Food and drink · Metro area · South Carolina
Fast food and sandwich shops in the Charleston-North Charleston, SC metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for fast food and sandwich shops in the Charleston-North Charleston, SC metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 69 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #80 of 387 scored metro areas
#2 of 8 scored metro areas based in South Carolina
- Listings
- 454
- 381 chain locations (84%)
- Official establishments
- 669
- All limited-service restaurants · +10.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.4B
- On food away from home · $4,104 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3M
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 13.5
- 2% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 889,263
- +10.7% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in the Charleston-North Charleston metro 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 Charleston-North Charleston metro 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 454 fast food and sandwich shops in the Charleston-North Charleston metro area. Of those, 381 are chain locations, or 84%, against 79% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 13.5, 2% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.
Household spending on food away from home in the Charleston-North Charleston metro area comes to about $1.4B a year: $4,104 per household, in line with the U.S. average. That works out to $3M per shop, 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 669 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in the Charleston-North Charleston metro area in 2023, up 10.0% from 2019. That is one for every 502 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 113 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 26 SBA-backed loans worth $17.2M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the Charleston-North Charleston metro area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Charleston-North Charleston metro area from 2020 to 2025 at +10.7%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Charleston-North Charleston metro area scores 69 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, ranking #80 of 387 scored metro areas and #2 of 8 scored metro areas based in South Carolina. That puts it in the top quarter of metro areas.
How the Charleston-North Charleston metro area 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.
| Measure | Charleston-North Charleston metro area | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 13.5 | 14.8 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $3M | $2.5M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 502 | 501 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +10.0% | +10.9% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +10.7% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,104 | $3,660 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $85,254 | $69,324 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 69 | 39 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 669All limited-service restaurants · +10.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 13,541
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $268M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 113All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 454381 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 452The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 26
- Amount
- $17.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the Charleston-North Charleston metro 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 Charleston-North Charleston metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 889,263+10.7% since 2020
- Households
- 335,865
- Median age
- 39.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 2,590 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 322
- Median household income
- $85,254+33.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $118,282
- Median home value
- $377,500
- Jobs located here
- 390,960
- Daytime population
- 849,978Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Charleston-North Charleston metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 Charleston-North Charleston metro 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 South Carolina
Every South Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in South Carolina for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in South Carolina (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Charleston-North Charleston metro area marked.
Top metro areas in South Carolina
| 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 |
Other business types in the Charleston-North Charleston metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes46
- Sit-down restaurants42
- Fast food and sandwich shops69
- Pizza71
- Coffee shops and cafes66
- Bakeries and dessert shops64
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 Charleston-North Charleston, SC metro area?
The Charleston-North Charleston metro area has 454 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 381 of them (84%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 669 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 10.0% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Official counts also show 113 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Charleston-North Charleston, SC metro area spend on food away from home?
About $1.4B a year, or $4,104 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 101, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 454 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 335,865 households in the Charleston-North Charleston metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Charleston-North Charleston, SC metro area compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
The Charleston-North Charleston metro area has 13.5 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 2% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $3M, in line with the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, the Charleston-North Charleston metro area would have about 452, against 454 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 502 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 10.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Charleston-North Charleston, SC metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Charleston-North Charleston metro area at 889,263 people in 2025, up 10.7% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 335,865 households. The median household income in the Charleston-North Charleston metro area is $85,254 a year, 6% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 33.9% 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. The Charleston-North Charleston metro area scores 69 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #80 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Charleston-North Charleston metro 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 Charleston-North Charleston metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Charleston-North Charleston metro 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 Charleston-North Charleston metro 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.