Food and drink · County · Minnesota
Fast food and sandwich shops in Steele County, MN
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for fast food and sandwich shops in Steele County, MN, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 53 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #1,038 of 2,222 scored counties
#46 of 53 scored counties in Minnesota
- Listings
- 24
- 19 chain locations (79%)
- Official establishments
- 25
- All limited-service restaurants · −10.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $61M
- On food away from home · $4,033 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.5M
- 17% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 15.9
- 20% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 37,464
- +0.2% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Steele 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 Steele 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 24 fast food and sandwich shops in Steele County. Chain locations make up 79% of them, against 79% across the U.S. That is 15.9 per 10,000 households, 20% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.
Household spending on food away from home in Steele County comes to about $61M a year: $4,033 per household, in line with the U.S. average. That works out to $2.5M per shop, 17% 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.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Steele County was 25 in 2023, down 10.7% from 2019. That is one for every 606 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, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $50K has gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Steele County.
Population estimates show Steele County grew 0.2% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Steele County scores 53 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, ranking #1,038 of 2,222 scored counties and #46 of 53 scored counties in Minnesota.
How Steele 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 | Steele County | Minnesota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 15.9 | 10.5 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $2.5M | $4.1M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 606 | 600 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −10.7% | +1.9% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.2% | +2.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,033 | $4,330 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $84,196 | $89,062 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 53 | 78 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 28 → 25All limited-service restaurants · −10.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 596
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $9.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 2419 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 20The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $50K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Steele 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 Steele County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 37,464+0.2% since 2020
- Households
- 15,138
- Median age
- 40.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 79%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 430 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 87
- Median household income
- $84,196+29.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $101,587
- Median home value
- $245,400
- Jobs located here
- 18,785
- Daytime population
- 38,229Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Steele 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 Steele 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 Steele 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 |
| 46Steele County, MN | 53 | 24 | 15.9 | $2.5M | +0.2% | #1,038 of 2,222 |
Other business types in Steele County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes64
- Sit-down restaurants63
- Fast food and sandwich shops53
- Pizza53
- Coffee shops and cafes62
- Bakeries and dessert shops62
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 Steele County, MN?
Steele County has 24 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 19 of them (79%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 25 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, down 10.7% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops.
How much do households in Steele County, MN spend on food away from home?
About $61M a year, or $4,033 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 99, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 24 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $2.5M 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 15,138 households in Steele County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Steele County, MN compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Steele County has 15.9 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 20% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2.5M, 17% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Steele County would have about 20, against 24 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 606 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count fell 10.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Steele County, MN growing?
Population estimates put Steele County at 37,464 people in 2025, up 0.2% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 15,138 households. The median household income in Steele County is $84,196 a year, 4% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 29.7% 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. Steele County scores 53 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #1,038 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Steele 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 Steele County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Steele 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 Steele 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.