Groundwork

Food and drink · County · North Carolina

Fast food and sandwich shops in Alamance County, NC

The fast food and sandwich shops in Alamance County, NC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 52 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #1,071 of 2,222 scored counties
#43 of 91 scored counties in North Carolina

Listings
88
79 chain locations (90%)
Official establishments
144
All limited-service restaurants · +16.1% since 2019
Household spending a year
$244.5M
On food away from home · $3,490 a household
Spending per listing
$2.8M
9% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
12.6
5% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
186,177
+8.5% since 2020

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

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey 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 88 fast food and sandwich shops in Alamance County. 79 of them (90%) are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 12.6, 5% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.

Households in Alamance County spend about $244.5M a year on food away from home, or $3,490 per household, 14% below the U.S. average. That is about $2.8M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 9% 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 144 businesses with payroll in Alamance County classed as limited-service restaurants, up 16.1% from 2019. That is one for every 487 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 17 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $4.3M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Alamance County.

Population estimates show Alamance County grew 8.5% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For fast food and sandwich shops, Alamance County has a Groundwork market score of 52 (upper middle): #1,071 of 2,222 scored counties and #43 of 91 scored counties in North Carolina.

How Alamance County compares

The same measures for North Carolina 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 Alamance County, NC compared with North Carolina and the U.S.
MeasureAlamance CountyNorth CarolinaU.S.
Listings per 10k households12.613.413.3
Spending per listing$2.8M$2.8M$3.1M
Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants)487504478
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+16.1%+4.7%+6.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+8.5%+7.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,490$3,776$4,070
Median household income$65,651$72,388$80,734
Groundwork market score5247

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
124 → 144All limited-service restaurants · +16.1% over the period
Employees, 2023
3,544
Annual payroll, 2023
$64.1M
One-person businesses, 2023
17All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
8879 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
80The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
5
Amount
$4.3M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Alamance 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 Alamance County

Population, 2025 estimate
186,177+8.5% since 2020
Households
70,062
Median age
39.7
Homes lived in by their owners
65%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
424 sq. mi.
People per square mile
418
Median household income
$65,651+32.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$85,032
Median home value
$241,500
Jobs located here
69,257
Daytime population
166,616Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

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

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Fast food and sandwich shops across North Carolina

Every North Carolina market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in North Carolina for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with Alamance County marked.

Top counties in North Carolina

Counties in North Carolina ranked for fast food and sandwich shops by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Chatham County, NC90288.5$5.3M+11.0%#14 of 2,222
2Franklin County, NC86238.1$4.5M+18.8%#43 of 2,222
3Hoke County, NC84136.8$5.1M+9.0%#70 of 2,222
4Polk County, NC8366.7$5.5M+6.0%#85 of 2,222
5Union County, NC8310312.2$3.8M+11.7%#90 of 2,222
6Orange County, NC80579.9$4.4M+6.1%#123 of 2,222
7Lincoln County, NC78369.8$4.1M+13.2%#168 of 2,222
8Madison County, NC7656.0$5.6M+5.9%#199 of 2,222
9Moore County, NC754410.0$4M+10.3%#227 of 2,222
10Henderson County, NC74489.4$3.9M+5.0%#251 of 2,222
43Alamance County, NC528812.6$2.8M+8.5%#1,071 of 2,222

Other business types in Alamance 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 Alamance County, NC?

There are 88 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in Alamance County as of September 2026. 79 of them (90%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 144 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 16.1% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Official counts also show 17 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Alamance County, NC spend on food away from home?

About $244.5M a year, or $3,490 per household. That is 14% below the U.S. average (an index of 86, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 88 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $2.8M 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 70,062 households in Alamance County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Alamance County has 12.6 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 5% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2.8M, 9% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Alamance County would have about 80, against 88 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 487 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 16.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.

How fast is Alamance County, NC growing?

Population estimates put Alamance County at 186,177 people in 2025, up 8.5% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 70,062 households. The median household income in Alamance County is $65,651 a year, 19% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 32.1% 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. Alamance County scores 52 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #1,071 of 2,222 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Alamance 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 Alamance 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.