Food and drink · County · Michigan
Fast food and sandwich shops in Iron County, MI
The fast food and sandwich shops in Iron County, MI, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 60 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #736 of 2,222 scored counties
#27 of 72 scored counties in Michigan
- Listings
- 5
- 4 chain locations (80%)
- Official establishments
- 7
- All limited-service restaurants
- Household spending a year
- $17.7M
- On food away from home · $3,197 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.5M
- 16% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 9.0
- 32% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 11,757
- +1.1% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Iron 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 Iron 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
Households in Iron County spend about $17.7M a year on food away from home, or $3,197 per household, 21% below the U.S. average. That works out to $3.5M per shop, 16% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only fast food and sandwich shops.
Iron County has 5 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 4 are chain locations, or 80%, against 79% across the U.S. That is 9.0 per 10,000 households, 32% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Iron County was 7 in 2023. That is one for every 792 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.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Iron County grew 1.1%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Iron County scores 60 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, ranking #736 of 2,222 scored counties and #27 of 72 scored counties in Michigan.
How Iron 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 | Iron County | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 9.0 | 12.8 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $3.5M | $3M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 792 | 514 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +7.8% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.1% | +0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,197 | $3,875 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $55,940 | $72,875 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 60 | 44 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 7 → 7All limited-service restaurants
- Employees, 2023
- 64
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 54 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 6The 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 Iron 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 Iron County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 11,757+1.1% since 2020
- Households
- 5,547
- Median age
- 52.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 85%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 1,166 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 10
- Median household income
- $55,940+34.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $71,732
- Median home value
- $109,100
- Jobs located here
- 3,223
- Daytime population
- 10,732Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Iron 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 Iron 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 Iron 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 |
| 27Iron County, MI | 60 | 5 | 9.0 | $3.5M | +1.1% | #736 of 2,222 |
Other business types in Iron County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes46
- Sit-down restaurants37
- Fast food and sandwich shops60
- Pizza
- Coffee shops and cafes
- Bakeries and dessert shops
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 Iron County, MI?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 5 fast food and sandwich shops in Iron County. 4 of them (80%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 7 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023. The official count takes in all limited-service restaurants, not only fast food and sandwich shops: pizza places are counted too.
How much do households in Iron County, MI spend on food away from home?
About $17.7M a year, or $3,197 per household. That is 21% below the U.S. average (an index of 79, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 5 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $3.5M 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 5,547 households in Iron County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Iron County, MI compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Iron County has 9.0 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 32% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $3.5M, 16% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Iron County would have about 6, against 5 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 792 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S.
How fast is Iron County, MI growing?
Population estimates put Iron County at 11,757 people in 2025, up 1.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 5,547 households. Median household income in Iron County is $55,940, 31% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 34.5%, 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. Iron County scores 60 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #736 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Iron 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 Iron County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Iron 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 Iron 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.