Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Mississippi

Fast food and sandwich shops in Covington County, MS

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 16 out of 100: Low

Ranked #2,126 of 2,222 scored counties
#45 of 61 scored counties in Mississippi

Listings
18
15 chain locations (83%)
Official establishments
14
All limited-service restaurants
Household spending a year
$22.2M
On food away from home · $3,035 a household
Spending per listing
$1.2M
60% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
24.6
85% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
17,898
−2.2% since 2020

See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Covington 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 Covington 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

Covington County scores 16 (low) on the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, ranking #2,126 of 2,222 scored counties and #45 of 61 scored counties in Mississippi. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

At $3,035 per household (25% below the U.S. average), households in Covington County spend about $22.2M a year on food away from home. That works out to $1.2M per shop, 60% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only fast food and sandwich shops.

There are 18 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in Covington County as of September 2026. Of those, 15 are chain locations, or 83%, against 79% across the U.S. That comes to 24.6 for every 10,000 households, 85% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Covington County was 14 in 2023. That is one for every 523 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 Covington County declined 2.2% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How Covington 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.

Fast food and sandwich shops in Covington County, MS compared with Mississippi and the U.S.
MeasureCovington CountyMississippiU.S.
Listings per 10k households24.616.813.3
Spending per listing$1.2M$2M$3.1M
Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants)523459478
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+7.1%+6.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025−2.2%−0.1%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,035$3,288$4,070
Median household income$45,051$56,447$80,734
Groundwork market score168

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
13 → 14All limited-service restaurants
Employees, 2023
267
Annual payroll, 2023
$3.9M
One-person businesses, 2023
3All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
1815 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
0
Amount
$0

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Covington 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 Covington County

Population, 2025 estimate
17,898−2.2% since 2020
Households
7,323
Median age
38.7
Homes lived in by their owners
78%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
414 sq. mi.
People per square mile
44
Median household income
$45,051+18.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$68,677
Median home value
$105,100
Jobs located here
5,811
Daytime population
16,612Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Covington 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 Covington 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 Mississippi

Every Mississippi market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Mississippi for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in Mississippi, with Covington County marked.

Top counties in Mississippi

Counties in Mississippi ranked for fast food and sandwich shops by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Marshall County, MS62139.9$3.2M+2.6%#657 of 2,222
2Itawamba County, MS551010.4$3.1M+1.3%#943 of 2,222
3Hancock County, MS502512.4$2.9M+1.6%#1,135 of 2,222
4Walthall County, MS4959.5$3.3M+0.4%#1,165 of 2,222
5Madison County, MS487116.2$2.5M+6.5%#1,231 of 2,222
6Yalobusha County, MS47510.0$3M−0.5%#1,253 of 2,222
7George County, MS471212.9$2.6M+8.1%#1,271 of 2,222
8Pearl River County, MS473013.7$2.4M+5.6%#1,283 of 2,222
9Jackson County, MS478915.4$2.3M+3.0%#1,286 of 2,222
10DeSoto County, MS4611916.8$2.4M+6.3%#1,319 of 2,222
45Covington County, MS161824.6$1.2M−2.2%#2,126 of 2,222

Other business types in Covington County

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

Questions

How many fast food and sandwich shops are in Covington County, MS?

As of September 2026, map listings count 18 fast food and sandwich shops in Covington County. 15 of them (83%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 14 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. Official counts list 3 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Covington County, MS spend on food away from home?

About $22.2M a year, or $3,035 per household. That is 25% below the U.S. average (an index of 75, 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. 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 7,323 households in Covington County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Covington County has 24.6 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 85% 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 U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Covington County would have about 7, against 18 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 523 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S.

How fast is Covington County, MS growing?

Population estimates put Covington County at 17,898 people in 2025, down 2.2% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 7,323 households. Median household income in Covington County is $45,051, 44% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 18.0%, 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. Covington County scores 16 for fast food and sandwich shops (low), #2,126 of 2,222 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Covington 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 Covington 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.