Food and drink · County · West Virginia
Fast food and sandwich shops in Kanawha County, WV
The fast food and sandwich shops in Kanawha County, WV, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 17 out of 100: Low
Ranked #2,100 of 2,222 scored counties
#32 of 38 scored counties in West Virginia
- Listings
- 128
- 113 chain locations (88%)
- Official establishments
- 183
- All limited-service restaurants · −2.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $257.4M
- On food away from home · $3,366 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2M
- 34% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 16.7
- 26% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 172,381
- −4.3% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Kanawha 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 Kanawha 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
Kanawha County scores 17 (low) on the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, ranking #2,100 of 2,222 scored counties and #32 of 38 scored counties in West Virginia. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 128 fast food and sandwich shops in Kanawha County. Chain locations make up 88% of them, against 79% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 16.7, 26% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.
Household spending on food away from home in Kanawha County comes to about $257.4M a year: $3,366 per household, 17% below the U.S. average. That works out to $2M per shop, 34% 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 183 businesses with payroll in Kanawha County classed as limited-service restaurants, down 2.7% from 2019. That is one for every 418 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 $295K has gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Kanawha County. Population estimates put the population change in Kanawha County from 2020 to 2025 at −4.3%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Kanawha County 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 | Kanawha County | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 16.7 | 14.1 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $2M | $2.4M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 418 | 564 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −2.7% | −1.5% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −4.3% | −1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,366 | $3,343 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $60,943 | $59,608 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 17 | 24 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 188 → 183All limited-service restaurants · −2.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 3,701
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $66.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 7All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 128113 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 84The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $295K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Kanawha 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 Kanawha County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 172,381−4.3% since 2020
- Households
- 76,459
- Median age
- 43.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 902 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 196
- Median household income
- $60,943+30.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $84,041
- Median home value
- $147,300
- Jobs located here
- 104,812
- Daytime population
- 206,412Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Kanawha 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 Kanawha 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 West Virginia
Every West Virginia market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in West Virginia for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in West Virginia, with Kanawha County marked.
Top counties in West Virginia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Jefferson County, WV | 82 | 28 | 12.3 | $3.6M | +9.2% | #101 of 2,222 |
| 2Berkeley County, WV | 79 | 55 | 10.8 | $3.6M | +13.7% | #153 of 2,222 |
| 3Morgan County, WV | 72 | 8 | 10.9 | $3.2M | +5.5% | #319 of 2,222 |
| 4Mineral County, WV | 67 | 9 | 8.1 | $4.3M | −0.4% | #461 of 2,222 |
| 5Wayne County, WV | 63 | 10 | 6.3 | $5.1M | −4.0% | #595 of 2,222 |
| 6Preston County, WV | 57 | 14 | 10.9 | $3M | −0.6% | #862 of 2,222 |
| 7Mason County, WV | 56 | 8 | 7.8 | $3.9M | −2.7% | #885 of 2,222 |
| 8Marshall County, WV | 55 | 11 | 8.8 | $3.7M | −4.4% | #936 of 2,222 |
| 9Hardy County, WV | 55 | 5 | 8.4 | $3.6M | +0.7% | #937 of 2,222 |
| 10Boone County, WV | 51 | 8 | 10.1 | $3.1M | −6.9% | #1,097 of 2,222 |
| 32Kanawha County, WV | 17 | 128 | 16.7 | $2M | −4.3% | #2,100 of 2,222 |
Other business types in Kanawha County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes27
- Sit-down restaurants30
- Fast food and sandwich shops17
- Pizza20
- Coffee shops and cafes50
- Bakeries and dessert shops44
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 Kanawha County, WV?
Kanawha County has 128 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 113 of them (88%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 183 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, down 2.7% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Official counts also show 7 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Kanawha County, WV spend on food away from home?
About $257.4M a year, or $3,366 per household. That is 17% below the U.S. average (an index of 83, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 128 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $2M 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 76,459 households in Kanawha County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Kanawha County, WV compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Kanawha County has 16.7 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 26% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2M, 34% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Kanawha County would have about 84, against 128 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 418 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count fell 2.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Kanawha County, WV growing?
Population estimates put Kanawha County at 172,381 people in 2025, down 4.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 76,459 households. The median household income in Kanawha County is $60,943 a year, 25% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 30.7% 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. 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. Kanawha County scores 17 for fast food and sandwich shops (low), #2,100 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Kanawha 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 Kanawha County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Kanawha 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 Kanawha 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.