Groundwork

Food and drink · County · New Jersey

Fast food and sandwich shops in Salem County, NJ

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for fast food and sandwich shops in Salem County, NJ, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 75 out of 100: High

Ranked #232 of 2,222 scored counties
#3 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey

Listings
27
14 chain locations (52%)
Official establishments
32
All limited-service restaurants · −11.1% since 2019
Household spending a year
$98.1M
On food away from home · $3,947 a household
Spending per listing
$3.6M
19% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
10.9
18% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
66,280
+2.3% since 2020

See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Salem 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 Salem County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey 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 27 fast food and sandwich shops in Salem County. Of those, 14 are chain locations, or 52%, against 79% across the U.S. That comes to 10.9 for every 10,000 households, 18% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.

Households in Salem County spend about $98.1M a year on food away from home, or $3,947 per household, 3% below the U.S. average. That works out to $3.6M per shop, 19% above 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.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Salem County was 32 in 2023, down 11.1% from 2019. That is one for every 776 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. Another 12 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Salem County grew 2.3%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Salem County scores 75 (high) on the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, ranking #232 of 2,222 scored counties and #3 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How Salem County compares

The same measures for New Jersey 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.

Fast food and sandwich shops in Salem County, NJ compared with New Jersey and the U.S.
MeasureSalem CountyNew JerseyU.S.
Listings per 10k households10.913.613.3
Spending per listing$3.6M$3.4M$3.1M
Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants)776457478
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−11.1%+7.1%+6.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+2.3%+3.0%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,947$4,680$4,070
Median household income$79,960$103,556$80,734
Groundwork market score7561

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
36 → 32All limited-service restaurants · −11.1% over the period
Employees, 2023
313
Annual payroll, 2023
$8.8M
One-person businesses, 2023
12All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
2714 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
32The 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 Salem 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 Salem County

Population, 2025 estimate
66,280+2.3% since 2020
Households
24,846
Median age
41.7
Homes lived in by their owners
71%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
332 sq. mi.
People per square mile
197
Median household income
$79,960+19.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$101,600
Median home value
$239,500
Jobs located here
21,251
Daytime population
51,699Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Salem 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 Salem County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Fast food and sandwich shops across New Jersey

Every New Jersey market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in New Jersey for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in New Jersey, with Salem County marked.

Top counties in New Jersey

Counties in New Jersey ranked for fast food and sandwich shops by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Hunterdon County, NJ786312.4$4.4M+2.3%#161 of 2,222
2Sussex County, NJ787312.6$3.9M+2.9%#170 of 2,222
3Salem County, NJ752710.9$3.6M+2.3%#232 of 2,222
4Somerset County, NJ7214310.9$5M+3.5%#298 of 2,222
5Burlington County, NJ7221412.1$3.9M+4.3%#306 of 2,222
6Ocean County, NJ6830812.6$3.4M+5.6%#440 of 2,222
7Essex County, NJ6740212.6$3.4M+4.2%#480 of 2,222
8Warren County, NJ676514.3$3.1M+3.2%#487 of 2,222
9Gloucester County, NJ6613612.1$3.8M+3.3%#506 of 2,222
10Hudson County, NJ6635511.8$3.8M+1.8%#507 of 2,222

Other business types in Salem County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many fast food and sandwich shops are in Salem County, NJ?

Salem County has 27 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 14 of them (52%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 32 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, down 11.1% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Official counts list 12 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Salem County, NJ spend on food away from home?

About $98.1M a year, or $3,947 per household. That is 3% below the U.S. average (an index of 97, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 27 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $3.6M 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 24,846 households in Salem County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Salem County, NJ compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?

Salem County has 10.9 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 18% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $3.6M, 19% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Salem County would have about 32, against 27 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 776 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count fell 11.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.

How fast is Salem County, NJ growing?

Population estimates put Salem County at 66,280 people in 2025, up 2.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 24,846 households. The median household income in Salem County is $79,960 a year, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 19.6% from the 2015–2019 survey, 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. Salem County scores 75 for fast food and sandwich shops (high), #232 of 2,222 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Salem 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 Salem County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Salem 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 Salem 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.