Food and drink · County · Massachusetts
Fast food and sandwich shops in Norfolk County, MA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for fast food and sandwich shops in Norfolk County, MA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 76 out of 100: High
Ranked #197 of 2,222 scored counties
#6 of 14 scored counties in Massachusetts
- Listings
- 230
- 154 chain locations (67%)
- Official establishments
- 549
- All limited-service restaurants · +6.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.5B
- On food away from home · $5,274 a household
- Spending per listing
- $6.5M
- 2.1 times the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 8.1
- 39% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 739,749
- +2.2% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Norfolk 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 Norfolk 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
Norfolk County scores 76 (high) on the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, ranking #197 of 2,222 scored counties and #6 of 14 scored counties in Massachusetts. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for fast food and sandwich shops.
At $5,274 per household (30% above the U.S. average), households in Norfolk County spend about $1.5B a year on food away from home. Spread across 230 fast food and sandwich shops, that is $6.5M per shop, 2.1 times 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 230 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in Norfolk County as of September 2026. 154 of them (67%) are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 8.1, 39% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.
In 2023, official counts showed 549 businesses with payroll in Norfolk County classed as limited-service restaurants, up 6.2% from 2019. That is one for every 516 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. Since fiscal 2022, 26 SBA-backed loans worth $9.1M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Norfolk County. Population estimates put the population change in Norfolk County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.2%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Norfolk 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 | Norfolk County | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 8.1 | 8.8 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $6.5M | $5.3M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 516 | 522 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +6.2% | −1.3% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.2% | +2.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $5,274 | $4,685 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $130,739 | $103,960 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 76 | 81 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 517 → 549All limited-service restaurants · +6.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 7,168
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $186.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 90All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 230154 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 490The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 26
- Amount
- $9.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Norfolk 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 Norfolk County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 739,749+2.2% since 2020
- Households
- 283,368
- Median age
- 41.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 396 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,843
- Median household income
- $130,739+26.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $183,022
- Median home value
- $683,900
- Jobs located here
- 369,055
- Daytime population
- 712,907Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Norfolk 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 Norfolk 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 Norfolk 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 Norfolk County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes65
- Sit-down restaurants64
- Fast food and sandwich shops76
- Pizza64
- Coffee shops and cafes53
- Bakeries and dessert shops52
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 Norfolk County, MA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 230 fast food and sandwich shops in Norfolk County. 154 of them (67%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 549 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 6.2% 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 90 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Norfolk County, MA spend on food away from home?
About $1.5B a year, or $5,274 per household. That is 30% above the U.S. average (an index of 130, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 230 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $6.5M 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 283,368 households in Norfolk County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Norfolk County, MA compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Norfolk County has 8.1 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 39% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $6.5M, 2.1 times the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Norfolk County would have about 490, against 230 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 516 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 6.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Norfolk County, MA growing?
Population estimates put Norfolk County at 739,749 people in 2025, up 2.2% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 283,368 households. Median household income in Norfolk County is $130,739, 62% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 26.6%, 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. Norfolk County scores 76 for fast food and sandwich shops (high), #197 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Norfolk 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 Norfolk County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Norfolk 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 Norfolk 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.