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Fast food in Maryland

How many fast food exist per person present (residents + daytime workers) across the 11 Maryland 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 — 111% of the U.S. rate

Counties covered

in Maryland

Fast food

4,802

establishments (2023)

Per 10,000 present

7.4

residents + 0.5×workers

U.S. average

6.7

per 10,000 present

State index

111%

vs. U.S.

Residents

5,435,838

in covered counties

Workers

2,082,811

jobs in covered counties

Coverage. This page aggregates only the 11 Maryland 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 Maryland

City	County	Fast food	Residents	Workers	Per 10k	Index	Verdict
Baltimore	Baltimore city	687–697	622,980	291,829	8.9	133%	Above average
Beltsville	Prince George's County	864–894	951,497	273,232	7.9	119–120%	Above average
Owings Mills	Baltimore County	771–813	811,235	333,648	7.9	118–124%	Above average
Annapolis	Anne Arundel County	544–574	579,103	233,423	7.7	115–120%	Above average
La Plata	Charles County	144–172	170,349	35,482	7.7	115–135%	Above average
Columbia	Howard County	298–314	336,999	188,514	6.9	104–108%	Above average
Hagerstown	Washington County	125–149	155,404	60,851	6.7	101–117%	Above average
Frederick	Frederick County	227–255	299,035	100,227	6.5	97–109%	Range spans bands
Rockville	Montgomery County	844–904	1,076,754	436,377	6.5	97–100%	Range spans bands
Bel Air	Harford County	185–201	262,768	79,293	6.1	92–100%	Below average
Westminster	Carroll County	113–121	169,714	49,935	5.8	87–92%	Below average

Scroll the table sideways to see all columns.

Lowest vs. highest measured density

Fewest competitors per capita

133%

119%

118%

115%

115%

104%

101%

97%

Most competitors per capita

87%

92%

97%

97%

101%

104%

115%

115%

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.