Groundwork

Food and drink · County · West Virginia

Fast food and sandwich shops in McDowell County, WV

The fast food and sandwich shops in McDowell County, WV, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 40 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,492 of 2,222 scored counties
#14 of 38 scored counties in West Virginia

Listings
6
5 chain locations (83%)
Official establishments
5
All limited-service restaurants
Household spending a year
$15.9M
On food away from home · $2,457 a household
Spending per listing
$2.6M
13% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
9.3
30% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
16,878
−10.9% since 2020

See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in McDowell 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 McDowell County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

Household spending on food away from home in McDowell County comes to about $15.9M a year: $2,457 per household, 40% below the U.S. average. That is about $2.6M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 13% below 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 6 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in McDowell County as of September 2026. Of those, 5 are chain locations, or 83%, against 79% across the U.S. That is 9.3 per 10,000 households, 30% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.

Official counts show 5 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in McDowell County in 2023. That is one for every 1,293 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.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of McDowell County declined 10.9%, against +3.1% for the U.S. McDowell County scores 40 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, ranking #1,492 of 2,222 scored counties and #14 of 38 scored counties in West Virginia.

How McDowell 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.

Fast food and sandwich shops in McDowell County, WV compared with West Virginia and the U.S.
MeasureMcDowell CountyWest VirginiaU.S.
Listings per 10k households9.314.113.3
Spending per listing$2.6M$2.4M$3.1M
Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants)1,293564478
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a−1.5%+6.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025−10.9%−1.4%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$2,457$3,343$4,070
Median household income$31,559$59,608$80,734
Groundwork market score4024

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
5 → 5All limited-service restaurants
Employees, 2023
79
Annual payroll, 2023
$1.6M
One-person businesses, 2023
0All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
65 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
5The 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 McDowell 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 McDowell County

Population, 2025 estimate
16,878−10.9% since 2020
Households
6,467
Median age
42.5
Homes lived in by their owners
77%
Vehicles per household
1.6
Land area
534 sq. mi.
People per square mile
34
Median household income
$31,559+14.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$43,863
Median home value
$50,000
Jobs located here
3,064
Daytime population
16,847Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in McDowell 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 McDowell County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Fast 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 McDowell County marked.

Top counties in West Virginia

Counties in West Virginia ranked for fast food and sandwich shops by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Jefferson County, WV822812.3$3.6M+9.2%#101 of 2,222
2Berkeley County, WV795510.8$3.6M+13.7%#153 of 2,222
3Morgan County, WV72810.9$3.2M+5.5%#319 of 2,222
4Mineral County, WV6798.1$4.3M−0.4%#461 of 2,222
5Wayne County, WV63106.3$5.1M−4.0%#595 of 2,222
6Preston County, WV571410.9$3M−0.6%#862 of 2,222
7Mason County, WV5687.8$3.9M−2.7%#885 of 2,222
8Marshall County, WV55118.8$3.7M−4.4%#936 of 2,222
9Hardy County, WV5558.4$3.6M+0.7%#937 of 2,222
10Boone County, WV51810.1$3.1M−6.9%#1,097 of 2,222
14McDowell County, WV4069.3$2.6M−10.9%#1,492 of 2,222

Other business types in McDowell County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Funeral services

Questions

How many fast food and sandwich shops are in McDowell County, WV?

As of September 2026, map listings count 6 fast food and sandwich shops in McDowell County. 5 of them (83%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 5 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023. The official count takes in all limited-service restaurants, not only fast food and sandwich shops: pizza places are counted too.

How much do households in McDowell County, WV spend on food away from home?

About $15.9M a year, or $2,457 per household. That is 40% below the U.S. average (an index of 60, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 6 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $2.6M 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 6,467 households in McDowell County and national spending patterns by income.

How does McDowell County, WV compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?

McDowell County has 9.3 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 30% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2.6M, 13% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, McDowell County would have about 5, against 6 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,293 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S.

How fast is McDowell County, WV growing?

Population estimates put McDowell County at 16,878 people in 2025, down 10.9% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 6,467 households. Median household income in McDowell County is $31,559, 61% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 14.0%, 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. McDowell County scores 40 for fast food and sandwich shops (lower middle), #1,492 of 2,222 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in McDowell 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 McDowell County

Screening a site or an acquisition in McDowell County?

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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.