Market rankings · Minnesota

Fast food and sandwich shops in Minnesota

Markets across Minnesota ranked by the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, with competitor counts and household spending for each.

Listings: 2,429; 2,158 chain locations (89%)
Official establishments: 3,848; All limited-service restaurants · +1.9% since 2019
Household spending a year: $10B; On food away from home
Listings per 10k households: 10.5; 21% below the U.S.
Spending per listing: $4.1M; 35% above the U.S.
Rank among states: #3 of 51; Market score 78 · High

A site report maps the fast food and sandwich shops on map listings around any address in Minnesota by name and distance, and the spending within reach.

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

Map listings as of September 2026 show 2,429 fast food and sandwich shops in Minnesota. Of those, 2,158 are chain locations, or 89%, against 79% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 10.5, 21% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.

At $4,330 per household (6% above the U.S. average), households in Minnesota spend about $10B a year on food away from home. That works out to $4.1M per shop, 35% 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.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Minnesota was 3,848 in 2023, up 1.9% from 2019. That is one for every 600 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 6.1% over the same years. The official count takes in all limited-service restaurants, not only fast food and sandwich shops: pizza places are counted too. Since fiscal 2022, 224 SBA-backed loans worth $117.7M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Minnesota.

Among the 50 states and DC, Minnesota ranks #3 for fast food and sandwich shops, with a Groundwork market score of 78 (high). Of the 9 scored metro areas in or partly in Minnesota, the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington metro area scores highest (83). Of the 19 scored small-town markets in or partly in Minnesota, the Detroit Lakes area scores highest (86).

Every market in Minnesota for fast food and sandwich shops

Download the ranking (CSV)

Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in Minnesota, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.

Metro areas

Metro areas reaching Minnesota, ranked for fast food and sandwich shops by Groundwork market score
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Spending per listing	Population growth	U.S. rank
1Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI	83	1,530	10.4	$4.5M	+2.6%	#16 of 387
2Rochester, MN	81	99	10.7	$4.1M	+2.0%	#21 of 387
La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN	71	74	10.3	$3.7M	+0.4%	#64 of 387
Sioux Falls, SD-MN	71	165	13.5	$3M	+9.5%	#66 of 387
Fargo, ND-MN	69	155	14.0	$2.8M	+7.7%	#81 of 387
3Duluth, MN-WI	68	131	10.9	$3.5M	+0.2%	#84 of 387
4St. Cloud, MN	61	102	13.1	$3M	+3.0%	#128 of 387
Grand Forks, ND-MN	58	56	12.8	$2.9M	+0.8%	#150 of 387
5Mankato, MN	38	69	17.0	$2.3M	+1.2%	#273 of 387

Small-town markets

Small-town markets reaching Minnesota, ranked for fast food and sandwich shops by Groundwork market score
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Spending per listing	Population growth	U.S. rank
1Detroit Lakes, MN	86	10	6.9	$5.5M	+0.9%	#9 of 537
2Brainerd, MN	85	43	10.2	$3.7M	+4.3%	#11 of 537
Wahpeton, ND-MN	83	9	9.5	$4M	0.0%	#17 of 537
3Alexandria, MN	81	20	11.4	$3.4M	+2.6%	#22 of 537
4Red Wing, MN	80	19	9.6	$4.2M	+1.3%	#23 of 537
5Austin, MN	80	17	10.8	$3.5M	+2.3%	#25 of 537
6Hutchinson, MN	79	12	7.9	$5M	−0.3%	#28 of 537
7Fergus Falls, MN	79	26	10.3	$3.7M	+1.6%	#34 of 537
8Faribault-Northfield, MN	78	29	12.3	$3.3M	+4.2%	#41 of 537
9Grand Rapids, MN	77	21	11.3	$3.2M	+0.9%	#46 of 537
10Willmar, MN	74	22	12.5	$3.1M	+2.3%	#62 of 537
11Bemidji, MN	67	26	14.3	$2.6M	+1.8%	#116 of 537
12Winona, MN	65	29	14.3	$2.6M	+1.8%	#136 of 537
13Fairmont, MN	62	10	11.3	$3.1M	−2.8%	#162 of 537
14Owatonna, MN	62	24	15.9	$2.5M	+0.2%	#164 of 537
15Marshall, MN	60	12	11.9	$3.2M	+1.0%	#175 of 537
16Worthington, MN	60	11	14.3	$2.6M	+0.6%	#180 of 537
17New Ulm, MN	52	17	15.4	$2.4M	−1.5%	#264 of 537
18Albert Lea, MN	45	21	16.3	$2.3M	−1.5%	#326 of 537

