Groundwork

Food and drink · County · North Carolina

Fast food and sandwich shops in Rowan County, NC

The fast food and sandwich shops in Rowan 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 #441 of 2,222 scored counties
#19 of 91 scored counties in North Carolina

Listings
62
54 chain locations (87%)
Official establishments
84
All limited-service restaurants · −3.4% since 2019
Household spending a year
$205.2M
On food away from home · $3,484 a household
Spending per listing
$3.3M
8% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
10.5
21% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
155,096
+5.6% since 2020

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

As of September 2026, map listings count 62 fast food and sandwich shops in Rowan County. Chain locations make up 87% of them, against 79% across the U.S. That comes to 10.5 for every 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.

Household spending on food away from home in Rowan County comes to about $205.2M a year: $3,484 per household, 14% below the U.S. average. That works out to $3.3M per shop, 8% 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 84 businesses with payroll in Rowan County classed as limited-service restaurants, down 3.4% from 2019. That is one for every 701 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 21 one-person businesses without payroll.

Population estimates put the population change in Rowan County from 2020 to 2025 at +5.6%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops in Rowan County is 68 (upper middle), #441 of 2,222 scored counties and #19 of 91 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How Rowan 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 Rowan County, NC compared with North Carolina and the U.S.
MeasureRowan CountyNorth CarolinaU.S.
Listings per 10k households10.513.413.3
Spending per listing$3.3M$2.8M$3.1M
Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants)701504478
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−3.4%+4.7%+6.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+5.6%+7.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,484$3,776$4,070
Median household income$65,725$72,388$80,734
Groundwork market score6847

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
87 → 84All limited-service restaurants · −3.4% over the period
Employees, 2023
2,030
Annual payroll, 2023
$35.1M
One-person businesses, 2023
21All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
6254 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
67The 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 Rowan 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 Rowan County

Population, 2025 estimate
155,096+5.6% since 2020
Households
58,899
Median age
40.8
Homes lived in by their owners
72%
Vehicles per household
2.1
Land area
512 sq. mi.
People per square mile
293
Median household income
$65,725+31.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$84,650
Median home value
$238,400
Jobs located here
54,409
Daytime population
138,541Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Rowan 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 Rowan 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 Rowan 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
19Rowan County, NC686210.5$3.3M+5.6%#441 of 2,222

Other business types in Rowan 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 Rowan County, NC?

Rowan County has 62 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 54 of them (87%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 84 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, down 3.4% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Another 21 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

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

About $205.2M a year, or $3,484 per household. That is 14% below the U.S. average (an index of 86, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 62 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $3.3M 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 58,899 households in Rowan County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Rowan County has 10.5 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 21% 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 national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Rowan County would have about 67, against 62 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 701 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count fell 3.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.

How fast is Rowan County, NC growing?

Population estimates put Rowan County at 155,096 people in 2025, up 5.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 58,899 households. The median household income in Rowan County is $65,725 a year, 19% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.9% 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. Rowan County scores 68 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #441 of 2,222 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Rowan 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.