Food and drink · County · Virginia
Fast food and sandwich shops in Arlington County, VA
The fast food and sandwich shops in Arlington County, VA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 73 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #269 of 2,222 scored counties
#26 of 100 scored counties in Virginia
- Listings
- 112
- 84 chain locations (75%)
- Official establishments
- 225
- All limited-service restaurants · −10.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $606.1M
- On food away from home · $5,410 a household
- Spending per listing
- $5.4M
- 77% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 10.0
- 25% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 243,931
- +2.1% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Arlington 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 Arlington 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
At $5,410 per household (33% above the U.S. average), households in Arlington County spend about $606.1M a year on food away from home. Spread across 112 fast food and sandwich shops, that is $5.4M per shop, 77% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only fast food and sandwich shops.
There are 112 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in Arlington County as of September 2026. Of those, 84 are chain locations, or 75%, against 79% across the U.S. That is 10.0 per 10,000 households, 25% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Arlington County was 225 in 2023, down 10.0% from 2019. That is one for every 498 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. Official counts list 25 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 12 SBA-backed loans worth $7M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Arlington County.
Population estimates put the population change in Arlington County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.1%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops in Arlington County is 73 (upper middle), #269 of 2,222 scored counties and #26 of 100 scored counties in Virginia. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Arlington County compares
The same measures for Virginia 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 | Arlington County | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 10.0 | 13.2 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $5.4M | $3.3M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 498 | 471 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −10.0% | +3.6% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.1% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $5,410 | $4,372 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $142,114 | $93,170 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 73 | 56 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 250 → 225All limited-service restaurants · −10.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 3,910
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $98.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 25All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 11284 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 199The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 12
- Amount
- $7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Arlington 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 Arlington County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 243,931+2.1% since 2020
- Households
- 112,027
- Median age
- 37.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 41%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.3
- Land area
- 26 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 9,089
- Median household income
- $142,114+18.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $189,970
- Median home value
- $895,000
- Jobs located here
- 166,762
- Daytime population
- 284,944Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Arlington 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 Arlington 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 Virginia
Every Virginia market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Virginia for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in Virginia, with Arlington County marked.
Top counties in Virginia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Goochland County, VA | 98 | 7 | 6.8 | $7.4M | +17.4% | #1 of 2,222 |
| 2New Kent County, VA | 95 | 10 | 10.8 | $4.5M | +21.2% | #4 of 2,222 |
| 3Powhatan County, VA | 94 | 8 | 7.1 | $6.6M | +7.0% | #5 of 2,222 |
| 4Louisa County, VA | 93 | 11 | 7.1 | $5.8M | +13.6% | #7 of 2,222 |
| 5Greene County, VA | 88 | 6 | 7.5 | $5.7M | +6.6% | #27 of 2,222 |
| 6Rockingham County, VA | 88 | 24 | 7.3 | $5.3M | +6.6% | #28 of 2,222 |
| 7Albemarle County, VA | 88 | 45 | 9.8 | $4.7M | +5.1% | #30 of 2,222 |
| 8Caroline County, VA | 86 | 13 | 10.8 | $3.7M | +11.3% | #48 of 2,222 |
| 9Isle of Wight County, VA | 84 | 14 | 8.9 | $4.8M | +6.7% | #75 of 2,222 |
| 10Bedford County, VA | 84 | 27 | 8.2 | $4.7M | +4.4% | #76 of 2,222 |
| 26Arlington County, VA | 73 | 112 | 10.0 | $5.4M | +2.1% | #269 of 2,222 |
Other business types in Arlington County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes62
- Sit-down restaurants55
- Fast food and sandwich shops73
- Pizza71
- Coffee shops and cafes64
- Bakeries and dessert shops70
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 Arlington County, VA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 112 fast food and sandwich shops in Arlington County. 84 of them (75%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 225 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, down 10.0% 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 25 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Arlington County, VA spend on food away from home?
About $606.1M a year, or $5,410 per household. That is 33% above the U.S. average (an index of 133, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 112 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $5.4M 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 112,027 households in Arlington County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Arlington County, VA compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Arlington County has 10.0 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 25% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $5.4M, 77% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Arlington County would have about 199, against 112 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 498 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count fell 10.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Arlington County, VA growing?
Population estimates put Arlington County at 243,931 people in 2025, up 2.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 112,027 households. Median household income in Arlington County is $142,114, 76% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 18.4%, 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. Arlington County scores 73 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #269 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Arlington 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 Arlington County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Arlington 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 Arlington 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.