Groundwork

Food and drink · County · North Carolina

Fast food and sandwich shops in Caldwell County, NC

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 46 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,294 of 2,222 scored counties
#51 of 91 scored counties in North Carolina

Listings
33
30 chain locations (91%)
Official establishments
62
All limited-service restaurants · +3.3% since 2019
Household spending a year
$105.6M
On food away from home · $3,209 a household
Spending per listing
$3.2M
5% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
10.0
25% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
81,105
+0.7% since 2020

See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Caldwell 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 Caldwell 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

Map listings as of September 2026 show 33 fast food and sandwich shops in Caldwell County. 30 of them (91%) are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. That is 10.0 per 10,000 households, 25% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.

At $3,209 per household (21% below the U.S. average), households in Caldwell County spend about $105.6M a year on food away from home. That is about $3.2M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 5% 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 62 businesses with payroll in Caldwell County classed as limited-service restaurants, up 3.3% from 2019. That is one for every 531 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.

Population estimates show Caldwell County grew 0.7% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops in Caldwell County is 46 (lower middle), #1,294 of 2,222 scored counties and #51 of 91 scored counties in North Carolina.

How Caldwell 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 Caldwell County, NC compared with North Carolina and the U.S.
MeasureCaldwell CountyNorth CarolinaU.S.
Listings per 10k households10.013.413.3
Spending per listing$3.2M$2.8M$3.1M
Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants)531504478
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+3.3%+4.7%+6.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+0.7%+7.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,209$3,776$4,070
Median household income$56,425$72,388$80,734
Groundwork market score4647

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
60 → 62All limited-service restaurants · +3.3% over the period
Employees, 2023
1,393
Annual payroll, 2023
$23.4M
One-person businesses, 2023
0All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
3330 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
35The 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 Caldwell 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 Caldwell County

Population, 2025 estimate
81,105+0.7% since 2020
Households
32,919
Median age
44.4
Homes lived in by their owners
74%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
472 sq. mi.
People per square mile
171
Median household income
$56,425+26.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$75,197
Median home value
$192,200
Jobs located here
26,485
Daytime population
70,763Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Caldwell 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 Caldwell 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 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 Caldwell 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
51Caldwell County, NC463310.0$3.2M+0.7%#1,294 of 2,222

Other business types in Caldwell County

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

Funeral services

Questions

How many fast food and sandwich shops are in Caldwell County, NC?

There are 33 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in Caldwell County as of September 2026. 30 of them (91%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 62 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 3.3% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops.

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

About $105.6M a year, or $3,209 per household. That is 21% below the U.S. average (an index of 79, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 33 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $3.2M 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 32,919 households in Caldwell County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Caldwell County has 10.0 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 25% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $3.2M, 5% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Caldwell County would have about 35, against 33 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 531 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 3.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.

How fast is Caldwell County, NC growing?

Population estimates put Caldwell County at 81,105 people in 2025, up 0.7% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 32,919 households. The median household income in Caldwell County is $56,425 a year, 30% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 26.8% 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. Caldwell County scores 46 for fast food and sandwich shops (lower middle), #1,294 of 2,222 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Caldwell County?

A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.

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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.