BizGapMap

Home / Limited-service restaurants (fast food) / Florida / Brevard County, FL

Brevard County, FL — Fast food Saturation

How many fast food exist per person present — residents plus daytime workers — by ZIP code, compared with the U.S. average. Establishment data: Census ZBP 2023. Population: ACS 2024 5-year. 44 ZIP codes analyzed.

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

Measured density: Below average — 0.84× the U.S. rate (between 0.84× and 0.86× once withheld ZIP cells are counted)

Why a range: Census does not publish a ZIP-by-industry count when that ZIP has 0–2 businesses. 22 ZIP cells in this county are withheld, 6 of them with residents. Each could hold 0, 1, or 2 businesses: counting them all as 0 gives the low end, counting them all as 2 gives the high end — the data cannot say where the truth sits. The density range uses only the populated cells, since ZIPs without residents are excluded from per-person rates. How ranges work

Below the U.S. rate   Brevard County fast food — 84–86% of the U.S. rate

408 fast food are counted in Brevard County — 5.6 per 10,000 people present (residents + daytime workers), 84% of the U.S. rate of 6.7.

On the comparable ZIP set (ZIPs with a published count in every year), the total has risen 11% between 2015 and 2023 (366 → 408). That set is smaller than today's county total. 2020–2021 were pandemic-distorted, and Census rounds counts, so small moves are within noise.

Measured supply density is highest in 32931 (Cocoa Beach), 32937 (Satellite Beach), 32952 (Merritt Island) — well above the national rate. On measured density alone, the lowest-density residential ZIPs with a published count are 32909 (Palm Bay), 32934 (Melbourne), 32976 (Sebastian).

BLS QCEW puts the latest county-wide count (2026 Q1) at 468 establishments, the freshest available signal.

Measured density: Brevard County sits at 84% of the U.S. rate for fast food. 6 ZIPs with population have no published count (each 0–2 businesses), so the true per-capita rate is between 84% and 86% of the U.S. rate. Why. The highest measured density is in 32931 and 32937; the lowest measured density is in 32909 and 32934.

This is a supply-side read: it counts existing fast food and the people present, not foot traffic, income, rent, or whether locals want more. Treat low density as a question to check, not an answer.

Fast food
408–452
published count; upper bound counts each withheld ZIP cell as 2 (22 cells) (2023)
Per 10,000 present
5.6
residents + daytime workers
U.S. average
6.7
per 10,000 present
County index
0.84×
vs. U.S.
Latest quarter (QCEW)
468
2026 Q1 — county total
Residents
633,463
28 ZIPs with data
Workers
195,669
jobs located in county

Is the area growing?

Population
658,447
Census PEP, July 1 2024
Change since 2020
+8.2%
+49,655 people
Net migration 2024
+14,804
international +3,720, domestic +11,084
Jobs located here
230,479
LODES 2022, +5.2% since 2019

Brevard County had an estimated 658,447 residents on July 1, 2024 — 8.2% more than in 2020 (+49,655). In the latest year it gained 11,742 people: births minus deaths −3,021, international migration +3,720, domestic migration +11,084. Components are published separately and may not sum exactly.

230,479 jobs were located in the county in 2022 (+5.2% since 2019), and 255,373 employed residents lived there (+5.5% since 2019). LODES counts wage and salary jobs covered by unemployment insurance plus federal jobs; it excludes the self-employed and military, and counts jobs rather than unique people. 2019→2022 spans the pandemic, so read it as one change, not a trend.

Population and migration say whether the customer base is growing. They do not say whether people want another business of this type. Definitions and limits →  ·  Full county detail →

ZIP gaining residents
2015–19 → 2020–24
Change
32949 Grant
+47.3%
32909 Palm Bay
+33.8%
32940 Melbourne
+22.7%
ZIP losing residents
2015–19 → 2020–24
Change
32920 Cape Canaveral
−2.7%

ACS 5-year estimates for 2015–2019 and 2020–2024. Only ZIPs with at least 2,000 residents in both windows and a change larger than the survey margin of error (90%) are listed — small ZIPs move a lot on paper without a real signal.

Nonemployer businesses (no paid employees)

Nonemployer businesses
89
no paid employees (2024)
Receipts
$6.1M
published gross receipts
Receipts per business
$68K
gross, not profit

Census Nonemployer Statistics counts businesses with no paid employees — a separate universe from the employer establishments counted above; a business is in one or the other, never both. They are not storefronts by definition: many are home-based, mobile, or part-time.

We show them beside the density index, not inside it. In categories such as nail and beauty salons, child care, and pet care, one-person businesses can outnumber employer establishments, so the employer-only count understates how many businesses exist. That is not evidence of higher demand.

Receipts are gross revenue reported for these businesses — not profit, and not the size of the local market. Census publishes this only at county level, so it is not shown on the ZIP map. See methodology.

Saturation map

Each ZIP area is shaded by its density of this business type per person present (residents + workers) vs. the U.S. average. Click any ZIP to zoom to its boundary, see its numbers, and switch to aerial imagery. Individual mapped shops appear as dots at street level — Show locations zooms you in to them (scroll or double-click to zoom).

