5 | $7M | +2.8% | #176 of 2,222 |
| 6Norfolk County, MA | 76 | 230 | 8.1 | $6.5M | +2.2% | #197 of 2,222 |
| 7Bristol County, MA | 74 | 219 | 9.4 | $4.4M | +2.9% | #246 of 2,222 |
| 8Essex County, MA | 73 | 246 | 7.9 | $5.9M | +2.3% | #267 of 2,222 |
| 9Barnstable County, MA | 69 | 114 | 10.8 | $4.2M | +2.4% | #393 of 2,222 |
| 10Nantucket County, MA | 65 | 7 | 13.3 | $4.2M | +3.6% | #539 of 2,222 |
Other business types in Middlesex County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes65
- Sit-down restaurants62
- Fast food and sandwich shops77
- Pizza66
- Coffee shops and cafes55
- Bakeries and dessert shops57
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 Middlesex County, MA?
Middlesex County has 478 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 285 of them (60%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 1,226 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, down 9.1% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Another 236 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Middlesex County, MA spend on food away from home?
About $3.3B a year, or $5,261 per household. That is 29% above the U.S. average (an index of 129, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 478 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $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 634,215 households in Middlesex County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Middlesex County, MA compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Middlesex County has 7.5 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 44% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $7M, 2.3 times the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Middlesex County would have about 1,094, against 478 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 517 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count fell 9.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Middlesex County, MA growing?
Population estimates put Middlesex County at 1,669,979 people in 2025, up 2.8% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 634,215 households. The median household income in Middlesex County is $130,847 a year, 62% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 27.5% 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. Middlesex County scores 77 for fast food and sandwich shops (high), #176 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Middlesex 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 Middlesex County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Middlesex 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 Middlesex 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.