Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Ohio

Fast food and sandwich shops in Mercer County, OH

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 49 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,171 of 2,222 scored counties
#36 of 84 scored counties in Ohio

Listings
20
17 chain locations (85%)
Official establishments
35
All limited-service restaurants · +12.9% since 2019
Household spending a year
$61.5M
On food away from home · $3,749 a household
Spending per listing
$3.1M
In line with the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
12.2
8% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
42,737
+0.5% since 2020

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

At $3,749 per household (8% below the U.S. average), households in Mercer County spend about $61.5M a year on food away from home. That works out to $3.1M per shop, in line with the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only fast food and sandwich shops.

There are 20 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in Mercer County as of September 2026. Of those, 17 are chain locations, or 85%, against 79% across the U.S. That is 12.2 per 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.

In 2023, official counts showed 35 businesses with payroll in Mercer County classed as limited-service restaurants, up 12.9% from 2019. That is one for every 469 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. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $207K has gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Mercer County.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Mercer County grew 0.5%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For fast food and sandwich shops, Mercer County has a Groundwork market score of 49 (lower middle): #1,171 of 2,222 scored counties and #36 of 84 scored counties in Ohio.

How Mercer 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 Mercer County, OH compared with Ohio and the U.S.
MeasureMercer CountyOhioU.S.
Listings per 10k households12.213.613.3
Spending per listing$3.1M$2.8M$3.1M
Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants)469467478
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+12.9%+7.0%+6.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+0.5%+0.9%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,749$3,829$4,070
Median household income$76,782$71,389$80,734
Groundwork market score4931

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
31 → 35All limited-service restaurants · +12.9% over the period
Employees, 2023
601
Annual payroll, 2023
$9.7M
One-person businesses, 2023
0All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
2017 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
20The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$207K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Mercer 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 Mercer County

Population, 2025 estimate
42,737+0.5% since 2020
Households
16,408
Median age
39.9
Homes lived in by their owners
80%
Vehicles per household
2.1
Land area
462 sq. mi.
People per square mile
92
Median household income
$76,782+22.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$91,265
Median home value
$210,600
Jobs located here
19,998
Daytime population
40,314Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Mercer 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 Mercer 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 Mercer 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
36Mercer County, OH492012.2$3.1M+0.5%#1,171 of 2,222

Other business types in Mercer 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 Mercer County, OH?

As of September 2026, map listings count 20 fast food and sandwich shops in Mercer County. 17 of them (85%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 35 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 12.9% from 2019. The official count takes in all limited-service restaurants, not only fast food and sandwich shops: pizza places are counted too.

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

About $61.5M a year, or $3,749 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 20 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $3.1M 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 16,408 households in Mercer County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Mercer County has 12.2 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $3.1M, in line with 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 469 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 12.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.

How fast is Mercer County, OH growing?

Population estimates put Mercer County at 42,737 people in 2025, up 0.5% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 16,408 households. Median household income in Mercer County is $76,782, 5% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 22.0%, 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. Mercer County scores 49 for fast food and sandwich shops (lower middle), #1,171 of 2,222 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Mercer County?

A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.

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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.