Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Tennessee

Fast food and sandwich shops in Carter County, TN

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 51 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #1,101 of 2,222 scored counties
#37 of 84 scored counties in Tennessee

Listings
24
20 chain locations (83%)
Official establishments
36
All limited-service restaurants · −2.7% since 2019
Household spending a year
$73.1M
On food away from home · $2,992 a household
Spending per listing
$3M
In line with the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
9.8
26% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
57,361
+1.7% since 2020

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

Map listings as of September 2026 show 24 fast food and sandwich shops in Carter County. Chain locations make up 83% of them, against 79% across the U.S. That comes to 9.8 for every 10,000 households, 26% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.

Household spending on food away from home in Carter County comes to about $73.1M a year: $2,992 per household, 26% below the U.S. average. That is about $3M of household spending for each shop on map listings, in line with 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.

Official counts show 36 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Carter County in 2023, down 2.7% from 2019. That is one for every 678 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. Another 6 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

Population estimates put the population change in Carter County from 2020 to 2025 at +1.7%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Carter County scores 51 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, ranking #1,101 of 2,222 scored counties and #37 of 84 scored counties in Tennessee.

How Carter County compares

The same measures for Tennessee 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 Carter County, TN compared with Tennessee and the U.S.
MeasureCarter CountyTennesseeU.S.
Listings per 10k households9.815.113.3
Spending per listing$3M$2.4M$3.1M
Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants)678492478
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−2.7%+6.2%+6.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+1.7%+5.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$2,992$3,670$4,070
Median household income$50,135$69,595$80,734
Groundwork market score5134

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
37 → 36All limited-service restaurants · −2.7% over the period
Employees, 2023
861
Annual payroll, 2023
$14.7M
One-person businesses, 2023
6All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
2420 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
24The 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 Carter 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 Carter County

Population, 2025 estimate
57,361+1.7% since 2020
Households
24,425
Median age
45.2
Homes lived in by their owners
75%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
341 sq. mi.
People per square mile
166
Median household income
$50,135+31.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$66,526
Median home value
$168,200
Jobs located here
12,579
Daytime population
45,703Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Carter 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 Carter 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 Tennessee

Every Tennessee market ranked →

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

Top counties in Tennessee

Counties in Tennessee ranked for fast food and sandwich shops by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Fayette County, TN88158.7$4.6M+7.7%#31 of 2,222
2Hickman County, TN8266.4$5.4M+5.0%#92 of 2,222
3Morgan County, TN7957.0$4.8M+5.3%#143 of 2,222
4Grainger County, TN7866.2$4.9M+9.2%#158 of 2,222
5Franklin County, TN77137.5$4.6M+6.4%#186 of 2,222
6Tipton County, TN75208.8$4.2M+2.0%#226 of 2,222
7Meigs County, TN7559.6$3.5M+10.8%#234 of 2,222
8Union County, TN7478.8$3.7M+8.1%#256 of 2,222
9Sumner County, TN7410112.9$3.2M+9.2%#264 of 2,222
10Williamson County, TN7112313.3$4M+9.0%#329 of 2,222
37Carter County, TN51249.8$3M+1.7%#1,101 of 2,222

Other business types in Carter 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 Carter County, TN?

There are 24 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in Carter County as of September 2026. 20 of them (83%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 36 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, down 2.7% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Official counts list 6 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Carter County, TN spend on food away from home?

About $73.1M a year, or $2,992 per household. That is 26% below the U.S. average (an index of 74, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 24 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $3M 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 24,425 households in Carter County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Carter County has 9.8 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 26% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $3M, in line with the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 678 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count fell 2.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.

How fast is Carter County, TN growing?

Population estimates put Carter County at 57,361 people in 2025, up 1.7% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 24,425 households. The median household income in Carter County is $50,135 a year, 38% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.6% 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. Carter County scores 51 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #1,101 of 2,222 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Carter 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.