Market rankings · South Carolina
Fast food and sandwich shops in South Carolina
Markets across South Carolina ranked by the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, with competitor counts and household spending for each.
- Listings
- 3,144
- 2,719 chain locations (86%)
- Official establishments
- 4,227
- All limited-service restaurants · +10.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $7.8B
- On food away from home
- Listings per 10k households
- 14.8
- 11% above the U.S.
- Spending per listing
- $2.5M
- 19% below the U.S.
- Rank among states
- #37 of 51
- Market score 39 · Lower middle
A site report maps the fast food and sandwich shops on map listings around any address in South Carolina by name and distance, and the spending within reach.
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 3,144 fast food and sandwich shops in South Carolina. 2,719 of them (86%) are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. That is 14.8 per 10,000 households, 11% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.
Household spending on food away from home in South Carolina comes to about $7.8B a year: $3,660 per household, 10% below the U.S. average. That is about $2.5M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 19% 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.
In 2023, official counts showed 4,227 businesses with payroll in South Carolina classed as limited-service restaurants, up 10.9% from 2019. That is one for every 501 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 6.1% over the same years. The official count takes in all limited-service restaurants, not only fast food and sandwich shops: pizza places are counted too. Since fiscal 2022, 119 SBA-backed loans worth $82.1M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in South Carolina.
Among the 50 states and DC, South Carolina ranks #37 for fast food and sandwich shops, with a Groundwork market score of 39 (lower middle). Of the 10 scored metro areas in or partly in South Carolina, the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal metro area scores highest (81). Of the 6 scored small-town markets in or partly in South Carolina, the Seneca area scores highest (86).
Every market in South Carolina for fast food and sandwich shops
Download the ranking (CSV)Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in South Carolina, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.
Metro areas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC | 81 | 118 | 12.4 | $3.3M | +12.0% | #25 of 387 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 70 | 1,416 | 13.2 | $3.1M | +10.1% | #71 of 387 |
| 2Charleston-North Charleston, SC | 69 | 454 | 13.5 | $3M | +10.7% | #80 of 387 |
| 3Spartanburg, SC | 46 | 219 | 15.3 | $2.3M | +14.3% | #224 of 387 |
| 4Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC | 45 | 569 | 14.8 | $2.5M | +9.0% | #230 of 387 |
| 5Columbia, SC | 41 | 556 | 16.4 | $2.2M | +6.0% | #257 of 387 |
| Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC | 34 | 384 | 16.6 | $2.2M | +4.7% | #291 of 387 |
| 6Sumter, SC | 33 | 57 | 13.9 | $2.4M | −0.3% | #297 of 387 |
| 7Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC | 29 | 287 | 18.1 | $1.9M | +20.9% | #322 of 387 |
| 8Florence, SC | 12 | 147 | 18.7 | $1.7M | +0.9% | #381 of 387 |
Small-town markets
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Seneca, SC | 86 | 29 | 8.4 | $4.2M | +6.3% | #10 of 537 |
| 2Murrells Inlet, SC | 70 | 34 | 12.5 | $2.9M | +3.8% | #89 of 537 |
| 3Newberry, SC | 52 | 23 | 15.0 | $2.2M | +4.8% | #269 of 537 |
| 4Gaffney, SC | 42 | 36 | 16.3 | $1.9M | +3.7% | #356 of 537 |
| 5Greenwood, SC | 34 | 59 | 15.7 | $2M | +1.7% | #418 of 537 |
| 6Orangeburg, SC | 11 | 72 | 21.8 | $1.4M | −0.9% | #526 of 537 |
Counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Edgefield County, SC | 89 | 6 | 6.1 | $5.8M | +16.1% | #20 of 2,222 |
| 2Oconee County, SC | 77 | 29 | 8.4 | $4.2M | +6.3% | #191 of 2,222 |
| 3Lancaster County, SC | 76 | 43 | 10.7 | $3.7M | +18.3% | #213 of 2,222 |
| 4Beaufort County, SC | 75 | 99 | 12.0 | $3.5M | +8.9% | #233 of 2,222 |
| 5Saluda County, SC | 74 | 5 | 6.5 | $4.9M | +4.1% | #241 of 2,222 |
| 6Dorchester County, SC | 74 | 67 | 10.6 | $3.7M | +10.1% | #257 of 2,222 |
| 7Berkeley County, SC | 74 | 121 | 12.9 | $3M | +18.7% | #266 of 2,222 |
| 8Abbeville County, SC | 72 | 6 | 6.1 | $5.4M | +2.3% | #295 of 2,222 |
| 9York County, SC | 72 | 142 | 12.5 | $3.4M | +8.1% | #315 of 2,222 |
| 10Kershaw County, SC | 66 | 34 | 12.6 | $2.8M | +11.6% | #535 of 2,222 |
| 11Georgetown County, SC | 60 | 34 | 12.5 | $2.9M | +3.8% | #755 of 2,222 |
| 12Laurens County, SC | 59 | 28 | 10.4 | $3.1M | +6.2% | #787 of 2,222 |
| 13Charleston County, SC | 57 | 266 | 14.9 | $2.9M | +6.4% | #867 of 2,222 |
| 14Jasper County, SC | 56 | 19 | 14.5 | $2.4M | +32.2% | #932 of 2,222 |
| 15Greenville County, SC | 52 | 332 | 15.1 | $2.6M | +10.6% | #1,074 of 2,222 |
| 16Aiken County, SC | 52 | 102 | 14.6 | $2.5M | +7.3% | #1,083 of 2,222 |
| 17Spartanburg County, SC | 48 | 205 | 15.6 | $2.3M | +15.6% | #1,244 of 2,222 |
