Groundwork

Food and drink · County · South Dakota

Fast food and sandwich shops in Buffalo County, SD

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

Groundwork market score

Not scored

Counties under 10,000 people aren’t scored, since a few businesses can swing their figures.

Listings
1
1 chain location (100%)
Official establishments
n/a
Fewer than 3, or not published
Household spending a year
$1.5M
On food away from home · $2,995 a household
Spending per listing
$1.5M
Too few listings to compare
Listings per 10k households
19.7
Too few listings to compare
Population, 2025
1,802
−6.8% since 2020

See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Buffalo 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 Buffalo County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

At $2,995 per household (26% below the U.S. average), households in Buffalo County spend about $1.5M a year on food away from home. That is about $1.5M of household spending for each shop on map listings. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only fast food and sandwich shops.

There is 1 fast food or sandwich shop on map listings in Buffalo County as of September 2026. That is 19.7 per 10,000 households.

Official counts don’t publish a figure for limited-service restaurants in Buffalo County, since they leave out counts under 3.

Population estimates put the population change in Buffalo County from 2020 to 2025 at −6.8%, against +3.1% for the U.S. Counties under 10,000 people aren’t given a market score, since a few businesses can swing their figures.

How Buffalo 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 Buffalo County, SD compared with South Dakota and the U.S.
MeasureBuffalo CountySouth DakotaU.S.
Listings per 10k households19.713.513.3
Spending per listing$1.5M$2.9M$3.1M
Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants)n/a587478
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+9.9%+6.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025−6.8%+5.3%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$2,995$3,849$4,070
Median household income$47,045$75,081$80,734
Groundwork market scoreNot scored59

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
n/aAll limited-service restaurants
Employees, 2023
n/a
Annual payroll, 2023
n/a
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
11 chain location
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
1The 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 Buffalo 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 Buffalo County

Population, 2025 estimate
1,802−6.8% since 2020
Households
508
Median age
23.0
Homes lived in by their owners
53%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
471 sq. mi.
People per square mile
4
Median household income
$47,045
Average household income
$57,605
Median home value
$117,800
Jobs located here
472
Daytime population
1,845Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Buffalo 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 Buffalo County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

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 Buffalo 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
Buffalo County, SDNot scored119.7$1.5M−6.8%

Other business types in Buffalo County

None has a Groundwork market score here. Counties under 10,000 people aren’t scored, since a few businesses can swing their figures.

Questions

How many fast food and sandwich shops are in Buffalo County, SD?

As of September 2026, map listings count 1 fast food or sandwich shop in Buffalo County. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. No official count is published for limited-service restaurants in Buffalo County: counts under 3 are left out.

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

About $1.5M a year, or $2,995 per household. That is 26% below the U.S. average (an index of 74, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1 fast food or sandwich shop on map listings, it comes to $1.5M 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 508 households in Buffalo County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Buffalo County has 1 fast food or sandwich shop on map listings, too few for a steady comparison with the U.S. rate. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending.

How fast is Buffalo County, SD growing?

Population estimates put Buffalo County at 1,802 people in 2025, down 6.8% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 508 households. Median household income in Buffalo County is $47,045, 42% below the U.S. median of $80,734.

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. The score leaves out counties under 10,000 people, where a handful of businesses would swing it.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Buffalo 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 Buffalo 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.