Groundwork

Food and drink · County · South Dakota

Fast food and sandwich shops in Brown County, SD

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 46 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,305 of 2,222 scored counties
#12 of 16 scored counties in South Dakota

Listings
22
20 chain locations (91%)
Official establishments
30
All limited-service restaurants · −6.2% since 2019
Household spending a year
$60.8M
On food away from home · $3,733 a household
Spending per listing
$2.8M
9% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
13.5
2% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
37,561
−1.7% since 2020

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

Households in Brown County spend about $60.8M a year on food away from home, or $3,733 per household, 8% below the U.S. average. That works out to $2.8M per shop, 9% 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 22 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in Brown County as of September 2026. Of those, 20 are chain locations, or 91%, against 79% across the U.S. That is 13.5 per 10,000 households, 2% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Brown County was 30 in 2023, down 6.2% from 2019. That is one for every 543 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. Official counts also show 5 one-person businesses without payroll.

Population estimates show Brown County declined 1.7% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. For fast food and sandwich shops, Brown County has a Groundwork market score of 46 (lower middle): #1,305 of 2,222 scored counties and #12 of 16 scored counties in South Dakota.

How Brown County compares

The same measures for South Dakota 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 Brown County, SD compared with South Dakota and the U.S.
MeasureBrown CountySouth DakotaU.S.
Listings per 10k households13.513.513.3
Spending per listing$2.8M$2.9M$3.1M
Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants)543587478
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−6.2%+9.9%+6.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025−1.7%+5.3%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,733$3,849$4,070
Median household income$70,898$75,081$80,734
Groundwork market score4659

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
32 → 30All limited-service restaurants · −6.2% over the period
Employees, 2023
657
Annual payroll, 2023
$13.2M
One-person businesses, 2023
5All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
2220 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
20The 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 Brown 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 Brown County

Population, 2025 estimate
37,561−1.7% since 2020
Households
16,285
Median age
39.1
Homes lived in by their owners
68%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
1,713 sq. mi.
People per square mile
22
Median household income
$70,898+21.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$92,772
Median home value
$221,100
Jobs located here
19,972
Daytime population
38,336Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Brown 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 Brown 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 Dakota

Every South Dakota market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in South Dakota for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in South Dakota, with Brown County marked.

Top counties in South Dakota

Counties in South Dakota ranked for fast food and sandwich shops by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Lincoln County, SD922910.4$4.4M+17.5%#10 of 2,222
2Union County, SD9068.2$5.3M+3.3%#15 of 2,222
3Meade County, SD8397.5$5.2M+2.7%#86 of 2,222
4Lake County, SD66612.7$3.1M−0.2%#530 of 2,222
5Butte County, SD61716.3$2.4M+5.5%#726 of 2,222
6Hughes County, SD571013.8$2.9M−0.9%#865 of 2,222
7Beadle County, SD571013.3$2.7M+2.4%#871 of 2,222
8Brookings County, SD561813.0$2.9M+9.6%#915 of 2,222
9Lawrence County, SD551814.9$2.5M+14.0%#963 of 2,222
10Minnehaha County, SD5213015.3$2.6M+7.6%#1,076 of 2,222
12Brown County, SD462213.5$2.8M−1.7%#1,305 of 2,222

Other business types in Brown 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 Brown County, SD?

As of September 2026, map listings count 22 fast food and sandwich shops in Brown County. 20 of them (91%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 30 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, down 6.2% from 2019. The official count takes in all limited-service restaurants, not only fast food and sandwich shops: pizza places are counted too. Another 5 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in Brown County, SD spend on food away from home?

About $60.8M a year, or $3,733 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 22 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $2.8M 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 16,285 households in Brown County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Brown County has 13.5 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 2% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2.8M, 9% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Brown County would have about 20, against 22 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 543 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count fell 6.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.

How fast is Brown County, SD growing?

Population estimates put Brown County at 37,561 people in 2025, down 1.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 16,285 households. Median household income in Brown County is $70,898, 12% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 21.8%, 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. Brown County scores 46 for fast food and sandwich shops (lower middle), #1,305 of 2,222 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Brown County?

A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.

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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.