Food and drink · Small-town market · Pennsylvania
Fast food and sandwich shops in the Sunbury, PA area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for fast food and sandwich shops in the Sunbury, PA area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 68 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #98 of 537 scored small-town markets
#5 of 20 scored small-town markets based in Pennsylvania
- Listings
- 39
- 23 chain locations (59%)
- Official establishments
- 65
- All limited-service restaurants · −9.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $159M
- On food away from home · $3,474 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.1M
- 34% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 8.5
- 36% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 107,788
- −1.7% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in the Sunbury 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 Sunbury 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
Households in the Sunbury area spend about $159M a year on food away from home, or $3,474 per household, 15% below the U.S. average. That works out to $4.1M per shop, 34% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only fast food and sandwich shops.
The Sunbury area has 39 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 23 of them (59%) are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 8.5, 36% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in the Sunbury area was 65 in 2023, down 9.7% from 2019. That is one for every 704 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. Another 15 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $707K has gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the Sunbury area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Sunbury area declined 1.7%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For fast food and sandwich shops, the Sunbury area has a Groundwork market score of 68 (upper middle): #98 of 537 scored small-town markets and #5 of 20 scored small-town markets based in Pennsylvania. That puts it in the top quarter of small-town markets.
How the Sunbury area 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 | Sunbury area | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 8.5 | 11.0 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $4.1M | $3.6M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 704 | 538 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −9.7% | +2.2% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.7% | +0.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,474 | $3,973 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $62,262 | $77,971 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 68 | 62 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 65All limited-service restaurants · −9.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 769
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $13.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 15All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 3923 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 52The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $707K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the Sunbury 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 Sunbury area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 107,788−1.7% since 2020
- Households
- 45,748
- Median age
- 44.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 74%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 588 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 185
- Median household income
- $62,262
- Average household income
- $83,829
- Median home value
- $174,900
- Jobs located here
- 45,171
- Daytime population
- 106,101Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Sunbury 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 Sunbury 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 Pennsylvania
Every Pennsylvania market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Pennsylvania for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in Pennsylvania, with the Sunbury area marked.
Top small-town markets in Pennsylvania
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Hemlock Farms, PA | 94 | 23 | 9.5 | $4.2M | +7.2% | #2 of 537 |
| 2Pottsville, PA | 79 | 55 | 9.5 | $3.7M | +1.5% | #33 of 537 |
| 3Lock Haven, PA | 76 | 12 | 7.8 | $4.4M | +1.3% | #49 of 537 |
| 4Sayre, PA | 72 | 22 | 8.9 | $3.9M | −0.6% | #73 of 537 |
| 5Sunbury, PA | 68 | 39 | 8.5 | $4.1M | −1.7% | #98 of 537 |
| 6Oil City, PA | 66 | 17 | 7.9 | $4.1M | −2.0% | #118 of 537 |
| 7Huntingdon, PA | 66 | 15 | 9.2 | $3.8M | −2.4% | #120 of 537 |
| 8St. Marys, PA | 64 | 13 | 9.8 | $3.5M | −3.3% | #140 of 537 |
| 9Meadville, PA | 62 | 27 | 8.0 | $4.1M | −2.4% | #159 of 537 |
| 10Somerset, PA | 62 | 30 | 10.2 | $3.3M | −2.7% | #160 of 537 |
Other business types in the Sunbury area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes67
- Sit-down restaurants61
- Fast food and sandwich shops68
- Pizza58
- Coffee shops and cafes65
- Bakeries and dessert shops53
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 Sunbury, PA area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 39 fast food and sandwich shops in the Sunbury area. 23 of them (59%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 65 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, down 9.7% 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 list 15 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Sunbury, PA area spend on food away from home?
About $159M a year, or $3,474 per household. That is 15% below the U.S. average (an index of 85, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 39 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $4.1M 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 45,748 households in the Sunbury area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Sunbury, PA area compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
The Sunbury area has 8.5 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 36% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $4.1M, 34% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, the Sunbury area would have about 52, against 39 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 704 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count fell 9.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Sunbury, PA area growing?
Population estimates put the Sunbury area at 107,788 people in 2025, down 1.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 45,748 households. Median household income in the Sunbury area is $62,262, 23% below the U.S. median of $80,734.
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 Sunbury area scores 68 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #98 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 Sunbury 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 Sunbury area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Sunbury 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 Sunbury 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.