Food and drink · Metro area · Texas
Fast food and sandwich shops in the Abilene, TX metro area
The fast food and sandwich shops in the Abilene, TX metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 24 out of 100: Low
Ranked #346 of 387 scored metro areas
#18 of 26 scored metro areas based in Texas
- Listings
- 123
- 109 chain locations (89%)
- Official establishments
- 158
- All limited-service restaurants · −2.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $232.4M
- On food away from home · $3,517 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.9M
- 38% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 18.6
- 40% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 185,429
- +4.8% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in the Abilene metro 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 Abilene metro 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
The Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops in the Abilene metro area is 24 (low), #346 of 387 scored metro areas and #18 of 26 scored metro areas based in Texas. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.
As of September 2026, map listings count 123 fast food and sandwich shops in the Abilene metro area. Of those, 109 are chain locations, or 89%, against 79% across the U.S. That comes to 18.6 for every 10,000 households, 40% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.
At $3,517 per household (14% below the U.S. average), households in the Abilene metro area spend about $232.4M a year on food away from home. That works out to $1.9M per shop, 38% 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 158 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in the Abilene metro area in 2023, down 2.5% from 2019. That is one for every 418 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. Since fiscal 2022, 6 SBA-backed loans worth $3.8M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the Abilene metro area. Population estimates put the population change in the Abilene metro area from 2020 to 2025 at +4.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Abilene metro area compares
The same measures for Texas 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 | Abilene metro area | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 18.6 | 15.7 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $1.9M | $2.5M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 418 | 451 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −2.5% | +9.0% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.8% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,517 | $3,970 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $67,328 | $78,476 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 24 | 43 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 158All limited-service restaurants · −2.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 3,383
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $68M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 21All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 123109 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 76The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 6
- Amount
- $3.8M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the Abilene metro 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 Abilene metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 185,429+4.8% since 2020
- Households
- 66,088
- Median age
- 36.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 64%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 2,744 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 66
- Median household income
- $67,328+28.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $88,398
- Median home value
- $178,700
- Jobs located here
- 70,670
- Daytime population
- 177,263Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Abilene metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 Abilene metro 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 Texas
Every Texas market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Texas for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in Texas, with the Abilene metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Texas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | 84 | 1,202 | 12.1 | $3.7M | +14.0% | #13 of 387 |
| 2Midland, TX | 59 | 109 | 15.7 | $2.8M | +9.8% | #142 of 387 |
| 3Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 57 | 4,003 | 15.0 | $2.7M | +10.3% | #159 of 387 |
| 4Sherman-Denison, TX | 56 | 83 | 15.0 | $2.5M | +12.8% | #162 of 387 |
| 5Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 53 | 4,609 | 15.9 | $2.7M | +10.6% | #180 of 387 |
| 6San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | 51 | 1,444 | 14.9 | $2.6M | +9.5% | #191 of 387 |
| 7Odessa, TX | 44 | 89 | 13.8 | $2.7M | +5.0% | #233 of 387 |
| 8Killeen-Temple, TX | 39 | 284 | 16.0 | $2.2M | +7.2% | #268 of 387 |
| 9McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX | 32 | 509 | 18.8 | $1.7M | +5.6% | #306 of 387 |
| 10Amarillo, TX | 30 | 161 | 15.6 | $2.3M | +2.7% | #311 of 387 |
| 18Abilene, TX | 24 | 123 | 18.6 | $1.9M | +4.8% | #346 of 387 |
Other business types in the Abilene metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes31
- Sit-down restaurants39
- Fast food and sandwich shops24
- Pizza33
- Coffee shops and cafes37
- Bakeries and dessert shops27
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 Abilene, TX metro area?
The Abilene metro area has 123 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 109 of them (89%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 158 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, down 2.5% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Official counts also show 21 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Abilene, TX metro area spend on food away from home?
About $232.4M a year, or $3,517 per household. That is 14% below the U.S. average (an index of 86, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 123 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $1.9M 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 66,088 households in the Abilene metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Abilene, TX metro area compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
The Abilene metro area has 18.6 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 40% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $1.9M, 38% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, the Abilene metro area would have about 76, against 123 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 418 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count fell 2.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Abilene, TX metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Abilene metro area at 185,429 people in 2025, up 4.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 66,088 households. The median household income in the Abilene metro area is $67,328 a year, 17% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 28.2% 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. The Abilene metro area scores 24 for fast food and sandwich shops (low), #346 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Abilene metro 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 Abilene metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Abilene metro 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 Abilene metro 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.