Groundwork

Food and drink · County · South Carolina

Fast food and sandwich shops in Lexington County, SC

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for fast food and sandwich shops in Lexington County, SC, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 46 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,323 of 2,222 scored counties
#19 of 43 scored counties in South Carolina

Listings
211
187 chain locations (89%)
Official establishments
264
All limited-service restaurants · +15.3% since 2019
Household spending a year
$462.1M
On food away from home · $3,788 a household
Spending per listing
$2.2M
28% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
17.3
30% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
317,588
+7.7% since 2020

See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Lexington 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 Lexington 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

At $3,788 per household (7% below the U.S. average), households in Lexington County spend about $462.1M a year on food away from home. That is about $2.2M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 28% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only fast food and sandwich shops.

There are 211 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in Lexington County as of September 2026. 187 of them (89%) are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. That comes to 17.3 for every 10,000 households, 30% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Lexington County was 264 in 2023, up 15.3% from 2019. That is one for every 462 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 38 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $2.1M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Lexington County.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Lexington County grew 7.7%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops in Lexington County is 46 (lower middle), #1,323 of 2,222 scored counties and #19 of 43 scored counties in South Carolina.

How Lexington 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 Lexington County, SC compared with South Carolina and the U.S.
MeasureLexington CountySouth CarolinaU.S.
Listings per 10k households17.314.813.3
Spending per listing$2.2M$2.5M$3.1M
Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants)462501478
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+15.3%+10.9%+6.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+7.7%+8.5%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,788$3,660$4,070
Median household income$77,408$69,324$80,734
Groundwork market score4639

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
229 → 264All limited-service restaurants · +15.3% over the period
Employees, 2023
6,274
Annual payroll, 2023
$106M
One-person businesses, 2023
38All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
211187 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
151The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
3
Amount
$2.1M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
317,588+7.7% since 2020
Households
121,964
Median age
40.8
Homes lived in by their owners
77%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
699 sq. mi.
People per square mile
436
Median household income
$77,408+26.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$97,803
Median home value
$234,500
Jobs located here
142,688
Daytime population
310,908Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Lexington 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 Lexington 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 Lexington 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
19Lexington County, SC4621117.3$2.2M+7.7%#1,323 of 2,222

Other business types in Lexington 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 Lexington County, SC?

As of September 2026, map listings count 211 fast food and sandwich shops in Lexington County. 187 of them (89%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 264 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 15.3% 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 38 one-person businesses without payroll.

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

About $462.1M a year, or $3,788 per household. That is 7% below the U.S. average (an index of 93, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 211 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $2.2M 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 121,964 households in Lexington County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Lexington County has 17.3 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 30% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2.2M, 28% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Lexington County would have about 151, against 211 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 462 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 15.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.

How fast is Lexington County, SC growing?

Population estimates put Lexington County at 317,588 people in 2025, up 7.7% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 121,964 households. Median household income in Lexington County is $77,408, 4% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 26.5%, 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. Lexington County scores 46 for fast food and sandwich shops (lower middle), #1,323 of 2,222 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Lexington 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 Lexington 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.