Food and drink · Small-town market · Nebraska
Fast food and sandwich shops in the Hastings, NE area
How the Hastings, NE area compares with other small-town markets and the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 53 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #250 of 537 scored small-town markets
#3 of 9 scored small-town markets based in Nebraska
- Listings
- 24
- 19 chain locations (79%)
- Official establishments
- 33
- All limited-service restaurants · +14.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $62.9M
- On food away from home · $3,690 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.6M
- 14% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 14.1
- 6% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 40,577
- −0.2% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in the Hastings area
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 the Hastings area. 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 24 fast food and sandwich shops in the Hastings area. 19 of them (79%) are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. That is 14.1 per 10,000 households, 6% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.
Households in the Hastings area spend about $62.9M a year on food away from home, or $3,690 per household, 9% below the U.S. average. That is about $2.6M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 14% 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 33 businesses with payroll in the Hastings area classed as limited-service restaurants, up 14.3% from 2019. That is one for every 517 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, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $17K has gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the Hastings area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Hastings area declined 0.2%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For fast food and sandwich shops, the Hastings area has a Groundwork market score of 53 (upper middle): #250 of 537 scored small-town markets and #3 of 9 scored small-town markets based in Nebraska.
How the Hastings area 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 | Hastings area | Nebraska | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 14.1 | 14.5 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $2.6M | $2.7M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 517 | 526 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +14.3% | +6.4% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.2% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,690 | $3,946 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $69,510 | $76,475 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 53 | 48 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 33All limited-service restaurants · +14.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 582
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $10.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 2419 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 21The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $17K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the Hastings area, 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 the Hastings area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 40,577−0.2% since 2020
- Households
- 17,059
- Median age
- 40.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.2
- Land area
- 1,711 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 24
- Median household income
- $69,510
- Average household income
- $91,112
- Median home value
- $175,200
- Jobs located here
- 18,629
- Daytime population
- 39,802Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Hastings area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 the Hastings area. 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 small-town markets in Nebraska for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in Nebraska, with the Hastings area marked.
Top small-town markets in Nebraska
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Beatrice, NE | 71 | 11 | 11.8 | $3M | +0.2% | #82 of 537 |
| 2Columbus, NE | 64 | 25 | 14.4 | $2.6M | +3.8% | #146 of 537 |
| 3Hastings, NE | 53 | 24 | 14.1 | $2.6M | −0.2% | #250 of 537 |
| 4Lexington, NE | 46 | 18 | 18.0 | $2.1M | +1.1% | #317 of 537 |
| 5Fremont, NE | 45 | 27 | 17.8 | $2.1M | +2.6% | #327 of 537 |
| 6Norfolk, NE | 44 | 31 | 15.8 | $2.3M | +1.1% | #334 of 537 |
| 7Kearney, NE | 37 | 48 | 21.1 | $1.8M | +1.9% | #395 of 537 |
| 8Scottsbluff, NE | 25 | 28 | 18.2 | $1.9M | −1.2% | #475 of 537 |
| 9North Platte, NE | 23 | 29 | 19.1 | $1.8M | −3.6% | #480 of 537 |
Other business types in the Hastings area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes54
- Sit-down restaurants61
- Fast food and sandwich shops53
- Pizza46
- Coffee shops and cafes42
- Bakeries and dessert shops50
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 the Hastings, NE area?
The Hastings area has 24 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 19 of them (79%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 33 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 14.3% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops.
How much do households in the Hastings, NE area spend on food away from home?
About $62.9M a year, or $3,690 per household. That is 9% below the U.S. average (an index of 91, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 24 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 17,059 households in the Hastings area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Hastings, NE area compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
The Hastings area has 14.1 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 6% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2.6M, 14% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, the Hastings area would have about 21, against 24 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 517 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 14.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Hastings, NE area growing?
Population estimates put the Hastings area at 40,577 people in 2025, down 0.2% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 17,059 households. The median household income in the Hastings area is $69,510 a year, 14% 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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 Hastings area scores 53 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #250 of 537 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Hastings area. 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 the Hastings area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Hastings area?
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 the Hastings area. 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.