Food and drink · County · New Hampshire
Fast food and sandwich shops in Hillsborough County, NH
The fast food and sandwich shops in Hillsborough County, NH, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 76 out of 100: High
Ranked #203 of 2,222 scored counties
#3 of 10 scored counties in New Hampshire
- Listings
- 161
- 116 chain locations (72%)
- Official establishments
- 305
- All limited-service restaurants · +2.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $780.9M
- On food away from home · $4,628 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.9M
- 59% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 9.5
- 29% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 433,415
- +2.5% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Hillsborough 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 Hillsborough 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
For fast food and sandwich shops, Hillsborough County has a Groundwork market score of 76 (high): #203 of 2,222 scored counties and #3 of 10 scored counties in New Hampshire. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for fast food and sandwich shops.
At $4,628 per household (14% above the U.S. average), households in Hillsborough County spend about $780.9M a year on food away from home. Spread across 161 fast food and sandwich shops, that is $4.9M per shop, 59% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only fast food and sandwich shops.
Hillsborough County has 161 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 116 of them (72%) are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. That is 9.5 per 10,000 households, 29% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.
In 2023, official counts showed 305 businesses with payroll in Hillsborough County classed as limited-service restaurants, up 2.7% from 2019. That is one for every 553 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. Since fiscal 2022, 20 SBA-backed loans worth $4.1M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Hillsborough County. Population estimates put the population change in Hillsborough County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.5%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Hillsborough County compares
The same measures for New Hampshire 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 | Hillsborough County | New Hampshire | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 9.5 | 10.4 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $4.9M | $4.3M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 553 | 518 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +2.7% | +0.1% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.5% | +2.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,628 | $4,493 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $103,545 | $99,031 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 76 | 77 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 297 → 305All limited-service restaurants · +2.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 4,771
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $119.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 40All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 161116 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 256The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 20
- Amount
- $4.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Hillsborough 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 Hillsborough County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 433,415+2.5% since 2020
- Households
- 168,740
- Median age
- 42.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 877 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 486
- Median household income
- $103,545+27.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $132,601
- Median home value
- $421,100
- Jobs located here
- 221,067
- Daytime population
- 417,173Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Hillsborough 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 Hillsborough 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 New Hampshire
Every New Hampshire market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in New Hampshire for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in New Hampshire, with Hillsborough County marked.
Top counties in New Hampshire
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Cheshire County, NH | 80 | 24 | 7.8 | $5.1M | +2.3% | #118 of 2,222 |
| 2Sullivan County, NH | 78 | 16 | 9.6 | $4.1M | +2.1% | #167 of 2,222 |
| 3Hillsborough County, NH | 76 | 161 | 9.5 | $4.9M | +2.5% | #203 of 2,222 |
| 4Strafford County, NH | 76 | 47 | 9.0 | $4.7M | +3.0% | #205 of 2,222 |
| 5Merrimack County, NH | 76 | 58 | 9.5 | $4.6M | +2.6% | #207 of 2,222 |
| 6Rockingham County, NH | 67 | 144 | 11.3 | $4.4M | +3.0% | #459 of 2,222 |
| 7Coos County, NH | 64 | 11 | 7.9 | $4.2M | +0.4% | #566 of 2,222 |
| 8Grafton County, NH | 63 | 41 | 11.0 | $3.8M | +2.2% | #604 of 2,222 |
| 9Belknap County, NH | 53 | 39 | 14.8 | $2.9M | +2.1% | #1,026 of 2,222 |
| 10Carroll County, NH | 52 | 36 | 16.5 | $2.5M | +5.0% | #1,084 of 2,222 |
Other business types in Hillsborough County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes64
- Sit-down restaurants63
- Fast food and sandwich shops76
- Pizza62
- Coffee shops and cafes56
- Bakeries and dessert shops46
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 Hillsborough County, NH?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 161 fast food and sandwich shops in Hillsborough County. 116 of them (72%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 305 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 2.7% from 2019. The official count takes in all limited-service restaurants, not only fast food and sandwich shops: pizza places are counted too. Another 40 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Hillsborough County, NH spend on food away from home?
About $780.9M a year, or $4,628 per household. That is 14% above the U.S. average (an index of 114, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 161 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $4.9M 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 168,740 households in Hillsborough County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Hillsborough County, NH compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Hillsborough County has 9.5 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 29% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $4.9M, 59% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Hillsborough County would have about 256, against 161 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 553 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 2.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Hillsborough County, NH growing?
Population estimates put Hillsborough County at 433,415 people in 2025, up 2.5% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 168,740 households. Median household income in Hillsborough County is $103,545, 28% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 27.1%, 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. Hillsborough County scores 76 for fast food and sandwich shops (high), #203 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Hillsborough 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 Hillsborough County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Hillsborough 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 Hillsborough 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.