Food and drink · Metro area · North Dakota
Fast food and sandwich shops in the Fargo, ND-MN metro area
How the Fargo, ND-MN metro area compares with other metro areas and the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 69 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #81 of 387 scored metro areas
#2 of 4 scored metro areas based in North Dakota
- Listings
- 155
- 136 chain locations (88%)
- Official establishments
- 188
- All limited-service restaurants · −3.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $437M
- On food away from home · $3,959 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.8M
- 8% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 14.0
- 5% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 269,528
- +7.7% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in the Fargo metro 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 Fargo metro 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 155 fast food and sandwich shops in the Fargo metro area. Chain locations make up 88% of them, against 79% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 14.0, 5% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.
At $3,959 per household (3% below the U.S. average), households in the Fargo metro area spend about $437M a year on food away from home. That is about $2.8M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 8% 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.
Official counts show 188 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in the Fargo metro area in 2023, down 3.6% from 2019. That is one for every 587 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 list 20 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 7 SBA-backed loans worth $3.7M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the Fargo metro area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Fargo metro area from 2020 to 2025 at +7.7%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For fast food and sandwich shops, the Fargo metro area has a Groundwork market score of 69 (upper middle): #81 of 387 scored metro areas and #2 of 4 scored metro areas based in North Dakota. That puts it in the top quarter of metro areas.
How the Fargo metro area compares
The same measures for North Dakota 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 | Fargo metro area | North Dakota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 14.0 | 12.8 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $2.8M | $3.1M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 587 | 649 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −3.6% | +2.6% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +7.7% | +2.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,959 | $3,940 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $76,756 | $76,657 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 69 | 63 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 188All limited-service restaurants · −3.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 3,582
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $71.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 20All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 155136 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 143The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 7
- Amount
- $3.7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the Fargo metro 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 Fargo metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 269,528+7.7% since 2020
- Households
- 110,387
- Median age
- 34.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 55%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 2,810 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 92
- Median household income
- $76,756+18.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $102,833
- Median home value
- $289,100
- Jobs located here
- 152,491
- Daytime population
- 275,728Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Fargo metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 Fargo metro 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 Dakota
Every North Dakota market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in North Dakota for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in North Dakota, with the Fargo metro area marked.
Top metro areas in North Dakota
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Bismarck, ND | 81 | 65 | 11.6 | $3.6M | +4.5% | #23 of 387 |
| 2Fargo, ND-MN | 69 | 155 | 14.0 | $2.8M | +7.7% | #81 of 387 |
| 3Grand Forks, ND-MN | 58 | 56 | 12.8 | $2.9M | +0.8% | #150 of 387 |
| 4Minot, ND | 44 | 50 | 15.7 | $2.5M | −2.4% | #235 of 387 |
Other business types in the Fargo metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes83
- Sit-down restaurants85
- Fast food and sandwich shops69
- Pizza66
- Coffee shops and cafes50
- Bakeries and dessert shops75
Groceries and convenience
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Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
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Funeral services
Questions
How many fast food and sandwich shops are in the Fargo, ND-MN metro area?
There are 155 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in the Fargo metro area as of September 2026. 136 of them (88%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 188 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, down 3.6% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Official counts also show 20 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Fargo, ND-MN metro area spend on food away from home?
About $437M a year, or $3,959 per household. That is 3% below the U.S. average (an index of 97, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 155 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $2.8M 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 110,387 households in the Fargo metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Fargo, ND-MN metro area compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
The Fargo metro area has 14.0 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2.8M, 8% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, the Fargo metro area would have about 143, against 155 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 587 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count fell 3.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Fargo, ND-MN metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Fargo metro area at 269,528 people in 2025, up 7.7% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 110,387 households. The median household income in the Fargo metro area is $76,756 a year, 5% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 18.7% 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. The Fargo metro area scores 69 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #81 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Fargo metro 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 Fargo metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Fargo metro 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 Fargo metro 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.