Food and drink · County · Michigan
Fast food and sandwich shops in Alpena County, MI
The fast food and sandwich shops in Alpena County, MI, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 45 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,335 of 2,222 scored counties
#55 of 72 scored counties 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 Alpena 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 Alpena 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 15 fast food and sandwich shops in Alpena County. Chain locations make up 87% of them, against 79% across the U.S. That comes to 11.5 for every 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.
At $3,252 per household (20% below the U.S. average), households in Alpena County spend about $42.3M a year on food away from home. Spread across 15 fast food and sandwich shops, that is $2.8M per shop, 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.
In 2023, official counts showed 21 businesses with payroll in Alpena County classed as limited-service restaurants, 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.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Alpena County declined 0.1%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops in Alpena County is 45 (lower middle), #1,335 of 2,222 scored counties and #55 of 72 scored counties in Michigan.
How Alpena County 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 County | 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 | 45 | 44 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 21 → 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 Alpena 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 Alpena County
- 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 Alpena 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 Alpena 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 Michigan
Every Michigan market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Michigan for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in Michigan, with Alpena County marked.
Top counties in Michigan
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Barry County, MI | 85 | 12 | 4.9 | $8M | +2.2% | #49 of 2,222 |
| 2Antrim County, MI | 85 | 6 | 5.4 | $6.9M | +5.3% | #50 of 2,222 |
| 3Leelanau County, MI | 84 | 8 | 8.3 | $5.5M | +3.0% | #68 of 2,222 |
| 4Cass County, MI | 80 | 9 | 4.2 | $9M | +0.2% | #116 of 2,222 |
| 5Clinton County, MI | 79 | 29 | 9.2 | $4.6M | +1.6% | #145 of 2,222 |
| 6Kalkaska County, MI | 78 | 6 | 7.7 | $4.5M | +4.3% | #160 of 2,222 |
| 7Oceana County, MI | 77 | 6 | 5.8 | $6M | +1.7% | #177 of 2,222 |
| 8Livingston County, MI | 77 | 79 | 10.3 | $4.6M | +1.7% | #187 of 2,222 |
| 9Ottawa County, MI | 77 | 118 | 10.6 | $4.1M | +3.9% | #192 of 2,222 |
| 10Newaygo County, MI | 75 | 15 | 7.6 | $4.5M | +3.1% | #221 of 2,222 |
| 55Alpena County, MI | 45 | 15 | 11.5 | $2.8M | −0.1% | #1,335 of 2,222 |
Other business types in Alpena County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes39
- Sit-down restaurants38
- Fast food and sandwich shops45
- Pizza44
- Coffee shops and cafes45
- Bakeries and dessert shops48
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 Alpena County, MI?
There are 15 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in Alpena County 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 Alpena County, MI 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 Alpena County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Alpena County, MI compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Alpena County 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, Alpena County 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 Alpena County, MI growing?
Population estimates put Alpena County 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 Alpena County 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. 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. Alpena County scores 45 for fast food and sandwich shops (lower middle), #1,335 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Alpena 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 Alpena County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Alpena 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 Alpena 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.