Food and drink · County · Pennsylvania
Fast food and sandwich shops in Carbon County, PA
The fast food and sandwich shops in Carbon County, PA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 68 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #433 of 2,222 scored counties
#16 of 63 scored counties in Pennsylvania
- Listings
- 26
- 17 chain locations (65%)
- Official establishments
- 36
- All limited-service restaurants · +9.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $96.7M
- On food away from home · $3,549 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.7M
- 22% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 9.5
- 29% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 65,868
- +1.7% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Carbon 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 Carbon 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 26 fast food and sandwich shops in Carbon County. Of those, 17 are chain locations, or 65%, against 79% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 9.5, 29% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.
Household spending on food away from home in Carbon County comes to about $96.7M a year: $3,549 per household, 13% below the U.S. average. Spread across 26 fast food and sandwich shops, that is $3.7M per shop, 22% above 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 36 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Carbon County in 2023, up 9.1% from 2019. That is one for every 757 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 list 4 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $350K has gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Carbon County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Carbon County grew 1.7%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops in Carbon County is 68 (upper middle), #433 of 2,222 scored counties and #16 of 63 scored counties in Pennsylvania. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Carbon County compares
The same measures for Pennsylvania 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 | Carbon County | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 9.5 | 11.0 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $3.7M | $3.6M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 757 | 538 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +9.1% | +2.2% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.7% | +0.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,549 | $3,973 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $67,554 | $77,971 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 68 | 62 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 33 → 36All limited-service restaurants · +9.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 467
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $8.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 4All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 2617 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 32The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $350K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Carbon 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 Carbon County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 65,868+1.7% since 2020
- Households
- 27,255
- Median age
- 45.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 76%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 381 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 171
- Median household income
- $67,554+18.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $85,706
- Median home value
- $211,400
- Jobs located here
- 15,436
- Daytime population
- 50,450Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Carbon 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 Carbon 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 Pennsylvania
Every Pennsylvania market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Pennsylvania for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in Pennsylvania, with Carbon County marked.
Top counties in Pennsylvania
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Pike County, PA | 86 | 23 | 9.5 | $4.2M | +7.2% | #45 of 2,222 |
| 2Chester County, PA | 85 | 155 | 7.6 | $6.9M | +4.2% | #51 of 2,222 |
| 3Perry County, PA | 84 | 7 | 3.8 | $10.1M | +2.1% | #64 of 2,222 |
| 4Butler County, PA | 78 | 78 | 9.7 | $4.4M | +3.2% | #163 of 2,222 |
| 5Susquehanna County, PA | 74 | 12 | 7.7 | $4.7M | −0.3% | #243 of 2,222 |
| 6Lancaster County, PA | 74 | 193 | 9.1 | $4.6M | +1.9% | #245 of 2,222 |
| 7Franklin County, PA | 74 | 61 | 9.6 | $4M | +3.0% | #250 of 2,222 |
| 8Adams County, PA | 73 | 33 | 8.1 | $5M | +3.6% | #272 of 2,222 |
| 9Northampton County, PA | 73 | 129 | 10.5 | $4M | +3.7% | #281 of 2,222 |
| 10Juniata County, PA | 72 | 6 | 6.6 | $5.3M | −0.3% | #296 of 2,222 |
| 16Carbon County, PA | 68 | 26 | 9.5 | $3.7M | +1.7% | #433 of 2,222 |
Other business types in Carbon County
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 shops68
- Pizza48
- Coffee shops and cafes69
- Bakeries and dessert shops57
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 Carbon County, PA?
Carbon County has 26 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 17 of them (65%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 36 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 9.1% from 2019. 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.
How much do households in Carbon County, PA spend on food away from home?
About $96.7M a year, or $3,549 per household. That is 13% below the U.S. average (an index of 87, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 26 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $3.7M 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 27,255 households in Carbon County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Carbon County, PA compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Carbon County has 9.5 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 29% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $3.7M, 22% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Carbon County would have about 32, against 26 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 757 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 9.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Carbon County, PA growing?
Population estimates put Carbon County at 65,868 people in 2025, up 1.7% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 27,255 households. The median household income in Carbon County is $67,554 a year, 16% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 18.5% 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. Carbon County scores 68 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #433 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Carbon 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 Carbon County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Carbon 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 Carbon 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.