Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Minnesota

Fast food and sandwich shops in Waseca County, MN

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for fast food and sandwich shops in Waseca County, MN, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 61 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #675 of 2,222 scored counties
#39 of 53 scored counties in Minnesota

Listings
7
7 chain locations (100%)
Official establishments
13
All limited-service restaurants
Household spending a year
$28.2M
On food away from home · $3,774 a household
Spending per listing
$4M
32% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
9.4
29% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
18,688
−1.5% since 2020

See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Waseca 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 Waseca County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey 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 7 fast food and sandwich shops in Waseca County. All of them are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 9.4, 29% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.

Households in Waseca County spend about $28.2M a year on food away from home, or $3,774 per household, 7% below the U.S. average. That is about $4M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 32% 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.

Official counts show 13 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Waseca County in 2023. That is one for every 575 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. Official counts also show 3 one-person businesses without payroll.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Waseca County declined 1.5%, against +3.1% for the U.S. Waseca County scores 61 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, ranking #675 of 2,222 scored counties and #39 of 53 scored counties in Minnesota.

How Waseca 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.

Fast food and sandwich shops in Waseca County, MN compared with Minnesota and the U.S.
MeasureWaseca CountyMinnesotaU.S.
Listings per 10k households9.410.513.3
Spending per listing$4M$4.1M$3.1M
Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants)575600478
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+1.9%+6.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025−1.5%+2.1%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,774$4,330$4,070
Median household income$76,261$89,062$80,734
Groundwork market score6178

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
11 → 13All limited-service restaurants
Employees, 2023
114
Annual payroll, 2023
$1.8M
One-person businesses, 2023
3All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
77 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
9The 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 Waseca 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 Waseca County

Population, 2025 estimate
18,688−1.5% since 2020
Households
7,477
Median age
41.1
Homes lived in by their owners
81%
Vehicles per household
2.1
Land area
423 sq. mi.
People per square mile
45
Median household income
$76,261+34.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$90,562
Median home value
$220,800
Jobs located here
5,375
Daytime population
15,240Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Waseca 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 Waseca County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Fast 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 Waseca County marked.

Top counties in Minnesota

Counties in Minnesota ranked for fast food and sandwich shops by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Sherburne County, MN93215.9$7.9M+6.8%#6 of 2,222
2Chisago County, MN89167.5$6M+4.3%#19 of 2,222
3Wright County, MN89539.8$4.8M+11.1%#25 of 2,222
4Washington County, MN8610910.3$4.9M+6.9%#41 of 2,222
5Hubbard County, MN8566.7$5.6M+4.6%#52 of 2,222
6Cass County, MN8597.0$5.3M+4.2%#53 of 2,222
7Carver County, MN854611.2$4.7M+6.6%#56 of 2,222
8Isanti County, MN85169.8$4.2M+7.3%#61 of 2,222
9Scott County, MN845710.4$5M+5.1%#74 of 2,222
10Wabasha County, MN8166.6$6.2M+0.7%#103 of 2,222
39Waseca County, MN6179.4$4M−1.5%#675 of 2,222

Other business types in Waseca County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Funeral services

Questions

How many fast food and sandwich shops are in Waseca County, MN?

Waseca County has 7 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 7 of them (100%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 13 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Another 3 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in Waseca County, MN spend on food away from home?

About $28.2M a year, or $3,774 per household. That is 7% below the U.S. average (an index of 93, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 7 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $4M 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 7,477 households in Waseca County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Waseca County, MN compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?

Waseca County has 9.4 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 29% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $4M, 32% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Waseca County would have about 9, against 7 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 575 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S.

How fast is Waseca County, MN growing?

Population estimates put Waseca County at 18,688 people in 2025, down 1.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 7,477 households. The median household income in Waseca County is $76,261 a year, 6% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 34.4% 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. Waseca County scores 61 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #675 of 2,222 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Waseca 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 Waseca County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Waseca County?

A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.

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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.