Food and drink · County · Minnesota
Fast food and sandwich shops in Polk County, MN
How Polk 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 68 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #424 of 2,222 scored counties
#28 of 53 scored counties in Minnesota
- Listings
- 11
- 11 chain locations (100%)
- Official establishments
- 16
- All limited-service restaurants
- Household spending a year
- $46.8M
- On food away from home · $3,787 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.3M
- 39% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 8.9
- 33% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 30,545
- −1.8% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Polk 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 Polk 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
Households in Polk County spend about $46.8M a year on food away from home, or $3,787 per household, 7% below the U.S. average. Spread across 11 fast food and sandwich shops, that is $4.3M per shop, 39% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only fast food and sandwich shops.
Polk County has 11 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. All of them are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. That is 8.9 per 10,000 households, 33% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Polk County was 16 in 2023. That is one for every 773 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.
Population estimates show Polk County declined 1.8% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. Polk County scores 68 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, ranking #424 of 2,222 scored counties and #28 of 53 scored counties in Minnesota. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Polk 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 | Polk County | Minnesota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 8.9 | 10.5 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $4.3M | $4.1M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 773 | 600 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +1.9% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.8% | +2.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,787 | $4,330 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $73,107 | $89,062 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 68 | 78 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 15 → 16All limited-service restaurants
- Employees, 2023
- 306
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $5.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1111 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 15The 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 Polk 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 Polk County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 30,545−1.8% since 2020
- Households
- 12,360
- Median age
- 39.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 1,971 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 16
- Median household income
- $73,107+23.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $90,262
- Median home value
- $222,800
- Jobs located here
- 11,668
- Daytime population
- 27,729Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Polk 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 Polk 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 Polk 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 |
| 28Polk County, MN | 68 | 11 | 8.9 | $4.3M | −1.8% | #424 of 2,222 |
Other business types in Polk County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes61
- Sit-down restaurants53
- Fast food and sandwich shops68
- Pizza43
- Coffee shops and cafes50
- Bakeries and dessert shops67
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 Polk County, MN?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 11 fast food and sandwich shops in Polk County. 11 of them (100%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 16 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023. The official count takes in all limited-service restaurants, not only fast food and sandwich shops: pizza places are counted too.
How much do households in Polk County, MN spend on food away from home?
About $46.8M a year, or $3,787 per household. That is 7% below the U.S. average (an index of 93, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 11 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $4.3M 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 12,360 households in Polk County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Polk County, MN compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Polk County has 8.9 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 33% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $4.3M, 39% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Polk County would have about 15, against 11 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 773 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S.
How fast is Polk County, MN growing?
Population estimates put Polk County at 30,545 people in 2025, down 1.8% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 12,360 households. Median household income in Polk County is $73,107, 9% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 23.2%, 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. Polk County scores 68 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #424 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Polk 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 Polk County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Polk 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 Polk 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.