Food and drink · County · Ohio
Fast food and sandwich shops in Hardin County, OH
How Hardin County, OH compares with other counties and the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 46 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,299 of 2,222 scored counties
#42 of 84 scored counties in Ohio
- Listings
- 14
- 13 chain locations (93%)
- Official establishments
- 20
- All limited-service restaurants · 0.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $41.2M
- On food away from home · $3,515 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.9M
- 4% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.9
- 11% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 30,072
- −2.1% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Hardin 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 Hardin County. 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 14 fast food and sandwich shops in Hardin County. Chain locations make up 93% of them, against 79% across the U.S. That is 11.9 per 10,000 households, 11% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.
At $3,515 per household (14% below the U.S. average), households in Hardin County spend about $41.2M a year on food away from home. That is about $2.9M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 4% 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 20 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Hardin County in 2023, unchanged from 2019. That is one for every 586 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 3 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $52K has gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Hardin County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Hardin County declined 2.1%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For fast food and sandwich shops, Hardin County has a Groundwork market score of 46 (lower middle): #1,299 of 2,222 scored counties and #42 of 84 scored counties in Ohio.
How Hardin 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.
| Measure | Hardin County | Ohio | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 11.9 | 13.6 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $2.9M | $2.8M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 586 | 467 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | 0.0% | +7.0% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.1% | +0.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,515 | $3,829 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $62,484 | $71,389 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 46 | 31 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 20 → 20All limited-service restaurants · 0.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 435
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $5.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 3All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1413 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 14The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $52K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Hardin 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 Hardin County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 30,072−2.1% since 2020
- Households
- 11,724
- Median age
- 37.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 75%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 470 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 65
- Median household income
- $62,484+23.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $82,547
- Median home value
- $151,200
- Jobs located here
- 7,371
- Daytime population
- 25,565Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Hardin 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 Hardin County. 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 counties in Ohio for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in Ohio, with Hardin County marked.
Top counties in Ohio
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Union County, OH | 86 | 30 | 12.4 | $3.9M | +16.5% | #47 of 2,222 |
| 2Holmes County, OH | 81 | 10 | 7.5 | $5.4M | +1.7% | #106 of 2,222 |
| 3Morrow County, OH | 78 | 14 | 10.4 | $3.7M | +3.7% | #172 of 2,222 |
| 4Warren County, OH | 75 | 100 | 10.9 | $4.5M | +5.7% | #222 of 2,222 |
| 5Geauga County, OH | 74 | 37 | 10.3 | $4.7M | +0.3% | #244 of 2,222 |
| 6Perry County, OH | 70 | 10 | 7.4 | $4.9M | +1.3% | #349 of 2,222 |
| 7Fairfield County, OH | 70 | 76 | 12.6 | $3.4M | +6.5% | #369 of 2,222 |
| 8Medina County, OH | 69 | 83 | 11.4 | $3.9M | +1.3% | #397 of 2,222 |
| 9Champaign County, OH | 69 | 15 | 9.6 | $3.9M | +0.2% | #398 of 2,222 |
| 10Putnam County, OH | 67 | 12 | 9.1 | $4.4M | 0.0% | #458 of 2,222 |
| 42Hardin County, OH | 46 | 14 | 11.9 | $2.9M | −2.1% | #1,299 of 2,222 |
Other business types in Hardin County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes58
- Sit-down restaurants64
- Fast food and sandwich shops46
- Pizza37
- Coffee shops and cafes54
- Bakeries and dessert shops58
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 Hardin County, OH?
There are 14 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in Hardin County as of September 2026. 13 of them (93%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 20 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, unchanged from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Another 3 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Hardin County, OH spend on food away from home?
About $41.2M a year, or $3,515 per household. That is 14% below the U.S. average (an index of 86, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 14 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $2.9M 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 11,724 households in Hardin County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Hardin County, OH compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Hardin County has 11.9 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 11% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2.9M, 4% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 586 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count held level from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Hardin County, OH growing?
Population estimates put Hardin County at 30,072 people in 2025, down 2.1% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 11,724 households. The median household income in Hardin County is $62,484 a year, 23% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.7% 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. Hardin County scores 46 for fast food and sandwich shops (lower middle), #1,299 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Hardin 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 Hardin County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Hardin 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 Hardin County. 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.