Food and drink · Small-town market · Ohio
Fast food and sandwich shops in the Ashland, OH area
The fast food and sandwich shops in the Ashland, OH area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 45 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #324 of 537 scored small-town markets
#16 of 29 scored small-town markets based in Ohio
- Listings
- 32
- 29 chain locations (91%)
- Official establishments
- 38
- All limited-service restaurants · +15.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $72.9M
- On food away from home · $3,518 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.3M
- 25% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 15.4
- 16% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 52,523
- +0.1% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in the Ashland 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 Ashland 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
Households in the Ashland area spend about $72.9M a year on food away from home, or $3,518 per household, 14% below the U.S. average. That works out to $2.3M per shop, 25% 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 Ashland area has 32 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 29 are chain locations, or 91%, against 79% across the U.S. That comes to 15.4 for every 10,000 households, 16% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.
Official counts show 38 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in the Ashland area in 2023, up 15.2% from 2019. That is one for every 545 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 also show 4 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $162K has gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the Ashland area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Ashland area grew 0.1%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For fast food and sandwich shops, the Ashland area has a Groundwork market score of 45 (lower middle): #324 of 537 scored small-town markets and #16 of 29 scored small-town markets based in Ohio.
How the Ashland area compares
The same measures for Ohio 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 | Ashland area | Ohio | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 15.4 | 13.6 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $2.3M | $2.8M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 545 | 467 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +15.2% | +7.0% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.1% | +0.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,518 | $3,829 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $69,860 | $71,389 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 45 | 31 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 38All limited-service restaurants · +15.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 748
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $13.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 4All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 3229 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 24The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $162K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the Ashland 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 Ashland area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 52,523+0.1% since 2020
- Households
- 20,720
- Median age
- 42.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 78%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 423 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 124
- Median household income
- $69,860+32.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $82,890
- Median home value
- $186,800
- Jobs located here
- 18,646
- Daytime population
- 47,965Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Ashland 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 Ashland 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 Ohio
Every Ohio market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Ohio for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in Ohio, with the Ashland area marked.
Top small-town markets in Ohio
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Urbana, OH | 79 | 15 | 9.6 | $3.9M | +0.2% | #31 of 537 |
| 2Greenville, OH | 70 | 21 | 9.9 | $3.6M | −0.7% | #86 of 537 |
| 3Sidney, OH | 67 | 25 | 13.2 | $2.9M | −0.2% | #114 of 537 |
| 4Mount Vernon, OH | 66 | 24 | 10.2 | $3.7M | +1.9% | #121 of 537 |
| 5Bellefontaine, OH | 65 | 22 | 11.2 | $3.3M | +0.4% | #130 of 537 |
| 6Wilmington, OH | 65 | 22 | 13.1 | $2.8M | +0.6% | #134 of 537 |
| 7Wooster, OH | 61 | 57 | 12.8 | $2.9M | −0.1% | #167 of 537 |
| 8Tiffin, OH | 59 | 28 | 12.6 | $2.8M | −1.0% | #190 of 537 |
| 9Celina, OH | 57 | 20 | 12.2 | $3.1M | +0.5% | #211 of 537 |
| 10Wapakoneta, OH | 57 | 24 | 12.7 | $3.1M | −1.2% | #212 of 537 |
| 16Ashland, OH | 45 | 32 | 15.4 | $2.3M | +0.1% | #324 of 537 |
Other business types in the Ashland area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes70
- Sit-down restaurants75
- Fast food and sandwich shops45
- Pizza43
- Coffee shops and cafes59
- Bakeries and dessert shops50
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 Ashland, OH area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 32 fast food and sandwich shops in the Ashland area. 29 of them (91%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 38 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 15.2% from 2019. The official count takes in all limited-service restaurants, not only fast food and sandwich shops: pizza places are counted too. Another 4 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Ashland, OH area spend on food away from home?
About $72.9M a year, or $3,518 per household. That is 14% below the U.S. average (an index of 86, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 32 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $2.3M 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 20,720 households in the Ashland area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Ashland, OH area compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
The Ashland area has 15.4 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 16% 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 U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, the Ashland area would have about 24, against 32 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 545 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 15.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Ashland, OH area growing?
Population estimates put the Ashland area at 52,523 people in 2025, up 0.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 20,720 households. Median household income in the Ashland area is $69,860, 13% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 32.3%, 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 Ashland area scores 45 for fast food and sandwich shops (lower middle), #324 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 Ashland 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 Ashland area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Ashland 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 Ashland 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.