Food and drink · Small-town market · West Virginia
Fast food and sandwich shops in the Bluefield, WV-VA area
How the Bluefield, WV-VA area compares with other small-town markets and the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 22 out of 100: Low
Ranked #489 of 537 scored small-town markets
#4 of 4 scored small-town markets based in West Virginia
- Listings
- 71
- 66 chain locations (93%)
- Official establishments
- 70
- All limited-service restaurants · +7.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $125.1M
- On food away from home · $3,087 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.8M
- 42% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 17.5
- 32% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 96,138
- −3.8% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in the Bluefield 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 Bluefield 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
The Bluefield area scores 22 (low) on the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, ranking #489 of 537 scored small-town markets and #4 of 4 scored small-town markets based in West Virginia. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.
As of September 2026, map listings count 71 fast food and sandwich shops in the Bluefield area. Chain locations make up 93% of them, against 79% across the U.S. That comes to 17.5 for every 10,000 households, 32% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.
Household spending on food away from home in the Bluefield area comes to about $125.1M a year: $3,087 per household, 24% below the U.S. average. That works out to $1.8M per shop, 42% 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.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in the Bluefield area was 70 in 2023, up 7.7% from 2019. That is one for every 579 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. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Bluefield area declined 3.8%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Bluefield area compares
The same measures for West 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 | Bluefield area | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 17.5 | 14.1 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $1.8M | $2.4M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 579 | 564 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +7.7% | −1.5% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −3.8% | −1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,087 | $3,343 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $50,550 | $59,608 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 22 | 24 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 70All limited-service restaurants · +7.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,878
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $30.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 7All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 7166 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 41The 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 the Bluefield 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 Bluefield area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 96,138−3.8% since 2020
- Households
- 40,514
- Median age
- 44.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 938 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 105
- Median household income
- $50,550
- Average household income
- $70,787
- Median home value
- $120,000
- Jobs located here
- 33,948
- Daytime population
- 95,290Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Bluefield 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 Bluefield 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 West Virginia
Every West Virginia market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in West Virginia for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in West Virginia (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Bluefield area marked.
Top small-town markets in West Virginia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Fairmont, WV | 41 | 36 | 15.4 | $2.2M | −1.2% | #359 of 537 |
| Cumberland, MD-WV | 38 | 54 | 14.0 | $2.4M | −1.3% | #378 of 537 |
| 2Elkins, WV | 35 | 18 | 16.9 | $1.9M | −3.6% | #411 of 537 |
| 3Clarksburg, WV | 28 | 54 | 15.2 | $2.2M | −2.4% | #459 of 537 |
| 4Bluefield, WV-VA | 22 | 71 | 17.5 | $1.8M | −3.8% | #489 of 537 |
Other business types in the Bluefield area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes46
- Sit-down restaurants36
- Fast food and sandwich shops22
- Pizza26
- Coffee shops and cafes60
- Bakeries and dessert shops50
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 Bluefield, WV-VA area?
The Bluefield area has 71 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 66 of them (93%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 70 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 7.7% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Official counts list 7 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Bluefield, WV-VA area spend on food away from home?
About $125.1M a year, or $3,087 per household. That is 24% below the U.S. average (an index of 76, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 71 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $1.8M 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 40,514 households in the Bluefield area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Bluefield, WV-VA area compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
The Bluefield area has 17.5 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 32% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $1.8M, 42% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, the Bluefield area would have about 41, against 71 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 579 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 7.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Bluefield, WV-VA area growing?
Population estimates put the Bluefield area at 96,138 people in 2025, down 3.8% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 40,514 households. The median household income in the Bluefield area is $50,550 a year, 37% below the U.S. median of $80,734.
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 Bluefield area scores 22 for fast food and sandwich shops (low), #489 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 Bluefield 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 Bluefield area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Bluefield 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 Bluefield 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.