Food and drink · County · Nebraska
Fast food and sandwich shops in Dakota County, NE
The fast food and sandwich shops in Dakota County, NE, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 36 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,640 of 2,222 scored counties
#14 of 24 scored counties in Nebraska
- Listings
- 12
- 12 chain locations (100%)
- Official establishments
- 16
- All limited-service restaurants
- Household spending a year
- $27.4M
- On food away from home · $3,669 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.3M
- 25% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 16.1
- 21% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 21,687
- +0.7% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Dakota 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 Dakota 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 12 fast food and sandwich shops in Dakota County. All of them are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 16.1, 21% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.
Households in Dakota County spend about $27.4M a year on food away from home, or $3,669 per household, 10% below the U.S. average. That works out to $2.3M per shop, 25% 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.
In 2023, official counts showed 16 businesses with payroll in Dakota County classed as limited-service restaurants. That is one for every 466 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. Official counts list 5 one-person businesses without payroll.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Dakota County grew 0.7%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops in Dakota County is 36 (lower middle), #1,640 of 2,222 scored counties and #14 of 24 scored counties in Nebraska.
How Dakota County compares
The same measures for Nebraska 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 | Dakota County | Nebraska | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 16.1 | 14.5 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $2.3M | $2.7M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 466 | 526 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +6.4% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.7% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,669 | $3,946 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $70,329 | $76,475 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 36 | 48 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 16 → 16All limited-service restaurants
- Employees, 2023
- 280
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $4.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 5All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1212 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 9The 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 Dakota 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 Dakota County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 21,687+0.7% since 2020
- Households
- 7,459
- Median age
- 34.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 64%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 264 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 81
- Median household income
- $70,329+18.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $91,843
- Median home value
- $185,700
- Jobs located here
- 15,030
- Daytime population
- 25,103Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Dakota 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 Dakota 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 Nebraska
Every Nebraska market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Nebraska for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in Nebraska, with Dakota County marked.
Top counties in Nebraska
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Saunders County, NE | 91 | 8 | 9.0 | $4.8M | +6.0% | #12 of 2,222 |
| 2Cass County, NE | 87 | 11 | 10.2 | $4.3M | +3.9% | #35 of 2,222 |
| 3Washington County, NE | 86 | 6 | 7.1 | $6.2M | +1.8% | #39 of 2,222 |
| 4Sarpy County, NE | 77 | 91 | 12.3 | $3.8M | +9.0% | #194 of 2,222 |
| 5Custer County, NE | 63 | 5 | 11.1 | $3.2M | 0.0% | #618 of 2,222 |
| 6Gage County, NE | 60 | 11 | 11.8 | $3M | +0.2% | #750 of 2,222 |
| 7Seward County, NE | 59 | 9 | 13.3 | $3M | +2.3% | #789 of 2,222 |
| 8Saline County, NE | 59 | 8 | 15.6 | $2.5M | +1.9% | #801 of 2,222 |
| 9Douglas County, NE | 56 | 346 | 14.5 | $2.9M | +3.6% | #916 of 2,222 |
| 10Lancaster County, NE | 49 | 199 | 14.8 | $2.6M | +3.4% | #1,185 of 2,222 |
| 14Dakota County, NE | 36 | 12 | 16.1 | $2.3M | +0.7% | #1,640 of 2,222 |
Other business types in Dakota County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes31
- Sit-down restaurants35
- Fast food and sandwich shops36
- Pizza41
- Coffee shops and cafes35
- Bakeries and dessert shops35
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 Dakota County, NE?
There are 12 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in Dakota County as of September 2026. 12 of them (100%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 16 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. Official counts also show 5 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Dakota County, NE spend on food away from home?
About $27.4M a year, or $3,669 per household. That is 10% below the U.S. average (an index of 90, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 12 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $2.3M 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 7,459 households in Dakota County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Dakota County, NE compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Dakota County has 16.1 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 21% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2.3M, 25% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Dakota County would have about 9, against 12 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 466 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S.
How fast is Dakota County, NE growing?
Population estimates put Dakota County at 21,687 people in 2025, up 0.7% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 7,459 households. The median household income in Dakota County is $70,329 a year, 13% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 18.7% 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. Dakota County scores 36 for fast food and sandwich shops (lower middle), #1,640 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Dakota 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 Dakota County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Dakota 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 Dakota 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.