Food and drink · County · New Hampshire
Fast food and sandwich shops in Merrimack County, NH
The fast food and sandwich shops in Merrimack 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 #207 of 2,222 scored counties
#5 of 10 scored counties in New Hampshire
- Listings
- 58
- 47 chain locations (81%)
- Official establishments
- 107
- All limited-service restaurants · −5.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $266M
- On food away from home · $4,368 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.6M
- 50% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 9.5
- 29% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 158,078
- +2.6% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Merrimack 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 Merrimack 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
The Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops in Merrimack County is 76 (high), #207 of 2,222 scored counties and #5 of 10 scored counties in New Hampshire. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for fast food and sandwich shops.
Household spending on food away from home in Merrimack County comes to about $266M a year: $4,368 per household, 7% above the U.S. average. Spread across 58 fast food and sandwich shops, that is $4.6M per shop, 50% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only fast food and sandwich shops.
There are 58 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in Merrimack County as of September 2026. 47 of them (81%) are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 9.5, 29% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Merrimack County was 107 in 2023, down 5.3% from 2019. That is one for every 569 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, 10 SBA-backed loans worth $2.1M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Merrimack County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Merrimack County grew 2.6%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Merrimack 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 | Merrimack County | New Hampshire | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 9.5 | 10.4 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $4.6M | $4.3M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 569 | 518 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −5.3% | +0.1% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.6% | +2.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,368 | $4,493 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $97,004 | $99,031 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 76 | 77 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 113 → 107All limited-service restaurants · −5.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,699
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $40.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 31All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 5847 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 87The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 10
- Amount
- $2.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Merrimack 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 Merrimack County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 158,078+2.6% since 2020
- Households
- 60,901
- Median age
- 43.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 933 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 167
- Median household income
- $97,004+28.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $123,673
- Median home value
- $367,600
- Jobs located here
- 83,058
- Daytime population
- 159,180Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Merrimack 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 Merrimack 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 Merrimack 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 Merrimack County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes64
- Sit-down restaurants67
- Fast food and sandwich shops76
- Pizza64
- Coffee shops and cafes46
- 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 Merrimack County, NH?
As of September 2026, map listings count 58 fast food and sandwich shops in Merrimack County. 47 of them (81%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 107 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, down 5.3% from 2019. The official count takes in all limited-service restaurants, not only fast food and sandwich shops: pizza places are counted too. Another 31 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Merrimack County, NH spend on food away from home?
About $266M a year, or $4,368 per household. That is 7% above the U.S. average (an index of 107, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 58 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $4.6M 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 60,901 households in Merrimack County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Merrimack County, NH compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Merrimack 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 $4.6M, 50% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Merrimack County would have about 87, against 58 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 569 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count fell 5.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Merrimack County, NH growing?
Population estimates put Merrimack County at 158,078 people in 2025, up 2.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 60,901 households. Median household income in Merrimack County is $97,004, 20% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 28.1%, 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. Merrimack County scores 76 for fast food and sandwich shops (high), #207 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Merrimack 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 Merrimack County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Merrimack 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 Merrimack 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.