Food and drink · County · Tennessee
Fast food and sandwich shops in Polk County, TN
The fast food and sandwich shops in Polk County, TN, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 68 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #449 of 2,222 scored counties
#12 of 84 scored counties in Tennessee
- Listings
- 8
- 7 chain locations (88%)
- Official establishments
- 8
- All limited-service restaurants
- Household spending a year
- $25.1M
- On food away from home · $3,384 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.1M
- 3% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 10.8
- 19% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 18,592
- +5.9% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Polk 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 Polk County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
Households in Polk County spend about $25.1M a year on food away from home, or $3,384 per household, 17% below the U.S. average. That is about $3.1M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 3% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only fast food and sandwich shops.
Polk County has 8 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 88% of them, against 79% across the U.S. That comes to 10.8 for every 10,000 households, 19% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.
In 2023, official counts showed 8 businesses with payroll in Polk County classed as limited-service restaurants. That is one for every 928 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. Another 5 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Polk County grew 5.9%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For fast food and sandwich shops, Polk County has a Groundwork market score of 68 (upper middle): #449 of 2,222 scored counties and #12 of 84 scored counties in Tennessee. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Polk 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.
| Measure | Polk County | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 10.8 | 15.1 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $3.1M | $2.4M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 928 | 492 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +6.2% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +5.9% | +5.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,384 | $3,670 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $62,522 | $69,595 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 68 | 34 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 8 → 8All limited-service restaurants
- Employees, 2023
- 155
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 5All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 87 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 8The 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 Polk 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 Polk County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 18,592+5.9% since 2020
- Households
- 7,424
- Median age
- 45.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 84%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.4
- Land area
- 435 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 41
- Median household income
- $62,522+44.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $84,888
- Median home value
- $169,900
- Jobs located here
- 2,324
- Daytime population
- 13,260Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Polk 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 Polk County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardFast 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 Polk County marked.
Top counties in Tennessee
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Fayette County, TN | 88 | 15 | 8.7 | $4.6M | +7.7% | #31 of 2,222 |
| 2Hickman County, TN | 82 | 6 | 6.4 | $5.4M | +5.0% | #92 of 2,222 |
| 3Morgan County, TN | 79 | 5 | 7.0 | $4.8M | +5.3% | #143 of 2,222 |
| 4Grainger County, TN | 78 | 6 | 6.2 | $4.9M | +9.2% | #158 of 2,222 |
| 5Franklin County, TN | 77 | 13 | 7.5 | $4.6M | +6.4% | #186 of 2,222 |
| 6Tipton County, TN | 75 | 20 | 8.8 | $4.2M | +2.0% | #226 of 2,222 |
| 7Meigs County, TN | 75 | 5 | 9.6 | $3.5M | +10.8% | #234 of 2,222 |
| 8Union County, TN | 74 | 7 | 8.8 | $3.7M | +8.1% | #256 of 2,222 |
| 9Sumner County, TN | 74 | 101 | 12.9 | $3.2M | +9.2% | #264 of 2,222 |
| 10Williamson County, TN | 71 | 123 | 13.3 | $4M | +9.0% | #329 of 2,222 |
| 12Polk County, TN | 68 | 8 | 10.8 | $3.1M | +5.9% | #449 of 2,222 |
Other business types in Polk County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes58
- Sit-down restaurants60
- Fast food and sandwich shops68
- Pizza63
- Coffee shops and cafes49
- Bakeries and dessert shops
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many fast food and sandwich shops are in Polk County, TN?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 8 fast food and sandwich shops in Polk County. 7 of them (88%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 8 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. Official counts list 5 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Polk County, TN spend on food away from home?
About $25.1M a year, or $3,384 per household. That is 17% below the U.S. average (an index of 83, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 8 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $3.1M 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 7,424 households in Polk County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Polk County, TN compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Polk County has 10.8 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 19% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $3.1M, 3% above 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.
How fast is Polk County, TN growing?
Population estimates put Polk County at 18,592 people in 2025, up 5.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 7,424 households. Median household income in Polk County is $62,522, 23% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 44.4%, 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. Polk County scores 68 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #449 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Polk 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 Polk County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Polk 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 Polk 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.