Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Michigan

Fast food and sandwich shops in Tuscola County, MI

How Tuscola County, MI compares with other counties and the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 56 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #902 of 2,222 scored counties
#33 of 72 scored counties in Michigan

Listings
23
20 chain locations (87%)
Official establishments
24
All limited-service restaurants · +14.3% since 2019
Household spending a year
$72.8M
On food away from home · $3,385 a household
Spending per listing
$3.2M
4% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
10.7
20% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
52,680
−1.2% since 2020

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

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

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 23 fast food and sandwich shops in Tuscola County. Of those, 20 are chain locations, or 87%, against 79% across the U.S. That is 10.7 per 10,000 households, 20% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.

At $3,385 per household (17% below the U.S. average), households in Tuscola County spend about $72.8M a year on food away from home. Spread across 23 fast food and sandwich shops, that is $3.2M per shop, 4% above 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 24 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Tuscola County in 2023, up 14.3% from 2019. That is one for every 896 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. Another 4 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

Population estimates show Tuscola County declined 1.2% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. Tuscola County scores 56 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, ranking #902 of 2,222 scored counties and #33 of 72 scored counties in Michigan.

How Tuscola 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 Tuscola County, MI compared with Michigan and the U.S.
MeasureTuscola CountyMichiganU.S.
Listings per 10k households10.712.813.3
Spending per listing$3.2M$3M$3.1M
Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants)896514478
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+14.3%+7.8%+6.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025−1.2%+0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,385$3,875$4,070
Median household income$63,811$72,875$80,734
Groundwork market score5644

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
21 → 24All limited-service restaurants · +14.3% over the period
Employees, 2023
474
Annual payroll, 2023
$8.1M
One-person businesses, 2023
4All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
2320 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
24The 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 Tuscola 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 Tuscola County

Population, 2025 estimate
52,680−1.2% since 2020
Households
21,498
Median age
45.7
Homes lived in by their owners
86%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
805 sq. mi.
People per square mile
66
Median household income
$63,811+27.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$77,133
Median home value
$149,500
Jobs located here
10,757
Daytime population
44,077Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

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

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

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 Tuscola 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
33Tuscola County, MI562310.7$3.2M−1.2%#902 of 2,222

Other business types in Tuscola 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 Tuscola County, MI?

Tuscola County has 23 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 20 of them (87%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 24 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 14.3% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Official counts list 4 one-person businesses without payroll.

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

About $72.8M a year, or $3,385 per household. That is 17% below the U.S. average (an index of 83, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 23 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $3.2M 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 21,498 households in Tuscola County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Tuscola County has 10.7 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 20% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $3.2M, 4% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Tuscola County would have about 24, against 23 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 896 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 14.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.

How fast is Tuscola County, MI growing?

Population estimates put Tuscola County at 52,680 people in 2025, down 1.2% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 21,498 households. The median household income in Tuscola County is $63,811 a year, 21% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 27.7% 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. Tuscola County scores 56 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #902 of 2,222 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Tuscola 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 Tuscola 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.