Food and drink · County · Minnesota
Fast food and sandwich shops in Cottonwood County, MN
The fast food and sandwich shops in Cottonwood County, MN, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 47 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,258 of 2,222 scored counties
#50 of 53 scored counties in Minnesota
- Listings
- 6
- 5 chain locations (83%)
- Official establishments
- n/a
- Fewer than 3, or not published
- Household spending a year
- $17.1M
- On food away from home · $3,699 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.9M
- 6% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 13.0
- 2% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 11,405
- −1.0% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Cottonwood 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 Cottonwood 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 6 fast food and sandwich shops in Cottonwood County. Chain locations make up 83% of them, against 79% across the U.S. That comes to 13.0 for every 10,000 households, 2% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.
Household spending on food away from home in Cottonwood County comes to about $17.1M a year: $3,699 per household, 9% below the U.S. average. Spread across 6 fast food and sandwich shops, that is $2.9M per shop, 6% below 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.
There is no official count of businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Cottonwood County: counts under 3 aren’t published.
Population estimates show Cottonwood County declined 1.0% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. Cottonwood County scores 47 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, ranking #1,258 of 2,222 scored counties and #50 of 53 scored counties in Minnesota.
How Cottonwood County compares
The same measures for Minnesota 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 | Cottonwood County | Minnesota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 13.0 | 10.5 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $2.9M | $4.1M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | n/a | 600 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +1.9% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.0% | +2.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,699 | $4,330 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $72,941 | $89,062 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 47 | 78 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- n/aAll limited-service restaurants
- Employees, 2023
- n/a
- Annual payroll, 2023
- n/a
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 65 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 Cottonwood 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 Cottonwood County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 11,405−1.0% since 2020
- Households
- 4,630
- Median age
- 40.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 74%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 640 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 18
- Median household income
- $72,941+40.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $89,108
- Median home value
- $169,300
- Jobs located here
- 6,163
- Daytime population
- 11,565Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Cottonwood 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 Cottonwood 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 Minnesota
Every Minnesota market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Minnesota for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in Minnesota, with Cottonwood County marked.
Top counties in Minnesota
| 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 |
| 50Cottonwood County, MN | 47 | 6 | 13.0 | $2.9M | −1.0% | #1,258 of 2,222 |
Other business types in Cottonwood County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes71
- Sit-down restaurants66
- Fast food and sandwich shops47
- Pizza
- Coffee shops and cafes39
- 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 Cottonwood County, MN?
Cottonwood County has 6 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 5 of them (83%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. No official count is published for limited-service restaurants in Cottonwood County: counts under 3 are left out.
How much do households in Cottonwood County, MN spend on food away from home?
About $17.1M a year, or $3,699 per household. That is 9% below the U.S. average (an index of 91, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 6 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $2.9M 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 4,630 households in Cottonwood County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Cottonwood County, MN compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Cottonwood County has 13.0 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 2% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2.9M, 6% below 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.
How fast is Cottonwood County, MN growing?
Population estimates put Cottonwood County at 11,405 people in 2025, down 1.0% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 4,630 households. The median household income in Cottonwood County is $72,941 a year, 10% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 40.0% 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. Cottonwood County scores 47 for fast food and sandwich shops (lower middle), #1,258 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Cottonwood 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 Cottonwood County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Cottonwood 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 Cottonwood 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.