Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Wisconsin

Fast food and sandwich shops in Brown County, WI

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 60 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #762 of 2,222 scored counties
#41 of 60 scored counties in Wisconsin

Listings
156
138 chain locations (88%)
Official establishments
189
All limited-service restaurants · +1.1% since 2019
Household spending a year
$441.4M
On food away from home · $3,979 a household
Spending per listing
$2.8M
7% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
14.1
6% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
275,803
+2.6% since 2020

See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Brown 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 Brown 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

Map listings as of September 2026 show 156 fast food and sandwich shops in Brown County. 138 of them (88%) are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. That is 14.1 per 10,000 households, 6% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.

Households in Brown County spend about $441.4M a year on food away from home, or $3,979 per household, 2% below the U.S. average. That is about $2.8M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 7% 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 189 businesses with payroll in Brown County classed as limited-service restaurants, up 1.1% from 2019. That is one for every 587 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 list 11 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 6 SBA-backed loans worth $2.7M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Brown County.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Brown County grew 2.6%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops in Brown County is 60 (upper middle), #762 of 2,222 scored counties and #41 of 60 scored counties in Wisconsin.

How Brown County compares

The same measures for Wisconsin 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 Brown County, WI compared with Wisconsin and the U.S.
MeasureBrown CountyWisconsinU.S.
Listings per 10k households14.111.613.3
Spending per listing$2.8M$3.4M$3.1M
Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants)587632478
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+1.1%+3.8%+6.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+2.6%+1.3%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,979$3,959$4,070
Median household income$79,649$77,485$80,734
Groundwork market score6063

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
187 → 189All limited-service restaurants · +1.1% over the period
Employees, 2023
4,018
Annual payroll, 2023
$69.1M
One-person businesses, 2023
11All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
156138 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
145The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
6
Amount
$2.7M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Brown 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 Brown County

Population, 2025 estimate
275,803+2.6% since 2020
Households
110,933
Median age
39.1
Homes lived in by their owners
66%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
530 sq. mi.
People per square mile
511
Median household income
$79,649+27.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$102,662
Median home value
$266,000
Jobs located here
158,307
Daytime population
294,973Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Brown 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 Brown 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 Wisconsin

Every Wisconsin market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Wisconsin for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in Wisconsin, with Brown County marked.

Top counties in Wisconsin

Counties in Wisconsin ranked for fast food and sandwich shops by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Calumet County, WI89125.6$7.5M+2.9%#17 of 2,222
2Pierce County, WI88138.2$5.2M+3.1%#29 of 2,222
3Lafayette County, WI8657.4$5.1M+5.2%#40 of 2,222
4Vernon County, WI8464.8$7.7M+2.4%#65 of 2,222
5Oconto County, WI84116.5$5.9M+2.9%#67 of 2,222
6Kewaunee County, WI8356.0$6.6M+1.0%#83 of 2,222
7Sawyer County, WI8255.7$6.1M+4.0%#91 of 2,222
8St. Croix County, WI824311.5$4.1M+4.7%#99 of 2,222
9Iowa County, WI8198.9$4.5M+1.0%#113 of 2,222
10Polk County, WI80157.7$5M+1.7%#119 of 2,222
41Brown County, WI6015614.1$2.8M+2.6%#762 of 2,222

Other business types in Brown County

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

Questions

How many fast food and sandwich shops are in Brown County, WI?

There are 156 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in Brown County as of September 2026. 138 of them (88%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 189 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 1.1% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Official counts also show 11 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Brown County, WI spend on food away from home?

About $441.4M a year, or $3,979 per household. That is 2% below the U.S. average (an index of 98, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 156 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $2.8M 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 110,933 households in Brown County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Brown County has 14.1 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 6% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2.8M, 7% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Brown County would have about 145, against 156 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 587 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 1.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.

How fast is Brown County, WI growing?

Population estimates put Brown County at 275,803 people in 2025, up 2.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 110,933 households. The median household income in Brown County is $79,649 a year, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 27.8% 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. 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. Brown County scores 60 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #762 of 2,222 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Brown 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 Brown 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.