Food and drink · Small-town market · Washington
Fast food and sandwich shops in the Moses Lake, WA area
The fast food and sandwich shops in the Moses Lake, WA area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 66 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #126 of 537 scored small-town markets
#8 of 10 scored small-town markets based in Washington
- Listings
- 48
- 40 chain locations (83%)
- Official establishments
- 65
- All limited-service restaurants · +20.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $129.2M
- On food away from home · $3,649 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.7M
- 12% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 13.6
- 2% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 105,727
- +6.3% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in the Moses Lake area
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 the Moses Lake area. 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 48 fast food and sandwich shops in the Moses Lake area. 40 of them (83%) are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. That comes to 13.6 for every 10,000 households, 2% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.
Households in the Moses Lake area spend about $129.2M a year on food away from home, or $3,649 per household, 10% below the U.S. average. That is about $2.7M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 12% 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 65 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in the Moses Lake area in 2023, up 20.4% from 2019. That is one for every 545 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. Official counts also show 11 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $1.8M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the Moses Lake area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Moses Lake area grew 6.3%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Moses Lake area scores 66 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, ranking #126 of 537 scored small-town markets and #8 of 10 scored small-town markets based in Washington. That puts it in the top quarter of small-town markets.
How the Moses Lake area 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 | Moses Lake area | Washington | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 13.6 | 10.5 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $2.7M | $4.3M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 545 | 593 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +20.4% | +2.7% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +6.3% | +3.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,649 | $4,501 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $73,267 | $98,141 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 66 | 86 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 65All limited-service restaurants · +20.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,184
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $27.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 11All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4840 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
- 4
- Amount
- $1.8M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the Moses Lake area, 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 the Moses Lake area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 105,727+6.3% since 2020
- Households
- 35,398
- Median age
- 35.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.2
- Land area
- 2,680 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 38
- Median household income
- $73,267+31.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $92,003
- Median home value
- $299,500
- Jobs located here
- 39,791
- Daytime population
- 100,811Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Moses Lake area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 the Moses Lake area. 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 small-town markets in Washington for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in Washington, with the Moses Lake area marked.
Top small-town markets in Washington
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Shelton, WA | 96 | 18 | 6.9 | $5.8M | +7.8% | #1 of 537 |
| 2Port Townsend, WA | 92 | 6 | 3.7 | $10.5M | +2.7% | #3 of 537 |
| 3Oak Harbor, WA | 83 | 26 | 7.2 | $5.8M | −1.5% | #15 of 537 |
| 4Port Angeles, WA | 83 | 24 | 6.8 | $5.4M | +1.1% | #16 of 537 |
| 5Centralia, WA | 80 | 38 | 11.5 | $3.2M | +6.7% | #27 of 537 |
| 6Aberdeen, WA | 75 | 33 | 10.8 | $3.2M | +3.0% | #55 of 537 |
| 7Pullman, WA | 74 | 19 | 10.1 | $3.4M | +1.5% | #61 of 537 |
| 8Moses Lake, WA | 66 | 48 | 13.6 | $2.7M | +6.3% | #126 of 537 |
| 9Ellensburg, WA | 58 | 29 | 14.5 | $2.7M | +4.2% | #202 of 537 |
| 10Othello, WA | 57 | 9 | 14.3 | $2.5M | +4.3% | #218 of 537 |
Other business types in the Moses Lake area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes48
- Sit-down restaurants58
- Fast food and sandwich shops66
- Pizza73
- Coffee shops and cafes37
- 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 the Moses Lake, WA area?
There are 48 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in the Moses Lake area as of September 2026. 40 of them (83%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 65 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 20.4% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Another 11 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Moses Lake, WA area spend on food away from home?
About $129.2M a year, or $3,649 per household. That is 10% below the U.S. average (an index of 90, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 48 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $2.7M 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 35,398 households in the Moses Lake area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Moses Lake, WA area compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
The Moses Lake area has 13.6 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 2% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2.7M, 12% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, the Moses Lake area would have about 42, against 48 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 545 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 20.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Moses Lake, WA area growing?
Population estimates put the Moses Lake area at 105,727 people in 2025, up 6.3% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 35,398 households. The median household income in the Moses Lake area is $73,267 a year, 9% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.9% 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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. The Moses Lake area scores 66 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #126 of 537 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Moses Lake area. 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 the Moses Lake area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Moses Lake area?
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 the Moses Lake area. 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.