Food and drink · Small-town market · Michigan
Fast food and sandwich shops in the Alpena, MI area
How the Alpena, MI area compares with other small-town markets and the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 53 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #247 of 537 scored small-town markets
#13 of 18 scored small-town markets based in Michigan
- Listings
- 15
- 13 chain locations (87%)
- Official establishments
- 21
- All limited-service restaurants · 0.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $42.3M
- On food away from home · $3,252 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.8M
- 7% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.5
- 14% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 28,853
- −0.1% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in the Alpena 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 Alpena 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 15 fast food and sandwich shops in the Alpena area. 13 of them (87%) are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 11.5, 14% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.
Household spending on food away from home in the Alpena area comes to about $42.3M a year: $3,252 per household, 20% below the U.S. average. That is about $2.8M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 7% 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.
Official counts show 21 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in the Alpena area in 2023, unchanged from 2019. That is one for every 620 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.
Population estimates put the population change in the Alpena area from 2020 to 2025 at −0.1%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops in the Alpena area is 53 (upper middle), #247 of 537 scored small-town markets and #13 of 18 scored small-town markets based in Michigan.
How the Alpena area compares
The same measures for Michigan 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 | Alpena area | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 11.5 | 12.8 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $2.8M | $3M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 620 | 514 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | 0.0% | +7.8% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.1% | +0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,252 | $3,875 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $53,950 | $72,875 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 53 | 44 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 21All limited-service restaurants · 0.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 484
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $9.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1513 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 14The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the Alpena 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 Alpena area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 28,853−0.1% since 2020
- Households
- 13,019
- Median age
- 47.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 80%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 572 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 50
- Median household income
- $53,950+24.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $74,418
- Median home value
- $153,900
- Jobs located here
- 11,363
- Daytime population
- 29,194Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Alpena area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 Alpena 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 Michigan
Every Michigan market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Michigan for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in Michigan (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Alpena area marked.
Top small-town markets in Michigan
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Holland, MI | 82 | 50 | 11.0 | $3.7M | +2.1% | #20 of 537 |
| 2Coldwater, MI | 74 | 17 | 10.1 | $3.4M | +2.5% | #60 of 537 |
| 3Hillsdale, MI | 73 | 17 | 9.5 | $3.7M | 0.0% | #67 of 537 |
| 4Houghton, MI | 70 | 16 | 10.4 | $3.4M | +1.8% | #87 of 537 |
| 5Adrian, MI | 68 | 36 | 9.3 | $4M | −1.6% | #99 of 537 |
| 6Sturgis, MI | 66 | 29 | 12.3 | $2.8M | +0.1% | #125 of 537 |
| Marinette, WI-MI | 63 | 34 | 11.6 | $2.9M | +0.3% | #151 of 537 |
| 7Ludington, MI | 59 | 13 | 10.2 | $3.5M | 0.0% | #185 of 537 |
| 8Marquette, MI | 59 | 41 | 14.5 | $2.4M | +2.3% | #193 of 537 |
| 9Alma, MI | 58 | 16 | 10.8 | $3.2M | −1.1% | #200 of 537 |
| 13Alpena, MI | 53 | 15 | 11.5 | $2.8M | −0.1% | #247 of 537 |
Other business types in the Alpena area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes49
- Sit-down restaurants44
- Fast food and sandwich shops53
- Pizza50
- Coffee shops and cafes50
- Bakeries and dessert shops51
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 Alpena, MI area?
The Alpena area has 15 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 13 of them (87%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 21 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, unchanged from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops.
How much do households in the Alpena, MI area spend on food away from home?
About $42.3M a year, or $3,252 per household. That is 20% below the U.S. average (an index of 80, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 15 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $2.8M 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 13,019 households in the Alpena area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Alpena, MI area compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
The Alpena area has 11.5 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2.8M, 7% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, the Alpena area would have about 14, against 15 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 620 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count held level from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Alpena, MI area growing?
Population estimates put the Alpena area at 28,853 people in 2025, down 0.1% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 13,019 households. The median household income in the Alpena area is $53,950 a year, 33% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 24.4% 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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 Alpena area scores 53 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #247 of 537 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Alpena 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 Alpena area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Alpena 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 Alpena 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.