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Fast food in Iowa

How many fast food exist per person present (residents + daytime workers) across the 5 Iowa counties we cover, by ZIP code, compared with the U.S. average. Data: Census ZBP 2023 + ACS 2024 + BLS QCEW.

Includes: Fast food · Quick-service restaurants · Takeout & delivery counters · Pizza delivery · Sandwich & burger chains. Counted together because official statistics use one 722513 code.

State verdict (covered counties): In line with the U.S. rate — 93% of the U.S. rate

Counties covered

in Iowa

Fast food

961

establishments (2023)

Per 10,000 present

6.2

residents + 0.5×workers

U.S. average

6.7

per 10,000 present

State index

93%

vs. U.S.

Residents

1,236,667

in covered counties

Workers

620,484

jobs in covered counties

Coverage. This page aggregates only the 5 Iowa counties BizGapMap covers — not the whole state. Counts and the index reflect those counties. The aggregate index uses only ZIP cells Census published, so it is a lower bound. Density is a supply-side signal: it counts existing fast food and the people present, not foot traffic, income, rent, or whether locals want more.

Counties in Iowa

City	County	Fast food	Residents	Workers	Per 10k	Index	Verdict
Davenport	Scott County	154–178	174,858	85,838	7.1	106–118%	Above average
Cedar Falls	Black Hawk County	101–117	130,172	58,636	6.3	95–106%	Range spans bands
West Des Moines	Polk County	436–462	546,696	305,833	6.2	93–96%	Below average
Coralville	Johnson County	116–132	153,959	67,063	6.2	93–102%	Range spans bands
Cedar Rapids	Linn County	154–190	230,982	103,114	5.5	82–95%	Below average

Scroll the table sideways to see all columns.

Lowest vs. highest measured density

Fewest competitors per capita

106%

95%

93%

93%

82%

Most competitors per capita

82%

93%

93%

95%

106%

Low measured density is not evidence of opportunity. A county with few fast food may simply lack foot traffic, retail space, or demand. Use the ranking to find where to look, then verify locally.

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BizGapMap — free, no-login small-business saturation reports for major U.S. counties. Built entirely from public U.S. Census, BLS, and IRS data (ZBP 2023, ACS 2024 5-year, PEP 2024, LODES, QCEW, IRS SOI). No forecasts, no revenue guesses — withheld cells are marked, and the few derived counts are labelled as estimates.