Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Michigan

Fast food and sandwich shops in Muskegon County, MI

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 48 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,214 of 2,222 scored counties
#47 of 72 scored counties in Michigan

Listings
82
71 chain locations (87%)
Official establishments
129
All limited-service restaurants · +5.7% since 2019
Household spending a year
$236.1M
On food away from home · $3,486 a household
Spending per listing
$2.9M
6% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
12.1
9% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
177,901
+1.8% since 2020

See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Muskegon 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 Muskegon 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

Household spending on food away from home in Muskegon County comes to about $236.1M a year: $3,486 per household, 14% below the U.S. average. That works out to $2.9M per shop, 6% below 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 82 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in Muskegon County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 87% of them, against 79% across the U.S. That is 12.1 per 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.

In 2023, official counts showed 129 businesses with payroll in Muskegon County classed as limited-service restaurants, up 5.7% from 2019. That is one for every 525 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. Official counts list 12 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $730K have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Muskegon County.

Population estimates show Muskegon County grew 1.8% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops in Muskegon County is 48 (lower middle), #1,214 of 2,222 scored counties and #47 of 72 scored counties in Michigan.

How Muskegon 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 Muskegon County, MI compared with Michigan and the U.S.
MeasureMuskegon CountyMichiganU.S.
Listings per 10k households12.112.813.3
Spending per listing$2.9M$3M$3.1M
Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants)525514478
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+5.7%+7.8%+6.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+1.8%+0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,486$3,875$4,070
Median household income$65,024$72,875$80,734
Groundwork market score4844

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
122 → 129All limited-service restaurants · +5.7% over the period
Employees, 2023
2,333
Annual payroll, 2023
$49.8M
One-person businesses, 2023
12All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
8271 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
77The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
3
Amount
$730K

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

Population, 2025 estimate
177,901+1.8% since 2020
Households
67,732
Median age
40.6
Homes lived in by their owners
78%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
504 sq. mi.
People per square mile
349
Median household income
$65,024+27.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$81,950
Median home value
$198,300
Jobs located here
56,600
Daytime population
160,507Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Muskegon 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 Muskegon 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 Muskegon 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
47Muskegon County, MI488212.1$2.9M+1.8%#1,214 of 2,222

Other business types in Muskegon 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 Muskegon County, MI?

As of September 2026, map listings count 82 fast food and sandwich shops in Muskegon County. 71 of them (87%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 129 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 5.7% 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 also show 12 one-person businesses without payroll.

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

About $236.1M a year, or $3,486 per household. That is 14% below the U.S. average (an index of 86, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 82 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $2.9M 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 67,732 households in Muskegon County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Muskegon County has 12.1 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2.9M, 6% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Muskegon County would have about 77, against 82 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 525 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.

How fast is Muskegon County, MI growing?

Population estimates put Muskegon County at 177,901 people in 2025, up 1.8% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 67,732 households. Median household income in Muskegon County is $65,024, 19% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 27.9%, 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. Muskegon County scores 48 for fast food and sandwich shops (lower middle), #1,214 of 2,222 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Muskegon 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 Muskegon 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.