| 18Fairfield County, SC | 46 | 10 | 11.2 | $2.8M | −2.6% | #1,304 of 2,222 |
| 19Lexington County, SC | 46 | 211 | 17.3 | $2.2M | +7.7% | #1,323 of 2,222 |
| 20Anderson County, SC | 45 | 132 | 15.7 | $2.2M | +7.7% | #1,356 of 2,222 |
| 21Newberry County, SC | 45 | 23 | 15.0 | $2.2M | +4.8% | #1,359 of 2,222 |
| 22Williamsburg County, SC | 42 | 13 | 10.6 | $2.7M | −4.0% | #1,434 of 2,222 |
| 23Chester County, SC | 42 | 15 | 11.4 | $2.6M | +2.2% | #1,436 of 2,222 |
| 24Chesterfield County, SC | 41 | 24 | 13.7 | $2.2M | +3.4% | #1,476 of 2,222 |
| 25Colleton County, SC | 39 | 20 | 12.2 | $2.6M | +2.2% | #1,523 of 2,222 |
Show all 46 counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26Richland County, SC | 39 | 293 | 17.4 | $2.1M | +4.6% | #1,547 of 2,222 |
| 27Pickens County, SC | 38 | 77 | 14.7 | $2.3M | +5.7% | #1,569 of 2,222 |
| 28Horry County, SC | 37 | 287 | 18.1 | $1.9M | +20.9% | #1,622 of 2,222 |
| 29Cherokee County, SC | 37 | 36 | 16.3 | $1.9M | +3.7% | #1,628 of 2,222 |
| 30Sumter County, SC | 35 | 57 | 13.9 | $2.4M | −0.3% | #1,671 of 2,222 |
| 31Darlington County, SC | 34 | 33 | 12.9 | $2.4M | +0.1% | #1,697 of 2,222 |
| 32Union County, SC | 34 | 14 | 12.1 | $2.4M | −1.4% | #1,699 of 2,222 |
| 33Clarendon County, SC | 34 | 19 | 15.4 | $2M | +0.7% | #1,722 of 2,222 |
| 34Marlboro County, SC | 27 | 12 | 12.3 | $2.1M | −3.8% | #1,925 of 2,222 |
| 35Barnwell County, SC | 23 | 11 | 13.6 | $2.2M | +0.4% | #1,993 of 2,222 |
| 36Lee County, SC | 20 | 9 | 14.2 | $1.9M | −5.0% | #2,056 of 2,222 |
| 37Greenwood County, SC | 20 | 53 | 19.0 | $1.7M | +1.5% | #2,059 of 2,222 |
| 38Florence County, SC | 19 | 114 | 21.6 | $1.5M | +1.2% | #2,076 of 2,222 |
| 39Marion County, SC | 15 | 20 | 16.4 | $1.6M | −2.9% | #2,138 of 2,222 |
| 40Hampton County, SC | 11 | 13 | 18.0 | $1.6M | −1.9% | #2,181 of 2,222 |
| 41Dillon County, SC | 11 | 20 | 18.5 | $1.6M | −2.9% | #2,182 of 2,222 |
| 42Orangeburg County, SC | 11 | 72 | 21.8 | $1.4M | −0.9% | #2,185 of 2,222 |
| 43Bamberg County, SC | 6 | 8 | 17.2 | $1.6M | −3.5% | #2,210 of 2,222 |
| Calhoun County, SC | Not scored | 3 | 4.9 | $6.8M | +0.6% | |
| McCormick County, SC | Not scored | 4 | 9.5 | $3.3M | +7.3% | |
| Allendale County, SC | Not scored | 3 | 9.3 | $2.9M | −7.4% |
Markets with fewer than 5 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored; they’re listed last in each table.
Questions
How many fast food and sandwich shops are in South Carolina?
There are 3,144 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in South Carolina as of September 2026. 2,719 of them (86%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 4,227 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 10.9% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Official counts also show 745 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in South Carolina spend on food away from home?
About $7.8B a year, or $3,660 per household. That is 10% below the U.S. average (an index of 90, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 3,144 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $2.5M 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 2,117,989 households in South Carolina and national spending patterns by income.
How does South Carolina compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
South Carolina has 14.8 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 11% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2.5M, 19% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, South Carolina would have about 2,541, against 3,144 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 501 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 10.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
Which market in South Carolina has the highest market score for fast food and sandwich shops?
Among 10 scored metro areas in or partly in South Carolina, the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal metro area scores highest, at 81 (high). Among 6 scored small-town markets in or partly in South Carolina, the Seneca area scores highest, at 86 (high). Among 43 scored counties in South Carolina, Edgefield County scores highest, at 89 (high). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.
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. South Carolina scores 39 for fast food and sandwich shops (lower middle), #37 of the 50 states and DC.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in South Carolina. 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.
Fast food and sandwich shops in other states
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Top markets for fast food and sandwich shops across the U.S. · All business types in South Carolina
Related business types in South Carolina
- Restaurants and cafes21,961 listings
- Sit-down restaurants12,688 listings
- Pizza1,608 listings
- Coffee shops and cafes1,778 listings
- Bakeries and dessert shops1,697 listings
Screening a site or an acquisition in South Carolina?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
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.