Food and drink · County · Nebraska
Fast food and sandwich shops in Howard County, NE
How Howard County, NE compares with other counties and the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score
Not scored
Counties under 10,000 people aren’t scored, since a few businesses can swing their figures.
- Listings
- 3
- 3 chain locations (100%)
- Official establishments
- n/a
- Fewer than 3, or not published
- Household spending a year
- $9.7M
- On food away from home · $3,871 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.2M
- 6% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 12.0
- 10% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 6,538
- +0.8% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Howard 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 Howard 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
Households in Howard County spend about $9.7M a year on food away from home, or $3,871 per household, 5% below the U.S. average. That works out to $3.2M per shop, 6% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only fast food and sandwich shops.
Howard County has 3 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. That is 12.0 per 10,000 households, 10% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.
Official counts don’t publish a figure for limited-service restaurants in Howard County, since they leave out counts under 3. Official counts list 3 one-person businesses without payroll.
Population estimates show Howard County grew 0.8% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Counties under 10,000 people aren’t given a market score, since a few businesses can swing their figures.
How Howard 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 | Howard County | Nebraska | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 12.0 | 14.5 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $3.2M | $2.7M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | n/a | 526 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +6.4% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.8% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,871 | $3,946 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $76,767 | $76,475 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | Not scored | 48 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- n/aAll limited-service restaurants
- Employees, 2023
- n/a
- Annual payroll, 2023
- n/a
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 3All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 33 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 3The 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 Howard 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 Howard County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 6,538+0.8% since 2020
- Households
- 2,504
- Median age
- 41.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 78%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.4
- Land area
- 569 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 11
- Median household income
- $76,767
- Average household income
- $96,174
- Median home value
- $209,100
- Jobs located here
- 1,618
- Daytime population
- 4,828Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Howard 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 Howard 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 Howard 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 |
| Howard County, NE | Not scored | 3 | 12.0 | $3.2M | +0.8% |
Other business types in Howard County
None has a Groundwork market score here. Counties under 10,000 people aren’t scored, since a few businesses can swing their figures.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes
- Sit-down restaurants
- Fast food and sandwich shops
- Pizza
- Coffee shops and cafes
- Bakeries and dessert shops
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 Howard County, NE?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 3 fast food and sandwich shops in Howard County. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. No official count is published for limited-service restaurants in Howard County: counts under 3 are left out. Official counts also show 3 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Howard County, NE spend on food away from home?
About $9.7M a year, or $3,871 per household. That is 5% below the U.S. average (an index of 95, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 3 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $3.2M 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 2,504 households in Howard County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Howard County, NE compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Howard County has 12.0 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 10% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $3.2M, 6% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending.
How fast is Howard County, NE growing?
Population estimates put Howard County at 6,538 people in 2025, up 0.8% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 2,504 households. Median household income in Howard County is $76,767, 5% 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. 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 score leaves out counties under 10,000 people, where a handful of businesses would swing it.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Howard 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 Howard County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Howard 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 Howard 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.