Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Missouri

Fast food and sandwich shops in Carter County, MO

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

Groundwork market score

Not scored

Counties under 10,000 people aren’t scored, since a few businesses can swing their figures.

Listings
2
2 chain locations (100%)
Official establishments
3
All limited-service restaurants
Household spending a year
$6.2M
On food away from home · $3,026 a household
Spending per listing
$3.1M
Too few listings to compare
Listings per 10k households
9.8
Too few listings to compare
Population, 2025
5,418
+4.2% since 2020

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

As of September 2026, map listings count 2 fast food and sandwich shops in Carter County. That is 9.8 per 10,000 households.

At $3,026 per household (26% below the U.S. average), households in Carter County spend about $6.2M a year on food away from home. That is about $3.1M of household spending for each shop on map listings. 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 Carter County was 3 in 2023. That is one for every 679 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.

Population estimates show Carter County grew 4.2% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Counties under 10,000 people aren’t given a market score, since a few businesses can swing their figures.

How Carter 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 Carter County, MO compared with Missouri and the U.S.
MeasureCarter CountyMissouriU.S.
Listings per 10k households9.813.313.3
Spending per listing$3.1M$2.9M$3.1M
Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants)679521478
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+8.4%+6.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+4.2%+1.9%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,026$3,799$4,070
Median household income$50,000$70,702$80,734
Groundwork market scoreNot scored44

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
4 → 3All limited-service restaurants
Employees, 2023
33
Annual payroll, 2023
$757K
One-person businesses, 2023
0All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
22 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
2The 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 Carter 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 Carter County

Population, 2025 estimate
5,418+4.2% since 2020
Households
2,038
Median age
40.9
Homes lived in by their owners
61%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
507 sq. mi.
People per square mile
10
Median household income
$50,000
Average household income
$63,722
Median home value
$159,400
Jobs located here
1,403
Daytime population
4,806Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Carter 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 Carter 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 Carter 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
Carter County, MONot scored29.8$3.1M+4.2%

Other business types in Carter County

None has a Groundwork market score here. Counties under 10,000 people aren’t scored, since a few businesses can swing their figures.

Questions

How many fast food and sandwich shops are in Carter County, MO?

Carter County has 2 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 3 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.

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

About $6.2M a year, or $3,026 per household. That is 26% below the U.S. average (an index of 74, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 2 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 2,038 households in Carter County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Carter County has 2 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, too few for a steady comparison with the U.S. rate. 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 679 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S.

How fast is Carter County, MO growing?

Population estimates put Carter County at 5,418 people in 2025, up 4.2% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 2,038 households. The median household income in Carter County is $50,000 a year, 38% below the U.S. median of $80,734.

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. The score leaves out counties under 10,000 people, where a handful of businesses would swing it.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Carter 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 Carter 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.