Food and drink · Small-town market · Minnesota
Fast food and sandwich shops in the Willmar, MN area
How the Willmar, MN area compares with other small-town markets and the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 74 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #62 of 537 scored small-town markets
#10 of 18 scored small-town markets based in Minnesota
- Listings
- 22
- 22 chain locations (100%)
- Official establishments
- 29
- All limited-service restaurants · +7.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $68.1M
- On food away from home · $3,867 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.1M
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 12.5
- 6% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 44,720
- +2.3% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in the Willmar area
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 the Willmar area. 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 22 fast food and sandwich shops in the Willmar area. All of them are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 12.5, 6% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.
At $3,867 per household (5% below the U.S. average), households in the Willmar area spend about $68.1M a year on food away from home. Spread across 22 fast food and sandwich shops, that is $3.1M per shop, in line with 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 the Willmar area was 29 in 2023, up 7.4% from 2019. That is one for every 607 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 6 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $240K has gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the Willmar area.
Population estimates show the Willmar area grew 2.3% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Willmar area scores 74 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, ranking #62 of 537 scored small-town markets and #10 of 18 scored small-town markets based in Minnesota. That puts it in the top quarter of small-town markets.
How the Willmar area 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 | Willmar area | Minnesota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 12.5 | 10.5 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $3.1M | $4.1M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 607 | 600 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +7.4% | +1.9% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.3% | +2.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,867 | $4,330 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $76,592 | $89,062 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 74 | 78 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 29All limited-service restaurants · +7.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 530
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $11M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 6All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 2222 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 22The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $240K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the Willmar area, 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 the Willmar area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 44,720+2.3% since 2020
- Households
- 17,603
- Median age
- 39.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 797 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 55
- Median household income
- $76,592+27.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $96,382
- Median home value
- $243,200
- Jobs located here
- 24,957
- Daytime population
- 46,873Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Willmar area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 the Willmar area. 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 small-town markets in Minnesota for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in Minnesota (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Willmar area marked.
Top small-town markets in Minnesota
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Detroit Lakes, MN | 86 | 10 | 6.9 | $5.5M | +0.9% | #9 of 537 |
| 2Brainerd, MN | 85 | 43 | 10.2 | $3.7M | +4.3% | #11 of 537 |
| Wahpeton, ND-MN | 83 | 9 | 9.5 | $4M | 0.0% | #17 of 537 |
| 3Alexandria, MN | 81 | 20 | 11.4 | $3.4M | +2.6% | #22 of 537 |
| 4Red Wing, MN | 80 | 19 | 9.6 | $4.2M | +1.3% | #23 of 537 |
| 5Austin, MN | 80 | 17 | 10.8 | $3.5M | +2.3% | #25 of 537 |
| 6Hutchinson, MN | 79 | 12 | 7.9 | $5M | −0.3% | #28 of 537 |
| 7Fergus Falls, MN | 79 | 26 | 10.3 | $3.7M | +1.6% | #34 of 537 |
| 8Faribault-Northfield, MN | 78 | 29 | 12.3 | $3.3M | +4.2% | #41 of 537 |
| 9Grand Rapids, MN | 77 | 21 | 11.3 | $3.2M | +0.9% | #46 of 537 |
| 10Willmar, MN | 74 | 22 | 12.5 | $3.1M | +2.3% | #62 of 537 |
Other business types in the Willmar area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes81
- Sit-down restaurants82
- Fast food and sandwich shops74
- Pizza60
- Coffee shops and cafes58
- Bakeries and dessert shops64
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 the Willmar, MN area?
There are 22 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in the Willmar area as of September 2026. 22 of them (100%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 29 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 7.4% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Another 6 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Willmar, MN area spend on food away from home?
About $68.1M a year, or $3,867 per household. That is 5% below the U.S. average (an index of 95, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 22 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $3.1M 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 17,603 households in the Willmar area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Willmar, MN area compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
The Willmar area has 12.5 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 6% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $3.1M, in line with 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. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 607 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 7.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Willmar, MN area growing?
Population estimates put the Willmar area at 44,720 people in 2025, up 2.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 17,603 households. The median household income in the Willmar area is $76,592 a year, 5% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 27.0% 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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. The Willmar area scores 74 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #62 of 537 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Willmar area. 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 the Willmar area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Willmar area?
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 the Willmar area. 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.