Groundwork

Food and drink · County · South Carolina

Fast food and sandwich shops in Berkeley County, SC

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 74 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #266 of 2,222 scored counties
#7 of 43 scored counties in South Carolina

Listings
121
111 chain locations (92%)
Official establishments
142
All limited-service restaurants · +12.7% since 2019
Household spending a year
$368.9M
On food away from home · $3,936 a household
Spending per listing
$3M
In line with the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
12.9
3% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
274,666
+18.7% since 2020

See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Berkeley 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 Berkeley 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 121 fast food and sandwich shops in Berkeley County. 111 of them (92%) are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 12.9, 3% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.

Household spending on food away from home in Berkeley County comes to about $368.9M a year: $3,936 per household, 3% below the U.S. average. That is about $3M of household spending for each shop on map listings, in line with 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 142 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Berkeley County in 2023, up 12.7% from 2019. That is one for every 660 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 also show 34 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $2.2M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Berkeley County.

Population estimates show Berkeley County grew 18.7% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Berkeley County scores 74 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, ranking #266 of 2,222 scored counties and #7 of 43 scored counties in South Carolina. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How Berkeley County compares

The same measures for South Carolina 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 Berkeley County, SC compared with South Carolina and the U.S.
MeasureBerkeley CountySouth CarolinaU.S.
Listings per 10k households12.914.813.3
Spending per listing$3M$2.5M$3.1M
Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants)660501478
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+12.7%+10.9%+6.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+18.7%+8.5%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,936$3,660$4,070
Median household income$84,358$69,324$80,734
Groundwork market score7439

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
126 → 142All limited-service restaurants · +12.7% over the period
Employees, 2023
2,986
Annual payroll, 2023
$57.6M
One-person businesses, 2023
34All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
121111 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
121The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
5
Amount
$2.2M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
274,666+18.7% since 2020
Households
93,711
Median age
38.3
Homes lived in by their owners
75%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
1,104 sq. mi.
People per square mile
224
Median household income
$84,358+33.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$104,881
Median home value
$310,300
Jobs located here
71,652
Daytime population
211,719Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Berkeley 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 Berkeley 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 South Carolina

Every South Carolina market ranked →

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

Top counties in South Carolina

Counties in South Carolina ranked for fast food and sandwich shops by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Edgefield County, SC8966.1$5.8M+16.1%#20 of 2,222
2Oconee County, SC77298.4$4.2M+6.3%#191 of 2,222
3Lancaster County, SC764310.7$3.7M+18.3%#213 of 2,222
4Beaufort County, SC759912.0$3.5M+8.9%#233 of 2,222
5Saluda County, SC7456.5$4.9M+4.1%#241 of 2,222
6Dorchester County, SC746710.6$3.7M+10.1%#257 of 2,222
7Berkeley County, SC7412112.9$3M+18.7%#266 of 2,222
8Abbeville County, SC7266.1$5.4M+2.3%#295 of 2,222
9York County, SC7214212.5$3.4M+8.1%#315 of 2,222
10Kershaw County, SC663412.6$2.8M+11.6%#535 of 2,222

Other business types in Berkeley 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 Berkeley County, SC?

Berkeley County has 121 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 111 of them (92%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 142 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 12.7% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Another 34 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in Berkeley County, SC spend on food away from home?

About $368.9M a year, or $3,936 per household. That is 3% below the U.S. average (an index of 97, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 121 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $3M 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 93,711 households in Berkeley County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Berkeley County has 12.9 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 3% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $3M, in line with the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 660 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 12.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.

How fast is Berkeley County, SC growing?

Population estimates put Berkeley County at 274,666 people in 2025, up 18.7% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 93,711 households. The median household income in Berkeley County is $84,358 a year, 4% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 33.3% 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. Berkeley County scores 74 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #266 of 2,222 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Berkeley 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 Berkeley 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.