Groundwork

Food and drink · County · South Dakota

Fast food and sandwich shops in Lincoln County, SD

The fast food and sandwich shops in Lincoln County, SD, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 92 out of 100: Very high

Ranked #10 of 2,222 scored counties
#1 of 16 scored counties in South Dakota

Listings
29
29 chain locations (100%)
Official establishments
32
All limited-service restaurants · +18.5% since 2019
Household spending a year
$126.2M
On food away from home · $4,528 a household
Spending per listing
$4.4M
43% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
10.4
22% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
77,145
+17.5% since 2020

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

For fast food and sandwich shops, Lincoln County has a Groundwork market score of 92 (very high): #10 of 2,222 scored counties and #1 of 16 scored counties in South Dakota. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for fast food and sandwich shops.

As of September 2026, map listings count 29 fast food and sandwich shops in Lincoln County. All of them are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 10.4, 22% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.

Household spending on food away from home in Lincoln County comes to about $126.2M a year: $4,528 per household, 11% above the U.S. average. That works out to $4.4M per shop, 43% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. That spending covers all food away from home, which fast food and sandwich shops share with other businesses in the trade.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Lincoln County was 32 in 2023, up 18.5% from 2019. That is one for every 871 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count takes in all limited-service restaurants, not only fast food and sandwich shops: pizza places are counted too. Population estimates put the population change in Lincoln County from 2020 to 2025 at +17.5%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How Lincoln 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 Lincoln County, SD compared with South Dakota and the U.S.
MeasureLincoln CountySouth DakotaU.S.
Listings per 10k households10.413.513.3
Spending per listing$4.4M$2.9M$3.1M
Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants)871587478
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+18.5%+9.9%+6.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+17.5%+5.3%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$4,528$3,849$4,070
Median household income$99,166$75,081$80,734
Groundwork market score9259

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
27 → 32All limited-service restaurants · +18.5% over the period
Employees, 2023
755
Annual payroll, 2023
$14.9M
One-person businesses, 2023
6All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
2929 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
41The 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 Lincoln 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 Lincoln County

Population, 2025 estimate
77,145+17.5% since 2020
Households
27,879
Median age
36.5
Homes lived in by their owners
71%
Vehicles per household
2.1
Land area
577 sq. mi.
People per square mile
122
Median household income
$99,166+20.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$132,275
Median home value
$348,300
Jobs located here
29,510
Daytime population
60,089Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Lincoln 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 Lincoln 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 Lincoln 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

Other business types in Lincoln 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 Lincoln County, SD?

Lincoln County has 29 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 29 of them (100%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 32 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 18.5% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Another 6 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

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

About $126.2M a year, or $4,528 per household. That is 11% above the U.S. average (an index of 111, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 29 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $4.4M per shop. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only fast food and sandwich shops. It is estimated from the incomes of the 27,879 households in Lincoln County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Lincoln County has 10.4 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 22% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $4.4M, 43% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Lincoln County would have about 41, against 29 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 871 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 18.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.

How fast is Lincoln County, SD growing?

Population estimates put Lincoln County at 77,145 people in 2025, up 17.5% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 27,879 households. The median household income in Lincoln County is $99,166 a year, 23% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 20.2% from the 2015–2019 survey, 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. Lincoln County scores 92 for fast food and sandwich shops (very high), #10 of 2,222 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Lincoln 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 Lincoln 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.