Food and drink · County · Texas
Fast food and sandwich shops in Zapata County, TX
The fast food and sandwich shops in Zapata County, TX, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 24 out of 100: Low
Ranked #1,991 of 2,222 scored counties
#134 of 159 scored counties in Texas
- Listings
- 9
- 6 chain locations (67%)
- Official establishments
- 7
- All limited-service restaurants
- Household spending a year
- $12.8M
- On food away from home · $2,803 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.4M
- 53% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 19.7
- 48% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 13,753
- −0.9% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Zapata 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 Zapata 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
For fast food and sandwich shops, Zapata County has a Groundwork market score of 24 (low): #1,991 of 2,222 scored counties and #134 of 159 scored counties in Texas. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
At $2,803 per household (31% below the U.S. average), households in Zapata County spend about $12.8M a year on food away from home. That works out to $1.4M per shop, 53% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only fast food and sandwich shops.
Zapata County has 9 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 67% of them, against 79% across the U.S. That is 19.7 per 10,000 households, 48% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.
Official counts show 7 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Zapata County in 2023. That is one for every 652 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. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Zapata County declined 0.9%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Zapata 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 | Zapata County | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 19.7 | 15.7 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $1.4M | $2.5M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 652 | 451 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +9.0% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.9% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $2,803 | $3,970 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $39,239 | $78,476 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 24 | 43 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 5 → 7All limited-service restaurants
- Employees, 2023
- 109
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 5All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 96 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 4The 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 Zapata 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 Zapata County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 13,753−0.9% since 2020
- Households
- 4,565
- Median age
- 33.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 998 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 14
- Median household income
- $39,239+15.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $55,044
- Median home value
- $97,100
- Jobs located here
- 2,023
- Daytime population
- 10,968Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Zapata 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 Zapata 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 Zapata 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 |
| 134Zapata County, TX | 24 | 9 | 19.7 | $1.4M | −0.9% | #1,991 of 2,222 |
Other business types in Zapata County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes24
- Sit-down restaurants21
- Fast food and sandwich shops24
- Pizza
- Coffee shops and cafes
- Bakeries and dessert shops6
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 Zapata County, TX?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 9 fast food and sandwich shops in Zapata County. 6 of them (67%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 7 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 Zapata County, TX spend on food away from home?
About $12.8M a year, or $2,803 per household. That is 31% below the U.S. average (an index of 69, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 9 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $1.4M 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 4,565 households in Zapata County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Zapata County, TX compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Zapata County has 19.7 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 48% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $1.4M, 53% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Zapata County would have about 4, against 9 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 652 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S.
How fast is Zapata County, TX growing?
Population estimates put Zapata County at 13,753 people in 2025, down 0.9% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 4,565 households. Median household income in Zapata County is $39,239, 51% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 15.6%, 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. Zapata County scores 24 for fast food and sandwich shops (low), #1,991 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Zapata 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 Zapata County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Zapata 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 Zapata 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.