Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Missouri

Fast food and sandwich shops in Buchanan County, MO

The fast food and sandwich shops in Buchanan County, MO, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 18 out of 100: Low

Ranked #2,088 of 2,222 scored counties
#73 of 74 scored counties in Missouri

Listings
61
56 chain locations (92%)
Official establishments
85
All limited-service restaurants · +19.7% since 2019
Household spending a year
$115M
On food away from home · $3,438 a household
Spending per listing
$1.9M
38% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
18.2
37% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
83,540
−1.1% since 2020

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

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey 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, Buchanan County has a Groundwork market score of 18 (low): #2,088 of 2,222 scored counties and #73 of 74 scored counties in Missouri. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

At $3,438 per household (16% below the U.S. average), households in Buchanan County spend about $115M a year on food away from home. That is about $1.9M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 38% 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 61 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in Buchanan County as of September 2026. 56 of them (92%) are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 18.2, 37% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.

Official counts show 85 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Buchanan County in 2023, up 19.7% from 2019. That is one for every 393 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. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $684K have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Buchanan County. Population estimates put the population change in Buchanan County from 2020 to 2025 at −1.1%, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How Buchanan County compares

The same measures for Missouri 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 Buchanan County, MO compared with Missouri and the U.S.
MeasureBuchanan CountyMissouriU.S.
Listings per 10k households18.213.313.3
Spending per listing$1.9M$2.9M$3.1M
Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants)393521478
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+19.7%+8.4%+6.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025−1.1%+1.9%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,438$3,799$4,070
Median household income$62,158$70,702$80,734
Groundwork market score1844

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
71 → 85All limited-service restaurants · +19.7% over the period
Employees, 2023
1,958
Annual payroll, 2023
$35.8M
One-person businesses, 2023
14All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
6156 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
38The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
3
Amount
$684K

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

Population, 2025 estimate
83,540−1.1% since 2020
Households
33,439
Median age
40.4
Homes lived in by their owners
66%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
408 sq. mi.
People per square mile
205
Median household income
$62,158+19.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$82,732
Median home value
$166,300
Jobs located here
45,678
Daytime population
92,127Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

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

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Fast food and sandwich shops across Missouri

Every Missouri market ranked →

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

Top counties in Missouri

Counties in Missouri ranked for fast food and sandwich shops by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Lincoln County, MO92187.9$5.1M+11.4%#9 of 2,222
2Warren County, MO89107.2$5.6M+9.2%#23 of 2,222
3Christian County, MO80329.1$4.4M+8.3%#124 of 2,222
4Ste. Genevieve County, MO7668.4$4.4M+1.1%#208 of 2,222
5Ray County, MO7588.8$4.3M+1.1%#224 of 2,222
6Stone County, MO75118.1$4.2M+4.1%#225 of 2,222
7Cass County, MO755312.3$3.4M+7.1%#236 of 2,222
8Platte County, MO745813.2$3.4M+6.7%#261 of 2,222
9McDonald County, MO7367.0$4.6M+3.1%#274 of 2,222
10Jefferson County, MO738910.1$4M+2.7%#282 of 2,222
73Buchanan County, MO186118.2$1.9M−1.1%#2,088 of 2,222

Other business types in Buchanan 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 Buchanan County, MO?

As of September 2026, map listings count 61 fast food and sandwich shops in Buchanan County. 56 of them (92%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 85 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 19.7% from 2019. 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 14 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Buchanan County, MO spend on food away from home?

About $115M a year, or $3,438 per household. That is 16% below the U.S. average (an index of 84, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 61 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $1.9M 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 33,439 households in Buchanan County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Buchanan County has 18.2 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 37% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $1.9M, 38% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Buchanan County would have about 38, against 61 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 393 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 19.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.

How fast is Buchanan County, MO growing?

Population estimates put Buchanan County at 83,540 people in 2025, down 1.1% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 33,439 households. Median household income in Buchanan County is $62,158, 23% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 19.7%, 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. Buchanan County scores 18 for fast food and sandwich shops (low), #2,088 of 2,222 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Buchanan 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 Buchanan 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.