Food and drink · County · Missouri
Fast food and sandwich shops in St. Louis city, MO
The fast food and sandwich shops in St. Louis city, MO, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 28 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,888 of 2,222 scored counties
#65 of 74 scored counties in Missouri
- Listings
- 193
- 123 chain locations (64%)
- Official establishments
- 322
- All limited-service restaurants · +5.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $499.1M
- On food away from home · $3,445 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.6M
- 15% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 13.3
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 278,144
- −7.4% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in St. Louis city
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 St. Louis city. 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
For fast food and sandwich shops, St. Louis city has a Groundwork market score of 28 (lower middle): #1,888 of 2,222 scored counties and #65 of 74 scored counties in Missouri. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 193 fast food and sandwich shops in St. Louis city. Of those, 123 are chain locations, or 64%, against 79% across the U.S. That is 13.3 per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 13.3.
Households in St. Louis city spend about $499.1M a year on food away from home, or $3,445 per household, 15% below the U.S. average. That is about $2.6M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 15% 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.
Official counts show 322 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in St. Louis city in 2023, up 5.2% from 2019. That is one for every 450 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. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $2M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in St. Louis city. Population estimates show St. Louis city declined 7.4% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How St. Louis city 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 | St. Louis city | Missouri | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 13.3 | 13.3 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $2.6M | $2.9M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 450 | 521 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +5.2% | +8.4% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −7.4% | +1.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,445 | $3,799 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $56,160 | $70,702 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 28 | 44 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 306 → 322All limited-service restaurants · +5.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 4,614
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $104.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 48All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 193123 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 164The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in St. Louis city, 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 St. Louis city
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 278,144−7.4% since 2020
- Households
- 144,891
- Median age
- 38.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 45%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.3
- Land area
- 62 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 4,675
- Median household income
- $56,160+27.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $81,764
- Median home value
- $197,500
- Jobs located here
- 229,379
- Daytime population
- 378,059Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in St. Louis city?
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 St. Louis city. 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 St. Louis city 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 |
| 65St. Louis city, MO | 28 | 193 | 13.3 | $2.6M | −7.4% | #1,888 of 2,222 |
Other business types in St. Louis city
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes13
- Sit-down restaurants14
- Fast food and sandwich shops28
- Pizza31
- Coffee shops and cafes24
- Bakeries and dessert shops27
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 St. Louis city, MO?
There are 193 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in St. Louis city as of September 2026. 123 of them (64%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 322 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 5.2% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Official counts list 48 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in St. Louis city, MO spend on food away from home?
About $499.1M a year, or $3,445 per household. That is 15% below the U.S. average (an index of 85, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 193 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $2.6M 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 144,891 households in St. Louis city and national spending patterns by income.
How does St. Louis city, MO compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
St. Louis city has 13.3 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2.6M, 15% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, St. Louis city would have about 164, against 193 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 450 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is St. Louis city, MO growing?
Population estimates put St. Louis city at 278,144 people in 2025, down 7.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 144,891 households. The median household income in St. Louis city is $56,160 a year, 30% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 27.9% 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. St. Louis city scores 28 for fast food and sandwich shops (lower middle), #1,888 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in St. Louis city. 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 St. Louis city
Screening a site or an acquisition in St. Louis city?
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 St. Louis city. 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.