Food and drink · County · Nebraska
Fast food and sandwich shops in Lancaster County, NE
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for fast food and sandwich shops in Lancaster County, NE, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 49 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,185 of 2,222 scored counties
#10 of 24 scored counties in Nebraska
- Listings
- 199
- 175 chain locations (88%)
- Official establishments
- 287
- All limited-service restaurants · +0.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $520.4M
- On food away from home · $3,880 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.6M
- 14% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 14.8
- 11% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 334,049
- +3.4% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Lancaster 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 Lancaster 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
At $3,880 per household (5% below the U.S. average), households in Lancaster County spend about $520.4M a year on food away from home. Spread across 199 fast food and sandwich shops, that is $2.6M per shop, 14% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only fast food and sandwich shops.
Lancaster County has 199 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 175 are chain locations, or 88%, against 79% across the U.S. That is 14.8 per 10,000 households, 11% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.
Official counts show 287 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Lancaster County in 2023, up 0.4% from 2019. That is one for every 467 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Official counts list 31 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 9 SBA-backed loans worth $7.8M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Lancaster County.
Population estimates show Lancaster County grew 3.4% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). Lancaster County scores 49 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, ranking #1,185 of 2,222 scored counties and #10 of 24 scored counties in Nebraska.
How Lancaster 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 | Lancaster County | Nebraska | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 14.8 | 14.5 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $2.6M | $2.7M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 467 | 526 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +0.4% | +6.4% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.4% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,880 | $3,946 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $74,793 | $76,475 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 49 | 48 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 286 → 287All limited-service restaurants · +0.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 6,049
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $111.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 31All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 199175 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 171The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 9
- Amount
- $7.8M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Lancaster 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 Lancaster County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 334,049+3.4% since 2020
- Households
- 134,126
- Median age
- 36.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 59%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 838 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 390
- Median household income
- $74,793+23.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $99,420
- Median home value
- $275,200
- Jobs located here
- 180,543
- Daytime population
- 346,989Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Lancaster 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 Lancaster 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 Lancaster 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 |
Other business types in Lancaster County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes55
- Sit-down restaurants66
- Fast food and sandwich shops49
- Pizza58
- Coffee shops and cafes44
- Bakeries and dessert shops58
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 Lancaster County, NE?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 199 fast food and sandwich shops in Lancaster County. 175 of them (88%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 287 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 0.4% from 2019. The official count takes in all limited-service restaurants, not only fast food and sandwich shops: pizza places are counted too. Official counts also show 31 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Lancaster County, NE spend on food away from home?
About $520.4M a year, or $3,880 per household. That is 5% below the U.S. average (an index of 95, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 199 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $2.6M 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 134,126 households in Lancaster County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Lancaster County, NE compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Lancaster County has 14.8 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 11% 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 U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Lancaster County would have about 171, against 199 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 467 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 0.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Lancaster County, NE growing?
Population estimates put Lancaster County at 334,049 people in 2025, up 3.4% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 134,126 households. Median household income in Lancaster County is $74,793, 7% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 23.6%, 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. Lancaster County scores 49 for fast food and sandwich shops (lower middle), #1,185 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Lancaster 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 Lancaster County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Lancaster 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 Lancaster 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.