Food and drink · County · North Carolina
Fast food and sandwich shops in Iredell County, NC
The fast food and sandwich shops in Iredell County, NC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 68 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #444 of 2,222 scored counties
#20 of 91 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 93
- 80 chain locations (86%)
- Official establishments
- 152
- All limited-service restaurants · +4.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $305.4M
- On food away from home · $4,001 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.3M
- 8% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 12.2
- 8% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 211,798
- +12.9% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Iredell 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 Iredell 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
Household spending on food away from home in Iredell County comes to about $305.4M a year: $4,001 per household, 2% below the U.S. average. That works out to $3.3M per shop, 8% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only fast food and sandwich shops.
There are 93 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in Iredell County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 86% of them, against 79% across the U.S. That comes to 12.2 for every 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Iredell County was 152 in 2023, up 4.8% from 2019. That is one for every 502 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Official counts list 30 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $1.7M has gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Iredell County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Iredell County grew 12.9%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For fast food and sandwich shops, Iredell County has a Groundwork market score of 68 (upper middle): #444 of 2,222 scored counties and #20 of 91 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Iredell 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.
| Measure | Iredell County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 12.2 | 13.4 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $3.3M | $2.8M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 502 | 504 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +4.8% | +4.7% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +12.9% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,001 | $3,776 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $81,419 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 68 | 47 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 145 → 152All limited-service restaurants · +4.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 3,542
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $62.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 30All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 9380 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 100The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $1.7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Iredell 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 Iredell County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 211,798+12.9% since 2020
- Households
- 76,344
- Median age
- 41.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 575 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 342
- Median household income
- $81,419+33.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $113,658
- Median home value
- $321,400
- Jobs located here
- 82,907
- Daytime population
- 186,832Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Iredell 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 Iredell 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 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 Iredell County marked.
Top counties in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Chatham County, NC | 90 | 28 | 8.5 | $5.3M | +11.0% | #14 of 2,222 |
| 2Franklin County, NC | 86 | 23 | 8.1 | $4.5M | +18.8% | #43 of 2,222 |
| 3Hoke County, NC | 84 | 13 | 6.8 | $5.1M | +9.0% | #70 of 2,222 |
| 4Polk County, NC | 83 | 6 | 6.7 | $5.5M | +6.0% | #85 of 2,222 |
| 5Union County, NC | 83 | 103 | 12.2 | $3.8M | +11.7% | #90 of 2,222 |
| 6Orange County, NC | 80 | 57 | 9.9 | $4.4M | +6.1% | #123 of 2,222 |
| 7Lincoln County, NC | 78 | 36 | 9.8 | $4.1M | +13.2% | #168 of 2,222 |
| 8Madison County, NC | 76 | 5 | 6.0 | $5.6M | +5.9% | #199 of 2,222 |
| 9Moore County, NC | 75 | 44 | 10.0 | $4M | +10.3% | #227 of 2,222 |
| 10Henderson County, NC | 74 | 48 | 9.4 | $3.9M | +5.0% | #251 of 2,222 |
| 20Iredell County, NC | 68 | 93 | 12.2 | $3.3M | +12.9% | #444 of 2,222 |
Other business types in Iredell County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes64
- Sit-down restaurants62
- Fast food and sandwich shops68
- Pizza68
- Coffee shops and cafes73
- Bakeries and dessert shops64
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 Iredell County, NC?
As of September 2026, map listings count 93 fast food and sandwich shops in Iredell County. 80 of them (86%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 152 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 4.8% from 2019. 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 30 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Iredell County, NC spend on food away from home?
About $305.4M a year, or $4,001 per household. That is 2% below the U.S. average (an index of 98, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 93 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $3.3M per shop. That spending covers all food away from home, which fast food and sandwich shops share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 76,344 households in Iredell County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Iredell County, NC compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Iredell 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 $3.3M, 8% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Iredell County would have about 100, against 93 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 502 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 4.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Iredell County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Iredell County at 211,798 people in 2025, up 12.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 76,344 households. Median household income in Iredell County is $81,419, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 33.6%, 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. Iredell County scores 68 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #444 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Iredell 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 Iredell County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Iredell 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 Iredell 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.