Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Ohio

Fast food and sandwich shops in Athens County, OH

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for fast food and sandwich shops in Athens County, OH, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 28 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,892 of 2,222 scored counties
#76 of 84 scored counties in Ohio

Listings
32
28 chain locations (88%)
Official establishments
65
All limited-service restaurants · −9.7% since 2019
Household spending a year
$77.2M
On food away from home · $3,353 a household
Spending per listing
$2.4M
21% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
13.9
5% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
63,197
+1.3% since 2020

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

Athens County scores 28 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, ranking #1,892 of 2,222 scored counties and #76 of 84 scored counties in Ohio. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

As of September 2026, map listings count 32 fast food and sandwich shops in Athens County. 28 of them (88%) are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. That is 13.9 per 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.

Household spending on food away from home in Athens County comes to about $77.2M a year: $3,353 per household, 18% below the U.S. average. That is about $2.4M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 21% 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 65 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Athens County in 2023, down 9.7% from 2019. That is one for every 354 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. Population estimates put the population change in Athens County from 2020 to 2025 at +1.3%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How Athens County 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.

Fast food and sandwich shops in Athens County, OH compared with Ohio and the U.S.
MeasureAthens CountyOhioU.S.
Listings per 10k households13.913.613.3
Spending per listing$2.4M$2.8M$3.1M
Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants)354467478
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−9.7%+7.0%+6.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+1.3%+0.9%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,353$3,829$4,070
Median household income$56,001$71,389$80,734
Groundwork market score2831

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
72 → 65All limited-service restaurants · −9.7% over the period
Employees, 2023
1,456
Annual payroll, 2023
$21.5M
One-person businesses, 2023
4All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
3228 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
25The 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 Athens 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 Athens County

Population, 2025 estimate
63,197+1.3% since 2020
Households
23,014
Median age
37.4
Homes lived in by their owners
60%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
504 sq. mi.
People per square mile
122
Median household income
$56,001+36.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$77,858
Median home value
$185,000
Jobs located here
18,702
Daytime population
59,780Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Athens 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 Athens 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 Ohio

Every Ohio market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Ohio for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in Ohio, with Athens County marked.

Top counties in Ohio

Counties in Ohio ranked for fast food and sandwich shops by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Union County, OH863012.4$3.9M+16.5%#47 of 2,222
2Holmes County, OH81107.5$5.4M+1.7%#106 of 2,222
3Morrow County, OH781410.4$3.7M+3.7%#172 of 2,222
4Warren County, OH7510010.9$4.5M+5.7%#222 of 2,222
5Geauga County, OH743710.3$4.7M+0.3%#244 of 2,222
6Perry County, OH70107.4$4.9M+1.3%#349 of 2,222
7Fairfield County, OH707612.6$3.4M+6.5%#369 of 2,222
8Medina County, OH698311.4$3.9M+1.3%#397 of 2,222
9Champaign County, OH69159.6$3.9M+0.2%#398 of 2,222
10Putnam County, OH67129.1$4.4M0.0%#458 of 2,222
76Athens County, OH283213.9$2.4M+1.3%#1,892 of 2,222

Other business types in Athens 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 Athens County, OH?

Athens County has 32 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 28 of them (88%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 65 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, down 9.7% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Another 4 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in Athens County, OH spend on food away from home?

About $77.2M a year, or $3,353 per household. That is 18% below the U.S. average (an index of 82, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 32 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $2.4M 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 23,014 households in Athens County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Athens 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 $2.4M, 21% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Athens County would have about 25, against 32 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 354 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count fell 9.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.

How fast is Athens County, OH growing?

Population estimates put Athens County at 63,197 people in 2025, up 1.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 23,014 households. The median household income in Athens County is $56,001 a year, 31% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 36.9% 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. Athens County scores 28 for fast food and sandwich shops (lower middle), #1,892 of 2,222 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Athens 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 Athens County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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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.