Counties

Counties in Minnesota, ranked for fast food and sandwich shops by Groundwork market score
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Spending per listing	Population growth	U.S. rank
1Sherburne County, MN	93	21	5.9	$7.9M	+6.8%	#6 of 2,222
2Chisago County, MN	89	16	7.5	$6M	+4.3%	#19 of 2,222
3Wright County, MN	89	53	9.8	$4.8M	+11.1%	#25 of 2,222
4Washington County, MN	86	109	10.3	$4.9M	+6.9%	#41 of 2,222
5Hubbard County, MN	85	6	6.7	$5.6M	+4.6%	#52 of 2,222
6Cass County, MN	85	9	7.0	$5.3M	+4.2%	#53 of 2,222
7Carver County, MN	85	46	11.2	$4.7M	+6.6%	#56 of 2,222
8Isanti County, MN	85	16	9.8	$4.2M	+7.3%	#61 of 2,222
9Scott County, MN	84	57	10.4	$5M	+5.1%	#74 of 2,222
10Wabasha County, MN	81	6	6.6	$6.2M	+0.7%	#103 of 2,222
11Pine County, MN	81	9	7.3	$5M	+5.5%	#108 of 2,222
12Dakota County, MN	80	179	10.3	$4.6M	+3.9%	#121 of 2,222
13Carlton County, MN	80	13	9.2	$4.2M	+1.4%	#129 of 2,222
14Meeker County, MN	79	5	5.3	$7.1M	+0.7%	#140 of 2,222
15Fillmore County, MN	79	5	5.7	$6.7M	+1.4%	#141 of 2,222
16Todd County, MN	79	8	7.8	$4.5M	+3.0%	#148 of 2,222
17Clay County, MN	78	24	9.1	$4.4M	+3.6%	#164 of 2,222
18Anoka County, MN	78	147	10.7	$4.3M	+4.7%	#165 of 2,222
19Becker County, MN	77	10	6.9	$5.5M	+0.9%	#179 of 2,222
20McLeod County, MN	73	12	7.9	$5M	−0.3%	#271 of 2,222
21Goodhue County, MN	72	19	9.6	$4.2M	+1.3%	#303 of 2,222
22Roseau County, MN	72	6	9.5	$3.9M	−0.3%	#307 of 2,222
23Douglas County, MN	70	20	11.4	$3.4M	+2.6%	#368 of 2,222
24Otter Tail County, MN	69	26	10.3	$3.7M	+1.6%	#403 of 2,222
25Olmsted County, MN	69	86	12.9	$3.5M	+2.3%	#407 of 2,222

