Food and drink · Small-town market · Oklahoma
Fast food and sandwich shops in the Tahlequah, OK area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for fast food and sandwich shops in the Tahlequah, OK area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 54 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #245 of 537 scored small-town markets
#4 of 17 scored small-town markets based in Oklahoma
- Listings
- 25
- 23 chain locations (92%)
- Official establishments
- 29
- All limited-service restaurants · +11.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $59M
- On food away from home · $3,156 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.4M
- 23% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 13.4
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 49,196
- +4.5% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in the Tahlequah 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 Tahlequah 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 25 fast food and sandwich shops in the Tahlequah area. 23 of them (92%) are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. That comes to 13.4 for every 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 13.3.
Household spending on food away from home in the Tahlequah area comes to about $59M a year: $3,156 per household, 22% below the U.S. average. That is about $2.4M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 23% 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.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in the Tahlequah area was 29 in 2023, up 11.5% from 2019. That is one for every 645 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 4 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $28K have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the Tahlequah area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Tahlequah area from 2020 to 2025 at +4.5%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For fast food and sandwich shops, the Tahlequah area has a Groundwork market score of 54 (upper middle): #245 of 537 scored small-town markets and #4 of 17 scored small-town markets based in Oklahoma.
How the Tahlequah area compares
The same measures for Oklahoma 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 | Tahlequah area | Oklahoma | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 13.4 | 15.6 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $2.4M | $2.3M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 645 | 517 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +11.5% | +0.5% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.5% | +4.0% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,156 | $3,519 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $53,218 | $65,039 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 54 | 33 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 29All limited-service restaurants · +11.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 719
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $11M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 4All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 2523 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 19The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $28K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the Tahlequah 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 Tahlequah area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 49,196+4.5% since 2020
- Households
- 18,698
- Median age
- 38.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 749 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 64
- Median household income
- $53,218+24.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $72,290
- Median home value
- $168,500
- Jobs located here
- 13,276
- Daytime population
- 42,397Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Tahlequah 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 Tahlequah 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 Oklahoma
Every Oklahoma market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Oklahoma for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in Oklahoma, with the Tahlequah area marked.
Top small-town markets in Oklahoma
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Miami, OK | 64 | 10 | 8.4 | $3.5M | +0.7% | #139 of 537 |
| 2Duncan, OK | 61 | 24 | 13.7 | $2.5M | +3.4% | #171 of 537 |
| 3Bartlesville, OK | 55 | 33 | 15.7 | $2.2M | +2.7% | #236 of 537 |
| 4Tahlequah, OK | 54 | 25 | 13.4 | $2.4M | +4.5% | #245 of 537 |
| 5Durant, OK | 52 | 27 | 14.7 | $2.2M | +10.9% | #268 of 537 |
| 6Ada, OK | 43 | 22 | 14.5 | $2.3M | +1.2% | #341 of 537 |
| 7Altus, OK | 36 | 15 | 15.3 | $2.2M | +0.1% | #403 of 537 |
| 8Shawnee, OK | 34 | 49 | 18.2 | $1.8M | +3.5% | #421 of 537 |
| 9McAlester, OK | 33 | 26 | 14.6 | $2.2M | −1.1% | #428 of 537 |
| 10Ardmore, OK | 31 | 32 | 16.8 | $2M | +1.8% | #443 of 537 |
Other business types in the Tahlequah area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes48
- Sit-down restaurants39
- Fast food and sandwich shops54
- Pizza56
- Coffee shops and cafes48
- Bakeries and dessert shops71
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 Tahlequah, OK area?
There are 25 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in the Tahlequah area as of September 2026. 23 of them (92%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 29 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 11.5% 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 the Tahlequah, OK area spend on food away from home?
About $59M a year, or $3,156 per household. That is 22% below the U.S. average (an index of 78, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 25 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 18,698 households in the Tahlequah area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Tahlequah, OK area compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
The Tahlequah area has 13.4 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2.4M, 23% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, the Tahlequah area would have about 19, against 25 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 645 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 11.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Tahlequah, OK area growing?
Population estimates put the Tahlequah area at 49,196 people in 2025, up 4.5% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 18,698 households. The median household income in the Tahlequah area is $53,218 a year, 34% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 24.4% 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. 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 Tahlequah area scores 54 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #245 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 Tahlequah 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 Tahlequah area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Tahlequah 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 Tahlequah 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.