Food and drink · County · Mississippi
Fast food and sandwich shops in Clay County, MS
The fast food and sandwich shops in Clay County, MS, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 14 out of 100: Low
Ranked #2,159 of 2,222 scored counties
#52 of 61 scored counties in Mississippi
- Listings
- 18
- 14 chain locations (78%)
- Official establishments
- 15
- All limited-service restaurants
- Household spending a year
- $22M
- On food away from home · $2,813 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.2M
- 60% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 23.1
- 74% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 18,238
- −2.0% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Clay 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 Clay 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
For fast food and sandwich shops, Clay County has a Groundwork market score of 14 (low): #2,159 of 2,222 scored counties and #52 of 61 scored counties in Mississippi. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 18 fast food and sandwich shops in Clay County. Of those, 14 are chain locations, or 78%, against 79% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 23.1, 74% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.
Household spending on food away from home in Clay County comes to about $22M a year: $2,813 per household, 31% below the U.S. average. That works out to $1.2M per shop, 60% 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.
Official counts show 15 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Clay County in 2023. That is one for every 520 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 $2.6M has gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Clay County. Population estimates put the population change in Clay County from 2020 to 2025 at −2.0%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Clay County compares
The same measures for Mississippi 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 | Clay County | Mississippi | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 23.1 | 16.8 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $1.2M | $2M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 520 | 459 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +7.1% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.0% | −0.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $2,813 | $3,288 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $43,125 | $56,447 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 14 | 8 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 14 → 15All limited-service restaurants
- Employees, 2023
- 388
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 9All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1814 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 7The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $2.6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Clay 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 Clay County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 18,238−2.0% since 2020
- Households
- 7,805
- Median age
- 41.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 410 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 45
- Median household income
- $43,125+35.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $63,753
- Median home value
- $129,100
- Jobs located here
- 7,035
- Daytime population
- 17,349Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Clay 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 Clay 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 Mississippi
Every Mississippi market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Mississippi for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in Mississippi, with Clay County marked.
Top counties in Mississippi
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Marshall County, MS | 62 | 13 | 9.9 | $3.2M | +2.6% | #657 of 2,222 |
| 2Itawamba County, MS | 55 | 10 | 10.4 | $3.1M | +1.3% | #943 of 2,222 |
| 3Hancock County, MS | 50 | 25 | 12.4 | $2.9M | +1.6% | #1,135 of 2,222 |
| 4Walthall County, MS | 49 | 5 | 9.5 | $3.3M | +0.4% | #1,165 of 2,222 |
| 5Madison County, MS | 48 | 71 | 16.2 | $2.5M | +6.5% | #1,231 of 2,222 |
| 6Yalobusha County, MS | 47 | 5 | 10.0 | $3M | −0.5% | #1,253 of 2,222 |
| 7George County, MS | 47 | 12 | 12.9 | $2.6M | +8.1% | #1,271 of 2,222 |
| 8Pearl River County, MS | 47 | 30 | 13.7 | $2.4M | +5.6% | #1,283 of 2,222 |
| 9Jackson County, MS | 47 | 89 | 15.4 | $2.3M | +3.0% | #1,286 of 2,222 |
| 10DeSoto County, MS | 46 | 119 | 16.8 | $2.4M | +6.3% | #1,319 of 2,222 |
| 52Clay County, MS | 14 | 18 | 23.1 | $1.2M | −2.0% | #2,159 of 2,222 |
Other business types in Clay County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes27
- Sit-down restaurants33
- Fast food and sandwich shops14
- Pizza
- Coffee shops and cafes25
- Bakeries and dessert shops12
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 Clay County, MS?
Clay County has 18 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 14 of them (78%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 15 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 9 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Clay County, MS spend on food away from home?
About $22M a year, or $2,813 per household. That is 31% below the U.S. average (an index of 69, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 18 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $1.2M 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 7,805 households in Clay County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Clay County, MS compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Clay County has 23.1 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 74% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $1.2M, 60% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Clay County would have about 7, against 18 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 520 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S.
How fast is Clay County, MS growing?
Population estimates put Clay County at 18,238 people in 2025, down 2.0% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 7,805 households. The median household income in Clay County is $43,125 a year, 47% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 35.5% 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. Clay County scores 14 for fast food and sandwich shops (low), #2,159 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Clay 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 Clay County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Clay 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 Clay 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.