Food and drink · County · Texas
Fast food and sandwich shops in Hidalgo County, TX
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for fast food and sandwich shops in Hidalgo County, TX, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 32 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,790 of 2,222 scored counties
#112 of 159 scored counties in Texas
- Listings
- 509
- 390 chain locations (77%)
- Official establishments
- 522
- All limited-service restaurants · +11.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $858.3M
- On food away from home · $3,176 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.7M
- 45% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 18.8
- 41% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 921,549
- +5.6% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Hidalgo 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 Hidalgo 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
Hidalgo County scores 32 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, ranking #1,790 of 2,222 scored counties and #112 of 159 scored counties in Texas. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Households in Hidalgo County spend about $858.3M a year on food away from home, or $3,176 per household, 22% below the U.S. average. That is about $1.7M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 45% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only fast food and sandwich shops.
Hidalgo County has 509 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 390 are chain locations, or 77%, against 79% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 18.8, 41% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.
Official counts show 522 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Hidalgo County in 2023, up 11.5% from 2019. That is one for every 518 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. Since fiscal 2022, 11 SBA-backed loans worth $4.3M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Hidalgo County. Population estimates show Hidalgo County grew 5.6% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Hidalgo County 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 | Hidalgo County | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 18.8 | 15.7 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $1.7M | $2.5M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 518 | 451 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +11.5% | +9.0% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +5.6% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,176 | $3,970 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $54,338 | $78,476 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 32 | 43 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 468 → 522All limited-service restaurants · +11.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 14,061
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $245.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 220All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 509390 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 281The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 11
- Amount
- $4.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Hidalgo 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 Hidalgo County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 921,549+5.6% since 2020
- Households
- 270,210
- Median age
- 31.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 1,571 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 568
- Median household income
- $54,338+35.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $74,309
- Median home value
- $140,900
- Jobs located here
- 292,679
- Daytime population
- 862,027Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Hidalgo 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 Hidalgo 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 Texas
Every Texas market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Texas for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in Texas, with Hidalgo County marked.
Top counties in Texas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1San Jacinto County, TX | 84 | 6 | 5.5 | $6.2M | +7.1% | #66 of 2,222 |
| 2Bandera County, TX | 82 | 8 | 8.6 | $4.3M | +9.0% | #97 of 2,222 |
| 3Guadalupe County, TX | 78 | 89 | 13.6 | $3.1M | +15.8% | #174 of 2,222 |
| 4Travis County, TX | 77 | 638 | 10.9 | $4.2M | +7.2% | #190 of 2,222 |
| 5Llano County, TX | 76 | 11 | 10.2 | $3.7M | +9.5% | #212 of 2,222 |
| 6Williamson County, TX | 75 | 325 | 12.9 | $3.7M | +22.3% | #230 of 2,222 |
| 7Fort Bend County, TX | 72 | 392 | 13.4 | $3.6M | +17.4% | #312 of 2,222 |
| 8Parker County, TX | 72 | 80 | 14.2 | $3.2M | +23.5% | #318 of 2,222 |
| 9Gillespie County, TX | 71 | 14 | 12.2 | $3.3M | +6.6% | #338 of 2,222 |
| 10Bastrop County, TX | 71 | 57 | 15.5 | $2.6M | +21.3% | #345 of 2,222 |
| 112Hidalgo County, TX | 32 | 509 | 18.8 | $1.7M | +5.6% | #1,790 of 2,222 |
Other business types in Hidalgo County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes31
- Sit-down restaurants33
- Fast food and sandwich shops32
- Pizza53
- Coffee shops and cafes40
- Bakeries and dessert shops31
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 Hidalgo County, TX?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 509 fast food and sandwich shops in Hidalgo County. 390 of them (77%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 522 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 11.5% from 2019. The official count takes in all limited-service restaurants, not only fast food and sandwich shops: pizza places are counted too. Official counts also show 220 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Hidalgo County, TX spend on food away from home?
About $858.3M a year, or $3,176 per household. That is 22% below the U.S. average (an index of 78, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 509 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $1.7M 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 270,210 households in Hidalgo County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Hidalgo County, TX compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Hidalgo County has 18.8 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 41% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $1.7M, 45% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Hidalgo County would have about 281, against 509 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 518 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 11.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Hidalgo County, TX growing?
Population estimates put Hidalgo County at 921,549 people in 2025, up 5.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 270,210 households. Median household income in Hidalgo County is $54,338, 33% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 35.8%, 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. Hidalgo County scores 32 for fast food and sandwich shops (lower middle), #1,790 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Hidalgo 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 Hidalgo County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Hidalgo 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 Hidalgo 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.