Food and drink · County · North Carolina
Fast food and sandwich shops in McDowell County, NC
How McDowell County, NC 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 36 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,639 of 2,222 scored counties
#72 of 91 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 26
- 25 chain locations (96%)
- Official establishments
- 34
- All limited-service restaurants · +3.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $59.6M
- On food away from home · $3,199 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.3M
- 25% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 13.9
- 5% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 45,198
- +1.5% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in McDowell 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 McDowell 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 26 fast food and sandwich shops in McDowell County. 25 of them (96%) are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. That comes to 13.9 for every 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.
Household spending on food away from home in McDowell County comes to about $59.6M a year: $3,199 per household, 21% below the U.S. average. That is about $2.3M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 25% 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.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in McDowell County was 34 in 2023, up 3.0% from 2019. That is one for every 548 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 5 one-person businesses without payroll.
Population estimates show McDowell County grew 1.5% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops in McDowell County is 36 (lower middle), #1,639 of 2,222 scored counties and #72 of 91 scored counties in North Carolina.
How McDowell 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 | McDowell County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 13.9 | 13.4 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $2.3M | $2.8M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 548 | 504 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +3.0% | +4.7% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.5% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,199 | $3,776 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $57,168 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 36 | 47 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 33 → 34All limited-service restaurants · +3.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 717
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $13.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 5All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 2625 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
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in McDowell 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 McDowell County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 45,198+1.5% since 2020
- Households
- 18,638
- Median age
- 44.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 76%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 440 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 102
- Median household income
- $57,168+31.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $72,753
- Median home value
- $171,100
- Jobs located here
- 15,917
- Daytime population
- 39,859Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in McDowell 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 McDowell 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 McDowell 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 |
| 72McDowell County, NC | 36 | 26 | 13.9 | $2.3M | +1.5% | #1,639 of 2,222 |
Other business types in McDowell County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes44
- Sit-down restaurants52
- Fast food and sandwich shops36
- Pizza45
- Coffee shops and cafes62
- 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 McDowell County, NC?
McDowell County has 26 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 25 of them (96%) 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 3.0% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Another 5 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in McDowell County, NC spend on food away from home?
About $59.6M a year, or $3,199 per household. That is 21% below the U.S. average (an index of 79, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 26 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $2.3M 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 18,638 households in McDowell County and national spending patterns by income.
How does McDowell County, NC compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
McDowell County has 13.9 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2.3M, 25% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, McDowell County would have about 20, against 26 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 548 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 3.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is McDowell County, NC growing?
Population estimates put McDowell County at 45,198 people in 2025, up 1.5% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 18,638 households. The median household income in McDowell County is $57,168 a year, 29% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.0% 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. McDowell County scores 36 for fast food and sandwich shops (lower middle), #1,639 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in McDowell 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 McDowell County
Screening a site or an acquisition in McDowell 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 McDowell 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.