Food and drink · Small-town market · West Virginia
Fast food and sandwich shops in the Elkins, WV area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for fast food and sandwich shops in the Elkins, WV area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 35 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #411 of 537 scored small-town markets
#2 of 4 scored small-town markets based in West Virginia
- Listings
- 18
- 17 chain locations (94%)
- Official establishments
- 13
- All limited-service restaurants
- Household spending a year
- $34M
- On food away from home · $3,184 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.9M
- 38% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 16.9
- 27% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 26,882
- −3.6% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in the Elkins 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 Elkins 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
For fast food and sandwich shops, the Elkins area has a Groundwork market score of 35 (lower middle): #411 of 537 scored small-town markets and #2 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 18 fast food and sandwich shops in the Elkins area. Of those, 17 are chain locations, or 94%, against 79% across the U.S. That comes to 16.9 for every 10,000 households, 27% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.
At $3,184 per household (22% below the U.S. average), households in the Elkins area spend about $34M a year on food away from home. That is about $1.9M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 38% 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.
In 2023, official counts showed 13 businesses with payroll in the Elkins area classed as limited-service restaurants. That is one for every 821 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. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $300K has gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the Elkins area. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Elkins area declined 3.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Elkins 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 | Elkins area | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 16.9 | 14.1 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $1.9M | $2.4M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 821 | 564 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −1.5% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −3.6% | −1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,184 | $3,343 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $52,757 | $59,608 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 35 | 24 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 13All limited-service restaurants
- Employees, 2023
- 273
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $4.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1817 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 11The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $300K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the Elkins 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 Elkins area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 26,882−3.6% since 2020
- Households
- 10,678
- Median age
- 44.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 75%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 1,040 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 27
- Median household income
- $52,757+21.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $71,437
- Median home value
- $144,800
- Jobs located here
- 10,659
- Daytime population
- 26,808Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Elkins 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 Elkins 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 Elkins 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 Elkins area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes32
- Sit-down restaurants22
- Fast food and sandwich shops35
- Pizza34
- Coffee shops and cafes60
- Bakeries and dessert shops58
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 Elkins, WV area?
The Elkins area has 18 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 17 of them (94%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 13 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops.
How much do households in the Elkins, WV area spend on food away from home?
About $34M a year, or $3,184 per household. That is 22% below the U.S. average (an index of 78, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 18 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $1.9M 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 10,678 households in the Elkins area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Elkins, WV area compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
The Elkins area has 16.9 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 27% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $1.9M, 38% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, the Elkins area would have about 11, against 18 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 821 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S.
How fast is the Elkins, WV area growing?
Population estimates put the Elkins area at 26,882 people in 2025, down 3.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 10,678 households. The median household income in the Elkins area is $52,757 a year, 35% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 21.8% 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 Elkins area scores 35 for fast food and sandwich shops (lower middle), #411 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 Elkins 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 Elkins area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Elkins 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 Elkins 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.