Food and drink · Small-town market · Wisconsin
Fast food and sandwich shops in the Whitewater-Elkhorn, WI area
How the Whitewater-Elkhorn, WI area compares with other small-town markets and the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 67 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #113 of 537 scored small-town markets
#9 of 13 scored small-town markets based in Wisconsin
- Listings
- 59
- 44 chain locations (75%)
- Official establishments
- 78
- All limited-service restaurants · +5.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $177.2M
- On food away from home · $4,113 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3M
- 2% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 13.7
- 3% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 106,127
- +0.8% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in the Whitewater-Elkhorn 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 Whitewater-Elkhorn 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
Household spending on food away from home in the Whitewater-Elkhorn area comes to about $177.2M a year: $4,113 per household, in line with the U.S. average. That works out to $3M per shop, 2% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only fast food and sandwich shops.
The Whitewater-Elkhorn area has 59 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 75% of them, against 79% across the U.S. That is 13.7 per 10,000 households, 3% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.
In 2023, official counts showed 78 businesses with payroll in the Whitewater-Elkhorn area classed as limited-service restaurants, up 5.4% from 2019. That is one for every 552 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. Another 14 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $864K have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the Whitewater-Elkhorn area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Whitewater-Elkhorn area grew 0.8%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For fast food and sandwich shops, the Whitewater-Elkhorn area has a Groundwork market score of 67 (upper middle): #113 of 537 scored small-town markets and #9 of 13 scored small-town markets based in Wisconsin. That puts it in the top quarter of small-town markets.
How the Whitewater-Elkhorn area 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 | Whitewater-Elkhorn area | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 13.7 | 11.6 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $3M | $3.4M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 552 | 632 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +5.4% | +3.8% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.8% | +1.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,113 | $3,959 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $80,520 | $77,485 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 67 | 63 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 78All limited-service restaurants · +5.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,252
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $24.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 14All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 5944 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 58The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $864K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the Whitewater-Elkhorn 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 Whitewater-Elkhorn area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 106,127+0.8% since 2020
- Households
- 43,087
- Median age
- 42.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 555 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 190
- Median household income
- $80,520+26.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $109,464
- Median home value
- $302,700
- Jobs located here
- 43,660
- Daytime population
- 95,627Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Whitewater-Elkhorn 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 Whitewater-Elkhorn 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 Wisconsin
Every Wisconsin market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Wisconsin for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in Wisconsin, with the Whitewater-Elkhorn area marked.
Top small-town markets in Wisconsin
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Beaver Dam, WI | 82 | 28 | 7.8 | $4.9M | −0.3% | #18 of 537 |
| 2Manitowoc, WI | 78 | 36 | 10.2 | $3.6M | +0.4% | #39 of 537 |
| 3Shawano, WI | 77 | 20 | 10.7 | $3.3M | +1.4% | #45 of 537 |
| 4Platteville, WI | 76 | 22 | 11.0 | $3.3M | +0.9% | #51 of 537 |
| 5Watertown-Fort Atkinson, WI | 73 | 43 | 12.3 | $3.2M | +0.3% | #69 of 537 |
| 6Wisconsin Rapids-Marshfield, WI | 72 | 34 | 10.5 | $3.4M | −0.2% | #74 of 537 |
| 7Sparta, WI | 72 | 22 | 12.0 | $3M | +0.6% | #75 of 537 |
| 8Menomonie, WI | 72 | 26 | 14.9 | $2.6M | +1.7% | #77 of 537 |
| 9Whitewater-Elkhorn, WI | 67 | 59 | 13.7 | $3M | +0.8% | #113 of 537 |
| 10Stevens Point-Plover, WI | 64 | 44 | 14.8 | $2.6M | +2.2% | #147 of 537 |
Other business types in the Whitewater-Elkhorn area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes43
- Sit-down restaurants44
- Fast food and sandwich shops67
- Pizza63
- Coffee shops and cafes48
- Bakeries and dessert shops48
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 Whitewater-Elkhorn, WI area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 59 fast food and sandwich shops in the Whitewater-Elkhorn area. 44 of them (75%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 78 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 5.4% from 2019. The official count takes in all limited-service restaurants, not only fast food and sandwich shops: pizza places are counted too. Official counts list 14 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Whitewater-Elkhorn, WI area spend on food away from home?
About $177.2M a year, or $4,113 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 101, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 59 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $3M 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 43,087 households in the Whitewater-Elkhorn area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Whitewater-Elkhorn, WI area compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
The Whitewater-Elkhorn area has 13.7 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 3% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $3M, 2% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, the Whitewater-Elkhorn area would have about 58, against 59 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 552 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Whitewater-Elkhorn, WI area growing?
Population estimates put the Whitewater-Elkhorn area at 106,127 people in 2025, up 0.8% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 43,087 households. Median household income in the Whitewater-Elkhorn area is $80,520, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 26.3%, 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 Whitewater-Elkhorn area scores 67 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #113 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 Whitewater-Elkhorn 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 Whitewater-Elkhorn area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Whitewater-Elkhorn 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 Whitewater-Elkhorn 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.