Food and drink · County · South Carolina
Fast food and sandwich shops in Marion County, SC
How Marion County, SC compares with other counties and the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 15 out of 100: Low
Ranked #2,138 of 2,222 scored counties
#39 of 43 scored counties in South Carolina
- Listings
- 20
- 17 chain locations (85%)
- Official establishments
- 23
- All limited-service restaurants · −8.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $31.9M
- On food away from home · $2,622 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.6M
- 48% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 16.4
- 23% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 28,242
- −2.9% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Marion 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 Marion 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
For fast food and sandwich shops, Marion County has a Groundwork market score of 15 (low): #2,138 of 2,222 scored counties and #39 of 43 scored counties in South Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Household spending on food away from home in Marion County comes to about $31.9M a year: $2,622 per household, 36% below the U.S. average. That is about $1.6M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 48% 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 20 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in Marion County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 85% of them, against 79% across the U.S. That comes to 16.4 for every 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 Marion County was 23 in 2023, down 8.0% from 2019. That is one for every 529 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. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Marion County declined 2.9%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Marion 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 | Marion County | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 16.4 | 14.8 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $1.6M | $2.5M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 529 | 501 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −8.0% | +10.9% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.9% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $2,622 | $3,660 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $36,301 | $69,324 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 15 | 39 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 25 → 23All limited-service restaurants · −8.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 451
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $6.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 7All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 2017 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 11The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Marion 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 Marion County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 28,242−2.9% since 2020
- Households
- 12,177
- Median age
- 41.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 63%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 489 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 59
- Median household income
- $36,301+13.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $51,314
- Median home value
- $93,200
- Jobs located here
- 6,602
- Daytime population
- 24,018Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Marion 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 Marion 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 Marion 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 |
| 39Marion County, SC | 15 | 20 | 16.4 | $1.6M | −2.9% | #2,138 of 2,222 |
Other business types in Marion County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes31
- Sit-down restaurants35
- Fast food and sandwich shops15
- Pizza25
- Coffee shops and cafes39
- Bakeries and dessert shops43
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 Marion County, SC?
As of September 2026, map listings count 20 fast food and sandwich shops in Marion County. 17 of them (85%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 23 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, down 8.0% 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 7 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Marion County, SC spend on food away from home?
About $31.9M a year, or $2,622 per household. That is 36% below the U.S. average (an index of 64, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 20 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $1.6M 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 12,177 households in Marion County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Marion County, SC compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Marion County has 16.4 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 23% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $1.6M, 48% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Marion County would have about 11, against 20 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 529 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count fell 8.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Marion County, SC growing?
Population estimates put Marion County at 28,242 people in 2025, down 2.9% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 12,177 households. Median household income in Marion County is $36,301, 55% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 13.2%, 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. Marion County scores 15 for fast food and sandwich shops (low), #2,138 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Marion 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 Marion County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Marion 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 Marion 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.