Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Michigan

Fast food and sandwich shops in Eaton County, MI

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for fast food and sandwich shops in Eaton County, MI, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 49 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,172 of 2,222 scored counties
#45 of 72 scored counties in Michigan

Listings
58
52 chain locations (90%)
Official establishments
100
All limited-service restaurants · +12.4% since 2019
Household spending a year
$177.7M
On food away from home · $3,912 a household
Spending per listing
$3.1M
In line with the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
12.8
4% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
109,581
+0.4% since 2020

See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Eaton 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 Eaton County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey 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 58 fast food and sandwich shops in Eaton County. Chain locations make up 90% of them, against 79% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 12.8, 4% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.

Household spending on food away from home in Eaton County comes to about $177.7M a year: $3,912 per household, 4% below the U.S. average. Spread across 58 fast food and sandwich shops, that is $3.1M per shop, in line with 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 100 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Eaton County in 2023, up 12.4% from 2019. That is one for every 454 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. Official counts also show 19 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $1.5M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Eaton County.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Eaton County grew 0.4%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops in Eaton County is 49 (lower middle), #1,172 of 2,222 scored counties and #45 of 72 scored counties in Michigan.

How Eaton 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.

Fast food and sandwich shops in Eaton County, MI compared with Michigan and the U.S.
MeasureEaton CountyMichiganU.S.
Listings per 10k households12.812.813.3
Spending per listing$3.1M$3M$3.1M
Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants)454514478
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+12.4%+7.8%+6.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+0.4%+0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,912$3,875$4,070
Median household income$79,597$72,875$80,734
Groundwork market score4944

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
89 → 100All limited-service restaurants · +12.4% over the period
Employees, 2023
1,987
Annual payroll, 2023
$34.7M
One-person businesses, 2023
19All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
5852 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
58The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
4
Amount
$1.5M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Eaton 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 Eaton County

Population, 2025 estimate
109,581+0.4% since 2020
Households
45,428
Median age
42.3
Homes lived in by their owners
74%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
575 sq. mi.
People per square mile
190
Median household income
$79,597+23.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$96,970
Median home value
$216,900
Jobs located here
46,164
Daytime population
108,771Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Eaton 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 Eaton County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Fast 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 Eaton County marked.

Top counties in Michigan

Counties in Michigan ranked for fast food and sandwich shops by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Barry County, MI85124.9$8M+2.2%#49 of 2,222
2Antrim County, MI8565.4$6.9M+5.3%#50 of 2,222
3Leelanau County, MI8488.3$5.5M+3.0%#68 of 2,222
4Cass County, MI8094.2$9M+0.2%#116 of 2,222
5Clinton County, MI79299.2$4.6M+1.6%#145 of 2,222
6Kalkaska County, MI7867.7$4.5M+4.3%#160 of 2,222
7Oceana County, MI7765.8$6M+1.7%#177 of 2,222
8Livingston County, MI777910.3$4.6M+1.7%#187 of 2,222
9Ottawa County, MI7711810.6$4.1M+3.9%#192 of 2,222
10Newaygo County, MI75157.6$4.5M+3.1%#221 of 2,222
45Eaton County, MI495812.8$3.1M+0.4%#1,172 of 2,222

Other business types in Eaton County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many fast food and sandwich shops are in Eaton County, MI?

Eaton County has 58 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 52 of them (90%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 100 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 12.4% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Another 19 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in Eaton County, MI spend on food away from home?

About $177.7M a year, or $3,912 per household. That is 4% below the U.S. average (an index of 96, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 58 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $3.1M 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 45,428 households in Eaton County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Eaton County, MI compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?

Eaton County has 12.8 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 4% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $3.1M, in line with the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 454 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 12.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.

How fast is Eaton County, MI growing?

Population estimates put Eaton County at 109,581 people in 2025, up 0.4% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 45,428 households. The median household income in Eaton County is $79,597 a year, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.7% 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. Eaton County scores 49 for fast food and sandwich shops (lower middle), #1,172 of 2,222 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Eaton 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 Eaton County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Eaton 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 Eaton 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.