Food and drink · County · Wisconsin
Fast food and sandwich shops in La Crosse County, WI
The fast food and sandwich shops in La Crosse County, WI, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 54 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #982 of 2,222 scored counties
#50 of 60 scored counties in Wisconsin
- Listings
- 65
- 51 chain locations (78%)
- Official establishments
- 95
- All limited-service restaurants · +5.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $197.7M
- On food away from home · $3,838 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3M
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 12.6
- 5% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 121,339
- +0.3% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in La Crosse 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 La Crosse 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 65 fast food and sandwich shops in La Crosse County. Chain locations make up 78% of them, against 79% across the U.S. That comes to 12.6 for every 10,000 households, 5% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.
Household spending on food away from home in La Crosse County comes to about $197.7M a year: $3,838 per household, 6% below the U.S. average. That is about $3M of household spending for each shop on map listings, in line with 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.
Official counts show 95 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in La Crosse County in 2023, up 5.6% from 2019. That is one for every 542 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 7 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 8 SBA-backed loans worth $6.7M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in La Crosse County.
Population estimates put the population change in La Crosse County from 2020 to 2025 at +0.3%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For fast food and sandwich shops, La Crosse County has a Groundwork market score of 54 (upper middle): #982 of 2,222 scored counties and #50 of 60 scored counties in Wisconsin.
How La Crosse 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.
| Measure | La Crosse County | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 12.6 | 11.6 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $3M | $3.4M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 542 | 632 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +5.6% | +3.8% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.3% | +1.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,838 | $3,959 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $73,013 | $77,485 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 54 | 63 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 90 → 95All limited-service restaurants · +5.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,894
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $35.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 7All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 6551 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 65The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 8
- Amount
- $6.7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in La Crosse 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 La Crosse County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 121,339+0.3% since 2020
- Households
- 51,497
- Median age
- 39.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 62%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 452 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 267
- Median household income
- $73,013+26.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $97,214
- Median home value
- $257,000
- Jobs located here
- 72,448
- Daytime population
- 134,687Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in La Crosse 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 La Crosse 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 Wisconsin
Every Wisconsin market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Wisconsin for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in Wisconsin, with La Crosse County marked.
Top counties in Wisconsin
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Calumet County, WI | 89 | 12 | 5.6 | $7.5M | +2.9% | #17 of 2,222 |
| 2Pierce County, WI | 88 | 13 | 8.2 | $5.2M | +3.1% | #29 of 2,222 |
| 3Lafayette County, WI | 86 | 5 | 7.4 | $5.1M | +5.2% | #40 of 2,222 |
| 4Vernon County, WI | 84 | 6 | 4.8 | $7.7M | +2.4% | #65 of 2,222 |
| 5Oconto County, WI | 84 | 11 | 6.5 | $5.9M | +2.9% | #67 of 2,222 |
| 6Kewaunee County, WI | 83 | 5 | 6.0 | $6.6M | +1.0% | #83 of 2,222 |
| 7Sawyer County, WI | 82 | 5 | 5.7 | $6.1M | +4.0% | #91 of 2,222 |
| 8St. Croix County, WI | 82 | 43 | 11.5 | $4.1M | +4.7% | #99 of 2,222 |
| 9Iowa County, WI | 81 | 9 | 8.9 | $4.5M | +1.0% | #113 of 2,222 |
| 10Polk County, WI | 80 | 15 | 7.7 | $5M | +1.7% | #119 of 2,222 |
| 50La Crosse County, WI | 54 | 65 | 12.6 | $3M | +0.3% | #982 of 2,222 |
Other business types in La Crosse County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes45
- Sit-down restaurants52
- Fast food and sandwich shops54
- Pizza58
- Coffee shops and cafes44
- Bakeries and dessert shops54
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 La Crosse County, WI?
There are 65 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in La Crosse County as of September 2026. 51 of them (78%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 95 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 5.6% 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 La Crosse County, WI spend on food away from home?
About $197.7M a year, or $3,838 per household. That is 6% below the U.S. average (an index of 94, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 65 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $3M 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 51,497 households in La Crosse County and national spending patterns by income.
How does La Crosse County, WI compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
La Crosse County has 12.6 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 5% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $3M, in line with the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 542 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is La Crosse County, WI growing?
Population estimates put La Crosse County at 121,339 people in 2025, up 0.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 51,497 households. The median household income in La Crosse County is $73,013 a year, 10% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 26.1% 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. La Crosse County scores 54 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #982 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in La Crosse 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 La Crosse County
Screening a site or an acquisition in La Crosse 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 La Crosse 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.