Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Texas

Fast food and sandwich shops in Howard County, TX

How Howard County, TX compares with other counties and the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 16 out of 100: Low

Ranked #2,121 of 2,222 scored counties
#148 of 159 scored counties in Texas

Listings
26
23 chain locations (88%)
Official establishments
31
All limited-service restaurants · +3.3% since 2019
Household spending a year
$44.3M
On food away from home · $3,637 a household
Spending per listing
$1.7M
44% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
21.3
60% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
30,504
−12.4% since 2020

See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Howard 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 Howard 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

Howard County scores 16 (low) on the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, ranking #2,121 of 2,222 scored counties and #148 of 159 scored counties in Texas. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

Map listings as of September 2026 show 26 fast food and sandwich shops in Howard County. 23 of them (88%) are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. That is 21.3 per 10,000 households, 60% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.

Households in Howard County spend about $44.3M a year on food away from home, or $3,637 per household, 11% below the U.S. average. That is about $1.7M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 44% 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 31 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Howard County in 2023, up 3.3% from 2019. That is one for every 393 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 show Howard County declined 12.4% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How Howard 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.

Fast food and sandwich shops in Howard County, TX compared with Texas and the U.S.
MeasureHoward CountyTexasU.S.
Listings per 10k households21.315.713.3
Spending per listing$1.7M$2.5M$3.1M
Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants)393451478
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+3.3%+9.0%+6.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025−12.4%+8.5%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,637$3,970$4,070
Median household income$69,649$78,476$80,734
Groundwork market score1643

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
30 → 31All limited-service restaurants · +3.3% over the period
Employees, 2023
614
Annual payroll, 2023
$12.7M
One-person businesses, 2023
3All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
2623 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
15The 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 Howard 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 Howard County

Population, 2025 estimate
30,504−12.4% since 2020
Households
12,191
Median age
37.9
Homes lived in by their owners
70%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
901 sq. mi.
People per square mile
36
Median household income
$69,649+28.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$90,688
Median home value
$155,600
Jobs located here
11,735
Daytime population
29,322Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Howard 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 Howard 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 Texas

Every Texas market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Texas for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in Texas, with Howard County marked.

Top counties in Texas

Counties in Texas ranked for fast food and sandwich shops by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1San Jacinto County, TX8465.5$6.2M+7.1%#66 of 2,222
2Bandera County, TX8288.6$4.3M+9.0%#97 of 2,222
3Guadalupe County, TX788913.6$3.1M+15.8%#174 of 2,222
4Travis County, TX7763810.9$4.2M+7.2%#190 of 2,222
5Llano County, TX761110.2$3.7M+9.5%#212 of 2,222
6Williamson County, TX7532512.9$3.7M+22.3%#230 of 2,222
7Fort Bend County, TX7239213.4$3.6M+17.4%#312 of 2,222
8Parker County, TX728014.2$3.2M+23.5%#318 of 2,222
9Gillespie County, TX711412.2$3.3M+6.6%#338 of 2,222
10Bastrop County, TX715715.5$2.6M+21.3%#345 of 2,222
148Howard County, TX162621.3$1.7M−12.4%#2,121 of 2,222

Other business types in Howard 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 Howard County, TX?

There are 26 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in Howard County as of September 2026. 23 of them (88%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 31 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 3.3% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Official counts also show 3 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Howard County, TX spend on food away from home?

About $44.3M a year, or $3,637 per household. That is 11% below the U.S. average (an index of 89, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 26 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $1.7M 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 12,191 households in Howard County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Howard County has 21.3 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 60% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $1.7M, 44% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Howard County would have about 15, against 26 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 393 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 3.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.

How fast is Howard County, TX growing?

Population estimates put Howard County at 30,504 people in 2025, down 12.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 12,191 households. The median household income in Howard County is $69,649 a year, 14% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 28.5% 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. Howard County scores 16 for fast food and sandwich shops (low), #2,121 of 2,222 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Howard 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 Howard County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Howard 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 Howard County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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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.