Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Tennessee

Fast food and sandwich shops in DeKalb County, TN

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 64 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #588 of 2,222 scored counties
#16 of 84 scored counties in Tennessee

Listings
9
8 chain locations (89%)
Official establishments
9
All limited-service restaurants
Household spending a year
$27M
On food away from home · $3,120 a household
Spending per listing
$3M
2% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
10.4
22% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
21,873
+8.4% since 2020

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

At $3,120 per household (23% below the U.S. average), households in DeKalb County spend about $27M a year on food away from home. That is about $3M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 2% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only fast food and sandwich shops.

DeKalb County has 9 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 89% of them, against 79% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 10.4, 22% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in DeKalb County was 9 in 2023. That is one for every 961 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 put the population change in DeKalb County from 2020 to 2025 at +8.4%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops in DeKalb County is 64 (upper middle), #588 of 2,222 scored counties and #16 of 84 scored counties in Tennessee.

How DeKalb 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 DeKalb County, TN compared with Tennessee and the U.S.
MeasureDeKalb CountyTennesseeU.S.
Listings per 10k households10.415.113.3
Spending per listing$3M$2.4M$3.1M
Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants)961492478
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+6.2%+6.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+8.4%+5.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,120$3,670$4,070
Median household income$53,153$69,595$80,734
Groundwork market score6434

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
6 → 9All limited-service restaurants
Employees, 2023
254
Annual payroll, 2023
$3.8M
One-person businesses, 2023
0All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
98 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
9The 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 DeKalb 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 DeKalb County

Population, 2025 estimate
21,873+8.4% since 2020
Households
8,652
Median age
41.8
Homes lived in by their owners
73%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
304 sq. mi.
People per square mile
69
Median household income
$53,153+16.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$71,610
Median home value
$235,500
Jobs located here
5,262
Daytime population
17,209Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in DeKalb 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 DeKalb 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 DeKalb 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
16DeKalb County, TN64910.4$3M+8.4%#588 of 2,222

Other business types in DeKalb 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 DeKalb County, TN?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 9 fast food and sandwich shops in DeKalb County. 8 of them (89%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 9 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.

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

About $27M a year, or $3,120 per household. That is 23% below the U.S. average (an index of 77, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 9 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $3M 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 8,652 households in DeKalb County and national spending patterns by income.

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

DeKalb 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 $3M, 2% below 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 961 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S.

How fast is DeKalb County, TN growing?

Population estimates put DeKalb County at 21,873 people in 2025, up 8.4% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 8,652 households. Median household income in DeKalb County is $53,153, 34% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 16.8%, 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. DeKalb County scores 64 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #588 of 2,222 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in DeKalb County?

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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.