Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Pennsylvania

Fast food and sandwich shops in Northampton County, PA

The fast food and sandwich shops in Northampton County, PA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 73 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #281 of 2,222 scored counties
#9 of 63 scored counties in Pennsylvania

Listings
129
72 chain locations (56%)
Official establishments
227
All limited-service restaurants · −2.6% since 2019
Household spending a year
$516.8M
On food away from home · $4,214 a household
Spending per listing
$4M
31% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
10.5
21% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
324,411
+3.7% since 2020

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

Households in Northampton County spend about $516.8M a year on food away from home, or $4,214 per household, 4% above the U.S. average. That works out to $4M per shop, 31% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only fast food and sandwich shops.

Northampton County has 129 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 72 of them (56%) are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. That is 10.5 per 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.

Official counts show 227 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Northampton County in 2023, down 2.6% from 2019. That is one for every 540 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. Official counts list 53 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 7 SBA-backed loans worth $3M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Northampton County.

Population estimates show Northampton County grew 3.7% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For fast food and sandwich shops, Northampton County has a Groundwork market score of 73 (upper middle): #281 of 2,222 scored counties and #9 of 63 scored counties in Pennsylvania. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How Northampton 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.

Fast food and sandwich shops in Northampton County, PA compared with Pennsylvania and the U.S.
MeasureNorthampton CountyPennsylvaniaU.S.
Listings per 10k households10.511.013.3
Spending per listing$4M$3.6M$3.1M
Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants)540538478
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−2.6%+2.2%+6.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+3.7%+0.5%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$4,214$3,973$4,070
Median household income$89,184$77,971$80,734
Groundwork market score7362

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
233 → 227All limited-service restaurants · −2.6% over the period
Employees, 2023
3,091
Annual payroll, 2023
$61.5M
One-person businesses, 2023
53All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
12972 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
169The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
7
Amount
$3M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
324,411+3.7% since 2020
Households
122,624
Median age
42.7
Homes lived in by their owners
71%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
370 sq. mi.
People per square mile
862
Median household income
$89,184+26.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$115,853
Median home value
$308,600
Jobs located here
123,291
Daytime population
291,374Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Northampton 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 Northampton 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 Pennsylvania

Every Pennsylvania market ranked →

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

Top counties in Pennsylvania

Counties in Pennsylvania ranked for fast food and sandwich shops by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Pike County, PA86239.5$4.2M+7.2%#45 of 2,222
2Chester County, PA851557.6$6.9M+4.2%#51 of 2,222
3Perry County, PA8473.8$10.1M+2.1%#64 of 2,222
4Butler County, PA78789.7$4.4M+3.2%#163 of 2,222
5Susquehanna County, PA74127.7$4.7M−0.3%#243 of 2,222
6Lancaster County, PA741939.1$4.6M+1.9%#245 of 2,222
7Franklin County, PA74619.6$4M+3.0%#250 of 2,222
8Adams County, PA73338.1$5M+3.6%#272 of 2,222
9Northampton County, PA7312910.5$4M+3.7%#281 of 2,222
10Juniata County, PA7266.6$5.3M−0.3%#296 of 2,222

Other business types in Northampton County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many fast food and sandwich shops are in Northampton County, PA?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 129 fast food and sandwich shops in Northampton County. 72 of them (56%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 227 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, down 2.6% from 2019. 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 53 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Northampton County, PA spend on food away from home?

About $516.8M a year, or $4,214 per household. That is 4% above the U.S. average (an index of 104, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 129 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $4M 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 122,624 households in Northampton County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Northampton County has 10.5 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $4M, 31% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Northampton County would have about 169, against 129 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 540 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count fell 2.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.

How fast is Northampton County, PA growing?

Population estimates put Northampton County at 324,411 people in 2025, up 3.7% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 122,624 households. Median household income in Northampton County is $89,184, 10% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 26.6%, 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. Northampton County scores 73 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #281 of 2,222 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Northampton 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 Northampton 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.