Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Tennessee

Fast food and sandwich shops in Lincoln County, TN

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 67 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #490 of 2,222 scored counties
#14 of 84 scored counties in Tennessee

Listings
17
14 chain locations (82%)
Official establishments
16
All limited-service restaurants · −20.0% since 2019
Household spending a year
$51.5M
On food away from home · $3,467 a household
Spending per listing
$3M
In line with the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
11.4
14% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
36,853
+4.3% 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

Map listings as of September 2026 show 17 fast food and sandwich shops in Lincoln County. Of those, 14 are chain locations, or 82%, against 79% across the U.S. That is 11.4 per 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.

At $3,467 per household (15% below the U.S. average), households in Lincoln County spend about $51.5M a year on food away from home. Spread across 17 fast food and sandwich shops, that is $3M per shop, 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 16 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Lincoln County in 2023, down 20.0% from 2019. That is one for every 928 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 +4.3%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Lincoln County scores 67 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, ranking #490 of 2,222 scored counties and #14 of 84 scored counties in Tennessee. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How Lincoln 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 Lincoln County, TN compared with Tennessee and the U.S.
MeasureLincoln CountyTennesseeU.S.
Listings per 10k households11.415.113.3
Spending per listing$3M$2.4M$3.1M
Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants)928492478
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−20.0%+6.2%+6.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+4.3%+5.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,467$3,670$4,070
Median household income$64,667$69,595$80,734
Groundwork market score6734

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
20 → 16All limited-service restaurants · −20.0% over the period
Employees, 2023
394
Annual payroll, 2023
$6.1M
One-person businesses, 2023
0All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
1714 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
17The 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
36,853+4.3% since 2020
Households
14,849
Median age
42.5
Homes lived in by their owners
76%
Vehicles per household
2.2
Land area
570 sq. mi.
People per square mile
63
Median household income
$64,667+30.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$85,221
Median home value
$229,700
Jobs located here
9,866
Daytime population
30,502Residents 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 Tennessee

Every Tennessee market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Tennessee for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in Tennessee, with Lincoln 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
14Lincoln County, TN671711.4$3M+4.3%#490 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, TN?

There are 17 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in Lincoln County as of September 2026. 14 of them (82%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 16 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, down 20.0% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops.

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

About $51.5M a year, or $3,467 per household. That is 15% below the U.S. average (an index of 85, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 17 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 14,849 households in Lincoln County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Lincoln County has 11.4 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 14% 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 928 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count fell 20.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.

How fast is Lincoln County, TN growing?

Population estimates put Lincoln County at 36,853 people in 2025, up 4.3% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 14,849 households. The median household income in Lincoln County is $64,667 a year, 20% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 30.7% 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 67 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #490 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.

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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.