Food and drink · Small-town market · Tennessee
Fast food and sandwich shops in the Union City, TN area
How the Union City, TN area compares with other small-town markets and the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 47 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #299 of 537 scored small-town markets
#10 of 17 scored small-town markets based in Tennessee
- Listings
- 15
- 11 chain locations (73%)
- Official establishments
- 17
- All limited-service restaurants · −15.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $38.6M
- On food away from home · $3,085 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.6M
- 16% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 12.0
- 10% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 30,067
- −2.3% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in the Union City area
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 the Union City area. 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 15 fast food and sandwich shops in the Union City area. Chain locations make up 73% of them, against 79% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 12.0, 10% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.
At $3,085 per household (24% below the U.S. average), households in the Union City area spend about $38.6M a year on food away from home. That is about $2.6M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 16% below 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 17 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in the Union City area in 2023, down 15.0% from 2019. That is one for every 737 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 3 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
Population estimates show the Union City area declined 2.3% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops in the Union City area is 47 (lower middle), #299 of 537 scored small-town markets and #10 of 17 scored small-town markets based in Tennessee.
How the Union City area 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 | Union City area | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 12.0 | 15.1 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $2.6M | $2.4M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 737 | 492 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −15.0% | +6.2% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.3% | +5.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,085 | $3,670 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $54,613 | $69,595 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 47 | 34 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 17All limited-service restaurants · −15.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 294
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $5.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 3All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1511 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 13The 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 the Union City area, 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 the Union City area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 30,067−2.3% since 2020
- Households
- 12,527
- Median age
- 42.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 545 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 56
- Median household income
- $54,613+37.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $72,466
- Median home value
- $133,600
- Jobs located here
- 12,524
- Daytime population
- 30,043Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Union City area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 the Union City area. 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 small-town markets in Tennessee for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in Tennessee, with the Union City area marked.
Top small-town markets in Tennessee
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Winchester, TN | 84 | 13 | 7.5 | $4.6M | +6.4% | #12 of 537 |
| 2Fayetteville, TN | 77 | 17 | 11.4 | $3M | +4.3% | #48 of 537 |
| 3Shelbyville, TN | 69 | 26 | 13.3 | $2.6M | +9.7% | #95 of 537 |
| 4Lewisburg, TN | 69 | 19 | 13.9 | $2.6M | +10.5% | #96 of 537 |
| 5Crossville, TN | 63 | 37 | 13.1 | $2.5M | +8.0% | #155 of 537 |
| 6Newport, TN | 60 | 18 | 11.6 | $2.5M | +5.1% | #181 of 537 |
| 7Athens, TN | 60 | 37 | 14.0 | $2.4M | +8.2% | #182 of 537 |
| 8McMinnville, TN | 58 | 20 | 12.3 | $2.5M | +6.5% | #204 of 537 |
| 9Cookeville, TN | 48 | 84 | 14.3 | $2.3M | +7.6% | #294 of 537 |
| 10Union City, TN | 47 | 15 | 12.0 | $2.6M | −2.3% | #299 of 537 |
Other business types in the Union City area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes40
- Sit-down restaurants31
- Fast food and sandwich shops47
- Pizza41
- Coffee shops and cafes44
- Bakeries and dessert shops32
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 the Union City, TN area?
The Union City area has 15 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 11 of them (73%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 17 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, down 15.0% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Official counts list 3 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Union City, TN area spend on food away from home?
About $38.6M a year, or $3,085 per household. That is 24% below the U.S. average (an index of 76, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 15 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $2.6M 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 12,527 households in the Union City area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Union City, TN area compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
The Union City area has 12.0 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 10% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2.6M, 16% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, the Union City area would have about 13, against 15 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 737 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count fell 15.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Union City, TN area growing?
Population estimates put the Union City area at 30,067 people in 2025, down 2.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 12,527 households. The median household income in the Union City area is $54,613 a year, 32% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 37.9% 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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. The Union City area scores 47 for fast food and sandwich shops (lower middle), #299 of 537 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Union City area. 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 the Union City area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Union City area?
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 the Union City area. 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.