Groundwork

Food and drink · County · South Carolina

Fast food and sandwich shops in Union County, SC

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 34 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,699 of 2,222 scored counties
#32 of 43 scored counties in South Carolina

Listings
14
12 chain locations (86%)
Official establishments
17
All limited-service restaurants
Household spending a year
$33M
On food away from home · $2,841 a household
Spending per listing
$2.4M
23% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
12.1
9% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
26,799
−1.4% since 2020

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

The Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops in Union County is 34 (lower middle), #1,699 of 2,222 scored counties and #32 of 43 scored counties in South Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

At $2,841 per household (30% below the U.S. average), households in Union County spend about $33M a year on food away from home. That works out to $2.4M per shop, 23% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only fast food and sandwich shops.

Union County has 14 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 12 of them (86%) are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. That comes to 12.1 for every 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.

Official counts show 17 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Union County in 2023. That is one for every 683 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. Population estimates show Union County declined 1.4% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How Union 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 Union County, SC compared with South Carolina and the U.S.
MeasureUnion CountySouth CarolinaU.S.
Listings per 10k households12.114.813.3
Spending per listing$2.4M$2.5M$3.1M
Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants)683501478
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+10.9%+6.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025−1.4%+8.5%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$2,841$3,660$4,070
Median household income$41,621$69,324$80,734
Groundwork market score3439

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
14 → 17All limited-service restaurants
Employees, 2023
435
Annual payroll, 2023
$7.2M
One-person businesses, 2023
3All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
1412 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 Union 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 Union County

Population, 2025 estimate
26,799−1.4% since 2020
Households
11,611
Median age
44.2
Homes lived in by their owners
71%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
514 sq. mi.
People per square mile
52
Median household income
$41,621+1.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$60,230
Median home value
$103,600
Jobs located here
7,601
Daytime population
22,110Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Union 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 Union 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 Union 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
32Union County, SC341412.1$2.4M−1.4%#1,699 of 2,222

Other business types in Union County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Funeral services

Questions

How many fast food and sandwich shops are in Union County, SC?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 14 fast food and sandwich shops in Union County. 12 of them (86%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 17 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023. The official count takes in all limited-service restaurants, not only fast food and sandwich shops: pizza places are counted too. Official counts also show 3 one-person businesses without payroll.

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

About $33M a year, or $2,841 per household. That is 30% below the U.S. average (an index of 70, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 14 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $2.4M 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 11,611 households in Union County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Union County has 12.1 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2.4M, 23% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Union County would have about 11, against 14 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 683 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S.

How fast is Union County, SC growing?

Population estimates put Union County at 26,799 people in 2025, down 1.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 11,611 households. Median household income in Union County is $41,621, 48% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 1.1%, 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. Union County scores 34 for fast food and sandwich shops (lower middle), #1,699 of 2,222 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Union 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 Union County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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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.