Show all 87 counties

Counties in Minnesota, ranked for fast food and sandwich shops by Groundwork market score, continued
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Spending per listing	Population growth	U.S. rank
26Mower County, MN	69	17	10.8	$3.5M	+2.3%	#408 of 2,222
27Rice County, MN	69	29	12.3	$3.3M	+4.2%	#409 of 2,222
28Polk County, MN	68	11	8.9	$4.3M	−1.8%	#424 of 2,222
29Crow Wing County, MN	68	34	11.6	$3.3M	+4.3%	#442 of 2,222
30Nicollet County, MN	67	14	10.8	$3.8M	−0.7%	#469 of 2,222
31Hennepin County, MN	66	584	10.8	$4.3M	+0.2%	#499 of 2,222
32Itasca County, MN	66	21	11.3	$3.2M	+0.9%	#524 of 2,222
33Benton County, MN	66	21	12.6	$3.1M	+0.9%	#531 of 2,222
34Faribault County, MN	65	6	9.9	$3.6M	−0.1%	#545 of 2,222
35Pennington County, MN	65	7	11.3	$3.4M	−1.8%	#548 of 2,222
36St. Louis County, MN	63	97	11.1	$3.4M	+0.2%	#616 of 2,222
37Kandiyohi County, MN	63	22	12.5	$3.1M	+2.3%	#621 of 2,222
38Ramsey County, MN	61	224	10.1	$4.1M	−1.8%	#673 of 2,222
39Waseca County, MN	61	7	9.4	$4M	−1.5%	#675 of 2,222
40Mille Lacs County, MN	59	18	16.9	$2.2M	+4.8%	#803 of 2,222
41Stearns County, MN	56	81	13.2	$3M	+3.6%	#911 of 2,222
42Beltrami County, MN	55	26	14.3	$2.6M	+1.8%	#960 of 2,222
43Morrison County, MN	54	19	13.5	$2.7M	+1.9%	#999 of 2,222
44Winona County, MN	54	29	14.3	$2.6M	+1.8%	#1,000 of 2,222
45Martin County, MN	53	10	11.3	$3.1M	−2.8%	#1,017 of 2,222
46Steele County, MN	53	24	15.9	$2.5M	+0.2%	#1,038 of 2,222
47Lyon County, MN	52	12	11.9	$3.2M	+1.0%	#1,060 of 2,222
48Wadena County, MN	49	6	9.9	$3.5M	+1.9%	#1,163 of 2,222
49Nobles County, MN	49	11	14.3	$2.6M	+0.6%	#1,189 of 2,222
50Cottonwood County, MN	47	6	13.0	$2.9M	−1.0%	#1,258 of 2,222
51Brown County, MN	43	17	15.4	$2.4M	−1.5%	#1,408 of 2,222
52Freeborn County, MN	38	21	16.3	$2.3M	−1.5%	#1,575 of 2,222
53Blue Earth County, MN	34	55	19.9	$1.9M	+2.1%	#1,727 of 2,222
Le Sueur County, MN	Not scored	4	3.4	$12.5M	+2.9%
Dodge County, MN	Not scored	2	2.5	$17.5M	+2.3%
Houston County, MN	Not scored	3	3.7	$10.8M	−2.3%
Kanabec County, MN	Not scored	4	6.1	$6.1M	+3.6%
Aitkin County, MN	Not scored	4	5.5	$6.1M	+3.5%
Redwood County, MN	Not scored	4	6.4	$5.6M	−1.0%
Sibley County, MN	Not scored	3	5.1	$7.8M	+3.6%
Renville County, MN	Not scored	3	5.0	$7.5M	−2.3%
Chippewa County, MN	Not scored	4	7.8	$4.6M	−1.6%
Koochiching County, MN	Not scored	4	6.8	$5.4M	−3.7%
Pope County, MN	Not scored	2	4.0	$9.5M	+0.8%
Watonwan County, MN	Not scored	3	7.1	$5.3M	+2.0%
Lake County, MN	Not scored	3	6.1	$6.1M	−1.6%
Jackson County, MN	Not scored	5	11.4	$3.3M	−1.3%
Swift County, MN	Not scored	6	14.6	$2.5M	−0.4%
Stevens County, MN	Not scored	6	15.4	$2.5M	+0.8%
Rock County, MN	Not scored	3	7.4	$5.2M	−1.7%
Yellow Medicine County, MN	Not scored	4	9.8	$3.9M	−0.2%
Pipestone County, MN	Not scored	4	10.1	$3.6M	−1.7%
Marshall County, MN	Not scored	1	2.6	$13.8M	−2.5%
Clearwater County, MN	Not scored	2	6.0	$6M	+1.0%
Murray County, MN	Not scored	1	2.8	$13.6M	−2.9%
Lac qui Parle County, MN	Not scored	3	10.3	$3.7M	+0.2%
Wilkin County, MN	Not scored	3	11.3	$3.2M	−2.9%
Norman County, MN	Not scored	1	3.7	$9.9M	−1.6%
Grant County, MN	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	−0.1%
Cook County, MN	Not scored	3	11.1	$3.5M	−1.4%
Lincoln County, MN	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	−0.7%
Mahnomen County, MN	Not scored	1	5.3	$6.4M	−4.1%
Big Stone County, MN	Not scored	3	14.0	$2.7M	−2.0%
Kittson County, MN	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	−3.7%
Red Lake County, MN	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	+0.1%
Lake of the Woods County, MN	Not scored	2	11.0	$3.6M	0.0%
Traverse County, MN	Not scored	1	7.6	$4.7M	−6.8%

Markets with fewer than 5 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored; they’re listed last in each table.

Questions

How many fast food and sandwich shops are in Minnesota?

There are 2,429 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in Minnesota as of September 2026. 2,158 of them (89%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 3,848 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 1.9% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Another 391 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in Minnesota spend on food away from home?

About $10B a year, or $4,330 per household. That is 6% above the U.S. average (an index of 106, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 2,429 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $4.1M 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 2,307,955 households in Minnesota and national spending patterns by income.

How does Minnesota compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?

Minnesota has 10.5 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $4.1M, 35% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Minnesota would have about 3,276, against 2,429 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 600 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 1.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.

Which market in Minnesota has the highest market score for fast food and sandwich shops?

Among 9 scored metro areas in or partly in Minnesota, the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington metro area scores highest, at 83 (high). Among 19 scored small-town markets in or partly in Minnesota, the Detroit Lakes area scores highest, at 86 (high). Among 53 scored counties in Minnesota, Sherburne County scores highest, at 93 (very high). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.

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. Minnesota scores 78 for fast food and sandwich shops (high), #3 of the 50 states and DC.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Minnesota. 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.

Restaurants and cafes19,510 listings
Sit-down restaurants10,386 listings
Pizza1,742 listings
Coffee shops and cafes2,353 listings
Bakeries and dessert shops1,463 listings

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