Food and drink · County · South Carolina
Fast food and sandwich shops in Cherokee County, SC
The fast food and sandwich shops in Cherokee County, SC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 37 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,628 of 2,222 scored counties
#29 of 43 scored counties in South Carolina
- Listings
- 36
- 33 chain locations (92%)
- Official establishments
- 34
- All limited-service restaurants · −12.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $66.9M
- On food away from home · $3,034 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.9M
- 39% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 16.3
- 23% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 58,275
- +3.7% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Cherokee 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 Cherokee County. 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 Cherokee County spend about $66.9M a year on food away from home, or $3,034 per household, 25% below the U.S. average. That works out to $1.9M per shop, 39% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only fast food and sandwich shops.
Cherokee County has 36 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 33 of them (92%) are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. That is 16.3 per 10,000 households, 23% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Cherokee County was 34 in 2023, down 12.8% from 2019. That is one for every 649 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 8 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $2.7M has gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Cherokee County.
Population estimates show Cherokee County grew 3.7% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Cherokee County scores 37 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, ranking #1,628 of 2,222 scored counties and #29 of 43 scored counties in South Carolina.
How Cherokee 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.
| Measure | Cherokee County | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 16.3 | 14.8 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $1.9M | $2.5M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 649 | 501 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −12.8% | +10.9% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.7% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,034 | $3,660 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $50,288 | $69,324 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 37 | 39 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 39 → 34All limited-service restaurants · −12.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 757
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $13.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 8All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 3633 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 22The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $2.7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Cherokee 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 Cherokee County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 58,275+3.7% since 2020
- Households
- 22,063
- Median age
- 39.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 74%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 393 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 144
- Median household income
- $50,288+36.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $67,479
- Median home value
- $142,000
- Jobs located here
- 18,680
- Daytime population
- 47,816Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Cherokee 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 Cherokee County. 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 counties in South Carolina for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in South Carolina, with Cherokee County marked.
Top counties in South Carolina
| 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 |
| 29Cherokee County, SC | 37 | 36 | 16.3 | $1.9M | +3.7% | #1,628 of 2,222 |
Other business types in Cherokee County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes50
- Sit-down restaurants44
- Fast food and sandwich shops37
- Pizza54
- Coffee shops and cafes70
- Bakeries and dessert shops56
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 Cherokee County, SC?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 36 fast food and sandwich shops in Cherokee County. 33 of them (92%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 34 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, down 12.8% 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 8 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Cherokee County, SC spend on food away from home?
About $66.9M a year, or $3,034 per household. That is 25% below the U.S. average (an index of 75, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 36 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $1.9M 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 22,063 households in Cherokee County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Cherokee County, SC compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Cherokee County has 16.3 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 23% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $1.9M, 39% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Cherokee County would have about 22, against 36 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 649 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count fell 12.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Cherokee County, SC growing?
Population estimates put Cherokee County at 58,275 people in 2025, up 3.7% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 22,063 households. Median household income in Cherokee County is $50,288, 38% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 36.3%, 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. Cherokee County scores 37 for fast food and sandwich shops (lower middle), #1,628 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Cherokee 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 Cherokee County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Cherokee 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 Cherokee 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.