Food and drink · County · Missouri
Fast food and sandwich shops in Cole County, MO
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for fast food and sandwich shops in Cole County, MO, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 47 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,264 of 2,222 scored counties
#43 of 74 scored counties in Missouri
- Listings
- 44
- 40 chain locations (91%)
- Official establishments
- 68
- All limited-service restaurants · −2.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $120.7M
- On food away from home · $3,884 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.7M
- 10% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 14.2
- 7% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 77,908
- +1.7% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Cole 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 Cole 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 44 fast food and sandwich shops in Cole County. 40 of them (91%) are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. That is 14.2 per 10,000 households, 7% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.
Household spending on food away from home in Cole County comes to about $120.7M a year: $3,884 per household, 5% below the U.S. average. That is about $2.7M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 10% 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.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Cole County was 68 in 2023, down 2.9% from 2019. That is one for every 457 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. Another 13 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $528K have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Cole County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Cole County grew 1.7%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Cole County scores 47 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, ranking #1,264 of 2,222 scored counties and #43 of 74 scored counties in Missouri.
How Cole 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 | Cole County | Missouri | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 14.2 | 13.3 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $2.7M | $2.9M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 457 | 521 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −2.9% | +8.4% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.7% | +1.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,884 | $3,799 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $74,876 | $70,702 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 47 | 44 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 70 → 68All limited-service restaurants · −2.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,683
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $30.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 13All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4440 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 40The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $528K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Cole 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 Cole County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 77,908+1.7% since 2020
- Households
- 31,086
- Median age
- 40.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 392 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 197
- Median household income
- $74,876+24.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $95,025
- Median home value
- $229,600
- Jobs located here
- 56,757
- Daytime population
- 96,838Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Cole 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 Cole 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 Cole 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 |
| 43Cole County, MO | 47 | 44 | 14.2 | $2.7M | +1.7% | #1,264 of 2,222 |
Other business types in Cole County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes51
- Sit-down restaurants48
- Fast food and sandwich shops47
- Pizza39
- Coffee shops and cafes61
- Bakeries and dessert shops66
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 Cole County, MO?
There are 44 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in Cole County as of September 2026. 40 of them (91%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 68 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, down 2.9% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Official counts list 13 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Cole County, MO spend on food away from home?
About $120.7M a year, or $3,884 per household. That is 5% below the U.S. average (an index of 95, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 44 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $2.7M 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 31,086 households in Cole County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Cole County, MO compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Cole County has 14.2 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 7% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2.7M, 10% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Cole County would have about 40, against 44 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 457 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count fell 2.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Cole County, MO growing?
Population estimates put Cole County at 77,908 people in 2025, up 1.7% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 31,086 households. The median household income in Cole County is $74,876 a year, 7% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 24.7% 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. Cole County scores 47 for fast food and sandwich shops (lower middle), #1,264 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Cole 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 Cole County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Cole 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 Cole 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.