Food and drink · County · Missouri
Fast food and sandwich shops in Clay County, MO
How Clay County, MO compares with other counties and the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 56 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #917 of 2,222 scored counties
#27 of 74 scored counties in Missouri
- Listings
- 152
- 132 chain locations (87%)
- Official establishments
- 219
- All limited-service restaurants · +25.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $428.7M
- On food away from home · $4,195 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.8M
- 8% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 14.9
- 12% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 265,032
- +4.3% 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
Household spending on food away from home in Clay County comes to about $428.7M a year: $4,195 per household, 3% above the U.S. average. That is about $2.8M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 8% 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 152 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in Clay County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 87% of them, against 79% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 14.9, 12% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.
In 2023, official counts showed 219 businesses with payroll in Clay County classed as limited-service restaurants, up 25.1% from 2019. That is one for every 467 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. Official counts list 32 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 11 SBA-backed loans worth $6.1M have 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 +4.3%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops in Clay County is 56 (upper middle), #917 of 2,222 scored counties and #27 of 74 scored counties in Missouri.
How Clay 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.
| Measure | Clay County | Missouri | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 14.9 | 13.3 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $2.8M | $2.9M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 467 | 521 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +25.1% | +8.4% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.3% | +1.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,195 | $3,799 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $88,468 | $70,702 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 56 | 44 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 175 → 219All limited-service restaurants · +25.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 4,645
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $90.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 32All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 152132 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 141The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 11
- Amount
- $6.1M
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
- 265,032+4.3% since 2020
- Households
- 102,171
- Median age
- 38.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 398 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 649
- Median household income
- $88,468+25.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $108,962
- Median home value
- $275,600
- Jobs located here
- 117,697
- Daytime population
- 242,115Residents 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 Missouri
Every Missouri market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Missouri for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in Missouri, with Clay County marked.
Top counties in Missouri
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Lincoln County, MO | 92 | 18 | 7.9 | $5.1M | +11.4% | #9 of 2,222 |
| 2Warren County, MO | 89 | 10 | 7.2 | $5.6M | +9.2% | #23 of 2,222 |
| 3Christian County, MO | 80 | 32 | 9.1 | $4.4M | +8.3% | #124 of 2,222 |
| 4Ste. Genevieve County, MO | 76 | 6 | 8.4 | $4.4M | +1.1% | #208 of 2,222 |
| 5Ray County, MO | 75 | 8 | 8.8 | $4.3M | +1.1% | #224 of 2,222 |
| 6Stone County, MO | 75 | 11 | 8.1 | $4.2M | +4.1% | #225 of 2,222 |
| 7Cass County, MO | 75 | 53 | 12.3 | $3.4M | +7.1% | #236 of 2,222 |
| 8Platte County, MO | 74 | 58 | 13.2 | $3.4M | +6.7% | #261 of 2,222 |
| 9McDonald County, MO | 73 | 6 | 7.0 | $4.6M | +3.1% | #274 of 2,222 |
| 10Jefferson County, MO | 73 | 89 | 10.1 | $4M | +2.7% | #282 of 2,222 |
| 27Clay County, MO | 56 | 152 | 14.9 | $2.8M | +4.3% | #917 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 cafes69
- Sit-down restaurants74
- Fast food and sandwich shops56
- Pizza63
- Coffee shops and cafes65
- Bakeries and dessert shops71
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, MO?
As of September 2026, map listings count 152 fast food and sandwich shops in Clay County. 132 of them (87%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 219 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 25.1% 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 32 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Clay County, MO spend on food away from home?
About $428.7M a year, or $4,195 per household. That is 3% above the U.S. average (an index of 103, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 152 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $2.8M 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 102,171 households in Clay County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Clay County, MO compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Clay County has 14.9 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 12% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2.8M, 8% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Clay County would have about 141, against 152 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 467 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 25.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Clay County, MO growing?
Population estimates put Clay County at 265,032 people in 2025, up 4.3% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 102,171 households. Median household income in Clay County is $88,468, 10% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.5%, 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 56 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #917 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.