Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Rhode Island

Fast food and sandwich shops in Washington County, RI

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 68 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #429 of 2,222 scored counties
#3 of 5 scored counties in Rhode Island

Listings
62
27 chain locations (44%)
Official establishments
94
All limited-service restaurants · −4.1% since 2019
Household spending a year
$247.6M
On food away from home · $4,712 a household
Spending per listing
$4M
31% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
11.8
11% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
129,795
0.0% since 2020

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

As of September 2026, map listings count 62 fast food and sandwich shops in Washington County. Chain locations make up 44% of them, against 79% across the U.S. That is 11.8 per 10,000 households, 11% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.

At $4,712 per household (16% above the U.S. average), households in Washington County spend about $247.6M a year on food away from home. That works out to $4M per shop, 31% 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.

In 2023, official counts showed 94 businesses with payroll in Washington County classed as limited-service restaurants, down 4.1% from 2019. That is one for every 559 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 9 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 7 SBA-backed loans worth $2.4M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Washington County.

Population estimates show Washington County held about level from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. For fast food and sandwich shops, Washington County has a Groundwork market score of 68 (upper middle): #429 of 2,222 scored counties and #3 of 5 scored counties in Rhode Island. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How Washington County compares

The same measures for Rhode Island 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 Washington County, RI compared with Rhode Island and the U.S.
MeasureWashington CountyRhode IslandU.S.
Listings per 10k households11.89.913.3
Spending per listing$4M$4.2M$3.1M
Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants)559483478
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−4.1%+5.2%+6.1%
Population growth, 2020–20250.0%+1.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$4,712$4,196$4,070
Median household income$106,638$87,796$80,734
Groundwork market score6862

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
98 → 94All limited-service restaurants · −4.1% over the period
Employees, 2023
907
Annual payroll, 2023
$23.4M
One-person businesses, 2023
9All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
6227 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
81The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
7
Amount
$2.4M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
129,7950.0% since 2020
Households
52,549
Median age
45.7
Homes lived in by their owners
78%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
329 sq. mi.
People per square mile
396
Median household income
$106,638+24.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$136,741
Median home value
$510,800
Jobs located here
55,609
Daytime population
127,343Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Washington 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 Washington 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 Rhode Island

Every Rhode Island market ranked →

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

Top counties in Rhode Island

Counties in Rhode Island ranked for fast food and sandwich shops by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Bristol County, RI70136.5$7.5M−1.5%#346 of 2,222
2Kent County, RI707610.4$4.2M+1.8%#357 of 2,222
3Washington County, RI686211.8$4M0.0%#429 of 2,222
4Providence County, RI632529.7$4.1M+2.8%#601 of 2,222
5Newport County, RI57369.8$4.7M−2.9%#844 of 2,222

Other business types in Washington 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 Washington County, RI?

Washington County has 62 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 27 of them (44%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 94 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, down 4.1% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Official counts also show 9 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Washington County, RI spend on food away from home?

About $247.6M a year, or $4,712 per household. That is 16% above the U.S. average (an index of 116, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 62 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $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 52,549 households in Washington County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Washington County has 11.8 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 11% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $4M, 31% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Washington County would have about 81, against 62 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 559 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count fell 4.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.

How fast is Washington County, RI growing?

Population estimates put Washington County at 129,795 people in 2025, unchanged since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 52,549 households. The median household income in Washington County is $106,638 a year, 32% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 24.7% 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. Washington County scores 68 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #429 of 2,222 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Washington 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 Washington County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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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.