Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Virginia

Fast food and sandwich shops in Bedford County, VA

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for fast food and sandwich shops in Bedford County, VA, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 84 out of 100: High

Ranked #76 of 2,222 scored counties
#10 of 100 scored counties in Virginia

Listings
27
22 chain locations (81%)
Official establishments
38
All limited-service restaurants · +31.0% since 2019
Household spending a year
$128.1M
On food away from home · $3,868 a household
Spending per listing
$4.7M
56% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
8.2
38% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
83,059
+4.4% since 2020

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

The Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops in Bedford County is 84 (high), #76 of 2,222 scored counties and #10 of 100 scored counties in Virginia. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for fast food and sandwich shops.

At $3,868 per household (5% below the U.S. average), households in Bedford County spend about $128.1M a year on food away from home. That is about $4.7M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 56% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only fast food and sandwich shops.

Bedford County has 27 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 22 of them (81%) are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. That is 8.2 per 10,000 households, 38% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.

In 2023, official counts showed 38 businesses with payroll in Bedford County classed as limited-service restaurants, up 31.0% from 2019. That is one for every 872 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, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $730K have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Bedford County. Population estimates show Bedford County grew 4.4% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How Bedford 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.

Fast food and sandwich shops in Bedford County, VA compared with Virginia and the U.S.
MeasureBedford CountyVirginiaU.S.
Listings per 10k households8.213.213.3
Spending per listing$4.7M$3.3M$3.1M
Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants)872471478
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+31.0%+3.6%+6.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+4.4%+2.8%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,868$4,372$4,070
Median household income$78,937$93,170$80,734
Groundwork market score8456

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
29 → 38All limited-service restaurants · +31.0% over the period
Employees, 2023
733
Annual payroll, 2023
$12.4M
One-person businesses, 2023
5All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
2722 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
42The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
3
Amount
$730K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Bedford 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 Bedford County

Population, 2025 estimate
83,059+4.4% since 2020
Households
33,127
Median age
46.9
Homes lived in by their owners
85%
Vehicles per household
2.3
Land area
760 sq. mi.
People per square mile
106
Median household income
$78,937+23.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$102,452
Median home value
$297,400
Jobs located here
19,528
Daytime population
66,003Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Bedford 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 Bedford 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 Virginia

Every Virginia market ranked →

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

Top counties in Virginia

Counties in Virginia ranked for fast food and sandwich shops by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Goochland County, VA9876.8$7.4M+17.4%#1 of 2,222
2New Kent County, VA951010.8$4.5M+21.2%#4 of 2,222
3Powhatan County, VA9487.1$6.6M+7.0%#5 of 2,222
4Louisa County, VA93117.1$5.8M+13.6%#7 of 2,222
5Greene County, VA8867.5$5.7M+6.6%#27 of 2,222
6Rockingham County, VA88247.3$5.3M+6.6%#28 of 2,222
7Albemarle County, VA88459.8$4.7M+5.1%#30 of 2,222
8Caroline County, VA861310.8$3.7M+11.3%#48 of 2,222
9Isle of Wight County, VA84148.9$4.8M+6.7%#75 of 2,222
10Bedford County, VA84278.2$4.7M+4.4%#76 of 2,222

Other business types in Bedford 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 Bedford County, VA?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 27 fast food and sandwich shops in Bedford County. 22 of them (81%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 38 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 31.0% 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 5 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Bedford County, VA spend on food away from home?

About $128.1M a year, or $3,868 per household. That is 5% below the U.S. average (an index of 95, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 27 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $4.7M 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 33,127 households in Bedford County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Bedford County has 8.2 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 38% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $4.7M, 56% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Bedford County would have about 42, against 27 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 872 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 31.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.

How fast is Bedford County, VA growing?

Population estimates put Bedford County at 83,059 people in 2025, up 4.4% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 33,127 households. Median household income in Bedford County is $78,937, 2% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 23.0%, 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. Bedford County scores 84 for fast food and sandwich shops (high), #76 of 2,222 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Bedford County?

A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.

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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.