Food and drink · County · Minnesota
Fast food and sandwich shops in Dakota County, MN
How Dakota County, MN 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 80 out of 100: High
Ranked #121 of 2,222 scored counties
#12 of 53 scored counties in Minnesota
- Listings
- 179
- 174 chain locations (97%)
- Official establishments
- 296
- All limited-service restaurants · −1.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $825.7M
- On food away from home · $4,735 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.6M
- 51% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 10.3
- 23% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 457,710
- +3.9% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Dakota 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 Dakota 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
The Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops in Dakota County is 80 (high), #121 of 2,222 scored counties and #12 of 53 scored counties in Minnesota. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for fast food and sandwich shops.
As of September 2026, map listings count 179 fast food and sandwich shops in Dakota County. Of those, 174 are chain locations, or 97%, against 79% across the U.S. That is 10.3 per 10,000 households, 23% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.
Household spending on food away from home in Dakota County comes to about $825.7M a year: $4,735 per household, 16% above the U.S. average. That is about $4.6M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 51% 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.
In 2023, official counts showed 296 businesses with payroll in Dakota County classed as limited-service restaurants, down 1.7% from 2019. That is one for every 589 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. Since fiscal 2022, 13 SBA-backed loans worth $8.6M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Dakota County. Population estimates put the population change in Dakota County from 2020 to 2025 at +3.9%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Dakota 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 | Dakota County | Minnesota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 10.3 | 10.5 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $4.6M | $4.1M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 589 | 600 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −1.7% | +1.9% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.9% | +2.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,735 | $4,330 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $106,318 | $89,062 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 80 | 78 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 301 → 296All limited-service restaurants · −1.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 5,903
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $121M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 37All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 179174 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 271The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 13
- Amount
- $8.6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Dakota 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 Dakota County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 457,710+3.9% since 2020
- Households
- 174,362
- Median age
- 39.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 75%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 563 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 792
- Median household income
- $106,318+23.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $131,265
- Median home value
- $381,000
- Jobs located here
- 180,369
- Daytime population
- 396,728Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Dakota 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 Dakota 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 Dakota 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 |
| 12Dakota County, MN | 80 | 179 | 10.3 | $4.6M | +3.9% | #121 of 2,222 |
Other business types in Dakota County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes82
- Sit-down restaurants82
- Fast food and sandwich shops80
- Pizza79
- Coffee shops and cafes82
- Bakeries and dessert shops82
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 Dakota County, MN?
Dakota County has 179 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 174 of them (97%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 296 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, down 1.7% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Another 37 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Dakota County, MN spend on food away from home?
About $825.7M a year, or $4,735 per household. That is 16% above the U.S. average (an index of 116, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 179 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $4.6M 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 174,362 households in Dakota County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Dakota County, MN compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Dakota County has 10.3 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 23% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $4.6M, 51% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Dakota County would have about 271, against 179 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 589 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count fell 1.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Dakota County, MN growing?
Population estimates put Dakota County at 457,710 people in 2025, up 3.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 174,362 households. The median household income in Dakota County is $106,318 a year, 32% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.6% 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. Dakota County scores 80 for fast food and sandwich shops (high), #121 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Dakota 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 Dakota County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Dakota 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 Dakota 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.