Food and drink · Small-town market · North Carolina
Fast food and sandwich shops in the Sanford, NC area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for fast food and sandwich shops in the Sanford, NC area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 44 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #336 of 537 scored small-town markets
#11 of 23 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina
- Listings
- 39
- 33 chain locations (85%)
- Official establishments
- 57
- All limited-service restaurants · +26.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $85.9M
- On food away from home · $3,414 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.2M
- 28% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 15.5
- 17% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 70,258
- +10.8% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in the Sanford area
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 the Sanford area. 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 the Sanford area comes to about $85.9M a year: $3,414 per household, 16% below the U.S. average. Spread across 39 fast food and sandwich shops, that is $2.2M per shop, 28% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only fast food and sandwich shops.
The Sanford area has 39 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 33 of them (85%) are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. That is 15.5 per 10,000 households, 17% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in the Sanford area was 57 in 2023, up 26.7% from 2019. That is one for every 441 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 13 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $4M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the Sanford area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Sanford area from 2020 to 2025 at +10.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For fast food and sandwich shops, the Sanford area has a Groundwork market score of 44 (lower middle): #336 of 537 scored small-town markets and #11 of 23 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina.
How the Sanford area 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 | Sanford area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 15.5 | 13.4 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $2.2M | $2.8M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 441 | 504 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +26.7% | +4.7% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +10.8% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,414 | $3,776 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $65,387 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 44 | 47 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 57All limited-service restaurants · +26.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,327
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $21.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 13All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 3933 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 28The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the Sanford area, 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 the Sanford area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 70,258+10.8% since 2020
- Households
- 25,145
- Median age
- 39.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 255 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 258
- Median household income
- $65,387+30.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $81,746
- Median home value
- $240,200
- Jobs located here
- 27,081
- Daytime population
- 64,849Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Sanford area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 the Sanford area. 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 small-town markets in North Carolina for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with the Sanford area marked.
Top small-town markets in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Anderson Creek, NC | 76 | 50 | 10.0 | $3.6M | +12.3% | #50 of 537 |
| 2Brevard, NC | 63 | 17 | 11.7 | $3M | +2.9% | #150 of 537 |
| 3Forest City, NC | 57 | 29 | 10.9 | $2.8M | +2.1% | #214 of 537 |
| 4Washington, NC | 55 | 19 | 9.8 | $3.4M | 0.0% | #226 of 537 |
| 5New Bern, NC | 52 | 70 | 13.3 | $2.6M | +3.6% | #259 of 537 |
| 6Albemarle, NC | 52 | 35 | 13.9 | $2.4M | +9.8% | #263 of 537 |
| 7North Wilkesboro, NC | 51 | 30 | 11.1 | $2.7M | +0.6% | #273 of 537 |
| 8Morehead City, NC | 50 | 55 | 17.2 | $2.2M | +4.1% | #279 of 537 |
| 9Shelby-Kings Mountain, NC | 46 | 53 | 13.6 | $2.4M | +3.4% | #313 of 537 |
| 10Waynesville, NC | 45 | 39 | 14.4 | $2.4M | +1.9% | #321 of 537 |
| 11Sanford, NC | 44 | 39 | 15.5 | $2.2M | +10.8% | #336 of 537 |
Other business types in the Sanford area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes56
- Sit-down restaurants53
- Fast food and sandwich shops44
- Pizza62
- Coffee shops and cafes70
- Bakeries and dessert shops62
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 the Sanford, NC area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 39 fast food and sandwich shops in the Sanford area. 33 of them (85%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 57 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 26.7% 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 13 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Sanford, NC area spend on food away from home?
About $85.9M a year, or $3,414 per household. That is 16% below the U.S. average (an index of 84, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 39 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $2.2M 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 25,145 households in the Sanford area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Sanford, NC area compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
The Sanford area has 15.5 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 17% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2.2M, 28% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, the Sanford area would have about 28, against 39 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 441 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 26.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Sanford, NC area growing?
Population estimates put the Sanford area at 70,258 people in 2025, up 10.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 25,145 households. Median household income in the Sanford area is $65,387, 19% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 30.8%, 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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. The Sanford area scores 44 for fast food and sandwich shops (lower middle), #336 of 537 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Sanford area. 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 the Sanford area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Sanford area?
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 the Sanford area. 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.