Food and drink · County · New Jersey
Fast food and sandwich shops in Somerset County, NJ
How Somerset County, NJ compares with other counties and the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 72 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #298 of 2,222 scored counties
#4 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey
- Listings
- 143
- 74 chain locations (52%)
- Official establishments
- 285
- All limited-service restaurants · +4.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $718.6M
- On food away from home · $5,494 a household
- Spending per listing
- $5M
- 65% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 10.9
- 18% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 356,486
- +3.5% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Somerset 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 Somerset 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 143 fast food and sandwich shops in Somerset County. 74 of them (52%) are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 10.9, 18% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.
Households in Somerset County spend about $718.6M a year on food away from home, or $5,494 per household, 35% above the U.S. average. That is about $5M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 65% 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.
In 2023, official counts showed 285 businesses with payroll in Somerset County classed as limited-service restaurants, up 4.0% from 2019. That is one for every 459 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. Official counts list 71 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 8 SBA-backed loans worth $1.4M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Somerset County.
Population estimates show Somerset County grew 3.5% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). Somerset County scores 72 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, ranking #298 of 2,222 scored counties and #4 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Somerset 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.
| Measure | Somerset County | New Jersey | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 10.9 | 13.6 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $5M | $3.4M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 459 | 457 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +4.0% | +7.1% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.5% | +3.0% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $5,494 | $4,680 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $140,374 | $103,556 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 72 | 61 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 274 → 285All limited-service restaurants · +4.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 3,374
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $74.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 71All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 14374 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 236The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 8
- Amount
- $1.4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Somerset 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 Somerset County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 356,486+3.5% since 2020
- Households
- 130,802
- Median age
- 42.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 74%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 302 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,159
- Median household income
- $140,374+23.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $191,543
- Median home value
- $552,100
- Jobs located here
- 201,609
- Daytime population
- 369,052Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Somerset 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 Somerset 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 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 Somerset County marked.
Top counties in New Jersey
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Hunterdon County, NJ | 78 | 63 | 12.4 | $4.4M | +2.3% | #161 of 2,222 |
| 2Sussex County, NJ | 78 | 73 | 12.6 | $3.9M | +2.9% | #170 of 2,222 |
| 3Salem County, NJ | 75 | 27 | 10.9 | $3.6M | +2.3% | #232 of 2,222 |
| 4Somerset County, NJ | 72 | 143 | 10.9 | $5M | +3.5% | #298 of 2,222 |
| 5Burlington County, NJ | 72 | 214 | 12.1 | $3.9M | +4.3% | #306 of 2,222 |
| 6Ocean County, NJ | 68 | 308 | 12.6 | $3.4M | +5.6% | #440 of 2,222 |
| 7Essex County, NJ | 67 | 402 | 12.6 | $3.4M | +4.2% | #480 of 2,222 |
| 8Warren County, NJ | 67 | 65 | 14.3 | $3.1M | +3.2% | #487 of 2,222 |
| 9Gloucester County, NJ | 66 | 136 | 12.1 | $3.8M | +3.3% | #506 of 2,222 |
| 10Hudson County, NJ | 66 | 355 | 11.8 | $3.8M | +1.8% | #507 of 2,222 |
Other business types in Somerset County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes66
- Sit-down restaurants58
- Fast food and sandwich shops72
- Pizza72
- Coffee shops and cafes73
- Bakeries and dessert shops65
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 Somerset County, NJ?
There are 143 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in Somerset County as of September 2026. 74 of them (52%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 285 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 4.0% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Official counts also show 71 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Somerset County, NJ spend on food away from home?
About $718.6M a year, or $5,494 per household. That is 35% above the U.S. average (an index of 135, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 143 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $5M 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 130,802 households in Somerset County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Somerset County, NJ compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Somerset 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 $5M, 65% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Somerset County would have about 236, against 143 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 459 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 4.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Somerset County, NJ growing?
Population estimates put Somerset County at 356,486 people in 2025, up 3.5% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 130,802 households. The median household income in Somerset County is $140,374 a year, 74% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.6% 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. Somerset County scores 72 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #298 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Somerset 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 Somerset County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Somerset 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 Somerset 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.