Food and drink · County · New York
Fast food and sandwich shops in Essex County, NY
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for fast food and sandwich shops in Essex County, NY, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 44 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,365 of 2,222 scored counties
#52 of 60 scored counties in New York
- Listings
- 20
- 9 chain locations (45%)
- Official establishments
- 34
- All limited-service restaurants · +17.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $60.9M
- On food away from home · $3,727 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3M
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 12.2
- 8% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 36,438
- −2.2% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Essex 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 Essex 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 20 fast food and sandwich shops in Essex County. Of those, 9 are chain locations, or 45%, against 79% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 12.2, 8% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.
Household spending on food away from home in Essex County comes to about $60.9M a year: $3,727 per household, 8% below the U.S. average. Spread across 20 fast food and sandwich shops, that is $3M per shop, in line with 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 34 businesses with payroll in Essex County classed as limited-service restaurants, up 17.2% from 2019. That is one for every 481 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 also show 4 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $268K has gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Essex County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Essex County declined 2.2%, against +3.1% for the U.S. Essex County scores 44 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, ranking #1,365 of 2,222 scored counties and #52 of 60 scored counties in New York.
How Essex County compares
The same measures for New York 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 | Essex County | New York | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 12.2 | 14.1 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $3M | $3M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 481 | 433 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +17.2% | −0.8% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.2% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,727 | $4,270 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $71,661 | $85,974 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 44 | 36 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 29 → 34All limited-service restaurants · +17.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 211
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 4All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 209 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 20The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $268K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Essex 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 Essex County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 36,438−2.2% since 2020
- Households
- 16,342
- Median age
- 49.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 77%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 1,794 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 21
- Median household income
- $71,661+26.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $95,488
- Median home value
- $211,900
- Jobs located here
- 14,557
- Daytime population
- 35,396Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Essex 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 Essex 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 York
Every New York market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in New York for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in New York, with Essex County marked.
Top counties in New York
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Saratoga County, NY | 81 | 83 | 8.1 | $5.6M | +2.3% | #105 of 2,222 |
| 2Schoharie County, NY | 76 | 11 | 8.6 | $4.3M | +1.4% | #209 of 2,222 |
| 3Orleans County, NY | 71 | 9 | 5.5 | $6.3M | −0.5% | #322 of 2,222 |
| 4Wayne County, NY | 69 | 26 | 6.8 | $5.5M | +0.1% | #382 of 2,222 |
| 5Tompkins County, NY | 69 | 38 | 8.8 | $4.5M | −1.4% | #388 of 2,222 |
| 6Tioga County, NY | 69 | 19 | 9.3 | $4M | −1.9% | #394 of 2,222 |
| 7Washington County, NY | 68 | 13 | 5.3 | $6.8M | −2.9% | #418 of 2,222 |
| 8Delaware County, NY | 68 | 15 | 7.8 | $4.5M | +0.2% | #420 of 2,222 |
| 9Lewis County, NY | 68 | 9 | 8.1 | $4.3M | −0.3% | #422 of 2,222 |
| 10Rensselaer County, NY | 67 | 65 | 9.7 | $4.2M | −0.2% | #463 of 2,222 |
| 52Essex County, NY | 44 | 20 | 12.2 | $3M | −2.2% | #1,365 of 2,222 |
Other business types in Essex County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes19
- Sit-down restaurants20
- Fast food and sandwich shops44
- Pizza43
- Coffee shops and cafes26
- Bakeries and dessert shops18
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 Essex County, NY?
Essex County has 20 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 9 of them (45%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 34 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 17.2% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Another 4 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Essex County, NY spend on food away from home?
About $60.9M a year, or $3,727 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 20 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 16,342 households in Essex County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Essex County, NY compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Essex County has 12.2 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $3M, in line with the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 481 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 17.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Essex County, NY growing?
Population estimates put Essex County at 36,438 people in 2025, down 2.2% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 16,342 households. The median household income in Essex County is $71,661 a year, 11% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 26.3% 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. Essex County scores 44 for fast food and sandwich shops (lower middle), #1,365 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Essex 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 Essex County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Essex 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 Essex 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.