Food and drink · County · South Carolina
Fast food and sandwich shops in Lancaster County, SC
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for fast food and sandwich shops in Lancaster County, SC, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 76 out of 100: High
Ranked #213 of 2,222 scored counties
#3 of 43 scored counties in South Carolina
- Listings
- 43
- 39 chain locations (91%)
- Official establishments
- 71
- All limited-service restaurants · +16.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $157.9M
- On food away from home · $3,935 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.7M
- 20% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 10.7
- 20% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 114,296
- +18.3% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Lancaster 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 Lancaster 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
The Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops in Lancaster County is 76 (high), #213 of 2,222 scored counties and #3 of 43 scored counties in South Carolina. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for fast food and sandwich shops.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 43 fast food and sandwich shops in Lancaster County. 39 of them (91%) are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. That is 10.7 per 10,000 households, 20% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.
Households in Lancaster County spend about $157.9M a year on food away from home, or $3,935 per household, 3% below the U.S. average. That is about $3.7M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 20% 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.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Lancaster County was 71 in 2023, up 16.4% from 2019. That is one for every 565 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. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $2.1M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Lancaster County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Lancaster County grew 18.3%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Lancaster 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 | Lancaster County | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 10.7 | 14.8 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $3.7M | $2.5M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 565 | 501 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +16.4% | +10.9% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +18.3% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,935 | $3,660 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $78,869 | $69,324 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 76 | 39 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 61 → 71All limited-service restaurants · +16.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,468
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $26.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 10All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4339 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 52The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $2.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Lancaster 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 Lancaster County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 114,296+18.3% since 2020
- Households
- 40,128
- Median age
- 43.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 83%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 549 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 190
- Median household income
- $78,869+34.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $106,641
- Median home value
- $329,900
- Jobs located here
- 29,873
- Daytime population
- 88,047Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Lancaster 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 Lancaster 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 Lancaster 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 |
Other business types in Lancaster County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes82
- Sit-down restaurants79
- Fast food and sandwich shops76
- Pizza77
- Coffee shops and cafes90
- Bakeries and dessert shops80
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 Lancaster County, SC?
There are 43 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in Lancaster County as of September 2026. 39 of them (91%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 71 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 16.4% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Another 10 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Lancaster County, SC spend on food away from home?
About $157.9M a year, or $3,935 per household. That is 3% below the U.S. average (an index of 97, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 43 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $3.7M 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 40,128 households in Lancaster County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Lancaster County, SC compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Lancaster County has 10.7 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 20% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $3.7M, 20% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Lancaster County would have about 52, against 43 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 565 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 16.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Lancaster County, SC growing?
Population estimates put Lancaster County at 114,296 people in 2025, up 18.3% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 40,128 households. The median household income in Lancaster County is $78,869 a year, 2% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 34.0% 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. Lancaster County scores 76 for fast food and sandwich shops (high), #213 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Lancaster 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 Lancaster County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Lancaster 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 Lancaster 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.