Food and drink · County · New Jersey
Fast food and sandwich shops in Union County, NJ
How Union 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 59 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #792 of 2,222 scored counties
#15 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey
- Listings
- 322
- 153 chain locations (48%)
- Official establishments
- 463
- All limited-service restaurants · +8.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $962.3M
- On food away from home · $4,734 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3M
- 2% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 15.8
- 19% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 601,863
- +5.0% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Union 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 Union 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 322 fast food and sandwich shops in Union County. 153 of them (48%) are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. That comes to 15.8 for every 10,000 households, 19% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.
At $4,734 per household (16% above the U.S. average), households in Union County spend about $962.3M a year on food away from home. Spread across 322 fast food and sandwich shops, that is $3M per shop, 2% below 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 463 businesses with payroll in Union County classed as limited-service restaurants, up 8.9% from 2019. That is one for every 439 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 152 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 19 SBA-backed loans worth $5.5M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Union County.
Population estimates show Union County grew 5.0% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Union County scores 59 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, ranking #792 of 2,222 scored counties and #15 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey.
How Union 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 | Union County | New Jersey | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 15.8 | 13.6 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $3M | $3.4M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 439 | 457 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +8.9% | +7.1% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +5.0% | +3.0% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,734 | $4,680 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $103,202 | $103,556 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 59 | 61 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 425 → 463All limited-service restaurants · +8.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 5,053
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $115M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 152All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 322153 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 315The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 19
- Amount
- $5.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Union 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 Union County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 601,863+5.0% since 2020
- Households
- 203,277
- Median age
- 39.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 57%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 103 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 5,637
- Median household income
- $103,202+28.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $149,596
- Median home value
- $529,200
- Jobs located here
- 247,379
- Daytime population
- 551,422Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Union 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 Union 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 Union 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 |
| 15Union County, NJ | 59 | 322 | 15.8 | $3M | +5.0% | #792 of 2,222 |
Other business types in Union County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes51
- Sit-down restaurants45
- Fast food and sandwich shops59
- Pizza67
- Coffee shops and cafes65
- 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 Union County, NJ?
There are 322 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in Union County as of September 2026. 153 of them (48%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 463 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 8.9% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Official counts list 152 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Union County, NJ spend on food away from home?
About $962.3M a year, or $4,734 per household. That is 16% above the U.S. average (an index of 116, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 322 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $3M 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 203,277 households in Union County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Union County, NJ compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Union County has 15.8 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 19% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $3M, 2% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Union County would have about 315, against 322 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 439 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 8.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Union County, NJ growing?
Population estimates put Union County at 601,863 people in 2025, up 5.0% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 203,277 households. The median household income in Union County is $103,202 a year, 28% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 28.7% 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. Union County scores 59 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #792 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Union 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 Union County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Union 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 Union 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.