Food and drink · County · Washington
Fast food and sandwich shops in Cowlitz County, WA
The fast food and sandwich shops in Cowlitz County, WA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 66 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #529 of 2,222 scored counties
#24 of 32 scored counties in Washington
- Listings
- 54
- 51 chain locations (94%)
- Official establishments
- 68
- All limited-service restaurants · +1.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $165.9M
- On food away from home · $3,775 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.1M
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 12.3
- 8% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 114,885
- +3.5% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Cowlitz 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 Cowlitz 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
Households in Cowlitz County spend about $165.9M a year on food away from home, or $3,775 per household, 7% below the U.S. average. That works out to $3.1M per shop, in line with 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 54 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in Cowlitz County as of September 2026. 51 of them (94%) are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. That is 12.3 per 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.
Official counts show 68 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Cowlitz County in 2023, up 1.5% from 2019. That is one for every 646 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. Another 4 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $1M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Cowlitz County.
Population estimates put the population change in Cowlitz County from 2020 to 2025 at +3.5%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops in Cowlitz County is 66 (upper middle), #529 of 2,222 scored counties and #24 of 32 scored counties in Washington. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Cowlitz County compares
The same measures for Washington 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 | Cowlitz County | Washington | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 12.3 | 10.5 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $3.1M | $4.3M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 646 | 593 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +1.5% | +2.7% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.5% | +3.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,775 | $4,501 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $76,531 | $98,141 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 66 | 86 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 67 → 68All limited-service restaurants · +1.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,576
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $34.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 4All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 5451 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 54The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Cowlitz 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 Cowlitz County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 114,885+3.5% since 2020
- Households
- 43,943
- Median age
- 42.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 1,141 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 98
- Median household income
- $76,531+40.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $95,669
- Median home value
- $397,500
- Jobs located here
- 40,531
- Daytime population
- 95,784Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Cowlitz 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 Cowlitz 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 Washington
Every Washington market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Washington for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in Washington, with Cowlitz County marked.
Top counties in Washington
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1San Juan County, WA | 90 | 5 | 5.5 | $7.5M | +4.2% | #13 of 2,222 |
| 2Klickitat County, WA | 89 | 5 | 5.1 | $7.4M | +6.6% | #18 of 2,222 |
| 3Mason County, WA | 89 | 18 | 6.9 | $5.8M | +7.8% | #21 of 2,222 |
| 4Douglas County, WA | 89 | 15 | 9.4 | $4.3M | +8.0% | #26 of 2,222 |
| 5Jefferson County, WA | 86 | 6 | 3.7 | $10.5M | +2.7% | #37 of 2,222 |
| 6Clark County, WA | 86 | 183 | 9.3 | $4.7M | +5.3% | #42 of 2,222 |
| 7Stevens County, WA | 85 | 14 | 7.2 | $5M | +6.6% | #55 of 2,222 |
| 8Kitsap County, WA | 80 | 105 | 9.7 | $4.7M | +2.7% | #120 of 2,222 |
| 9Snohomish County, WA | 79 | 331 | 10.5 | $4.6M | +4.9% | #147 of 2,222 |
| 10Pacific County, WA | 79 | 9 | 8.2 | $4.3M | +3.6% | #150 of 2,222 |
| 24Cowlitz County, WA | 66 | 54 | 12.3 | $3.1M | +3.5% | #529 of 2,222 |
Other business types in Cowlitz County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes63
- Sit-down restaurants69
- Fast food and sandwich shops66
- Pizza77
- Coffee shops and cafes34
- Bakeries and dessert shops61
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 Cowlitz County, WA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 54 fast food and sandwich shops in Cowlitz County. 51 of them (94%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 68 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 1.5% 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 list 4 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Cowlitz County, WA spend on food away from home?
About $165.9M a year, or $3,775 per household. That is 7% below the U.S. average (an index of 93, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 54 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $3.1M 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 43,943 households in Cowlitz County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Cowlitz County, WA compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Cowlitz County has 12.3 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $3.1M, in line with the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 646 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 1.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Cowlitz County, WA growing?
Population estimates put Cowlitz County at 114,885 people in 2025, up 3.5% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 43,943 households. Median household income in Cowlitz County is $76,531, 5% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 40.4%, 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. Cowlitz County scores 66 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #529 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Cowlitz 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 Cowlitz County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Cowlitz 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 Cowlitz 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.