Basemap:
Under 50% 50–100% 100–150% 150–250% 250%+ 0–2 (not published) / no data ZIP total (dot size) Mapped shop (OpenStreetMap, street level)

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, tiles by OpenFreeMap.

White dots are ZIP totals from the official Census count — the bigger the dot, the more fast food in that ZIP. They are aggregated, not individual shops. Turquoise dots are individual locations mapped in OpenStreetMap, shown only at street level; they are crowd-sourced and indicative, may be incomplete, and do not equal the official counts. Only the official ZIP totals feed the saturation index.

Market trend — up 11% since 2015

Number of fast food in Brevard County across 2015–2023, on a consistent set of ZIP codes present in every year — so changes are real, not ZIP-boundary artifacts. 2015/2018 are pre-pandemic baselines; 2020/2021 are COVID-distorted.

366
2015
375
2018
375
2020
399
2021
421
2022
408
2023

Highest measured density

ZIP
vs. U.S. average
Index
32931 Cocoa Beach
217%
32937 Satellite Beach
135%
32952 Merritt Island
133%
32922 Cocoa
132%
32904 Melbourne
115%
32935 Melbourne
107%
32940 Melbourne
107%
32796 Titusville
99%
32780 Titusville
97%
32905 Palm Bay
96%
32955 Rockledge
84%
32903 Indialantic
78%
32953 Merritt Island
78%
32927 Cocoa
74%
32920 Cape Canaveral
73%

Lowest measured density

ZIP
vs. U.S. average
Index
32909 Palm Bay
24%
32934 Melbourne
33%
32976 Sebastian
48%
32951 Melbourne Beach
51%
32907 Palm Bay
52%
32926 Cocoa
56%
32901 Melbourne
73%
32920 Cape Canaveral
73%
32927 Cocoa
74%
32953 Merritt Island
78%
32903 Indialantic
78%
32955 Rockledge
84%
32905 Palm Bay
96%
32780 Titusville
97%
32796 Titusville
99%
Low measured density is not evidence of opportunity. A ZIP with few fast food may simply lack foot traffic, retail space, or demand. We rank only residential and mixed ZIPs here; employment hubs and visitor destinations are listed separately below. ZIPs where Census did not publish a count (0–2 businesses) are not ranked: they may be the least served of all, but the data cannot tell 0 from 1 or 2. Verify those locally.

All ZIP codes

Click a column header to sort. Index = fast food per 10,000 people present (residents + 0.5×workers) ÷ the U.S. average. 100% = exactly average.

ZIPNeighborhood ResidentsWorkersFast food Per 10kIndexStatus
32931Cocoa Beach 14,1746,225 25 14.5 217% High density
32937Satellite Beach 27,8366,361 28 9.0 135% Above average
32952Merritt Island 21,6136,282 22 8.9 133% Above average
32922Cocoa 14,7004,558 15 8.8 132% Above average
32904Melbourne 37,24122,135 37 7.7 115% Above average
32935Melbourne 41,96514,193 35 7.1 107% Above average
32940Melbourne 51,72717,451 43 7.1 107% Above average
32796Titusville 20,2225,077 15 6.6 99% Below average
32780Titusville 40,0649,602 29 6.5 97% Below average
32905Palm Bay 24,7929,869 19 6.4 96% Below average
32955Rockledge 41,00814,066 27 5.6 84% Below average
32903Indialantic 13,8362,927 8 5.2 78% Below average
32953Merritt Island 24,7598,213 15 5.2 78% Below average
32927Cocoa 29,2192,252 15 4.9 74% Below average
32920Cape Canaveral 10,0058,572 7 4.9 73% Below average
32901Melbourne 28,92328,047 21 4.9 73% Below average
32926Cocoa 23,5056,862 10 3.7 56% Below average
32907Palm Bay 49,0806,010 18 3.5 52% Below average
32951Melbourne Beach 11,2991,105 4 3.4 51% Below average
32976Sebastian 9,156450 3 3.2 48% Far below average
32934Melbourne 18,5648,632 5 2.2 33% Far below average
32909Palm Bay 41,8042,720 7 1.6 24% Far below average
32754Mims 12,011946 0–2 — — Not published
32781Titusville —55 0–2 — — Not published
32815Orlando —1,357 0–2 — — Not published
32899Orlando 02,694 0–2 — — Not published
32902Melbourne —89 0–2 — — Not published
32906Palm Bay —19 0–2 — — Not published
32908Palm Bay 16,535383 0–2 — — Not published
32910Palm Bay —23 0–2 — — Not published
32911Palm Bay —28 0–2 — — Not published
32912Melbourne —5 0–2 — — Not published
32919Melbourne —4,680 0–2 — — Not published
32923Cocoa —117 0–2 — — Not published
32924Cocoa —11 0–2 — — Not published
32925Patrick Afb 1,6441,133 0–2 — — Not published
32932Cocoa Beach —38 0–2 — — Not published
32936Melbourne —170 0–2 — — Not published
32941Melbourne —31 0–2 — — Not published
32949Grant 3,636221 0–2 — — Not published
32950Malabar 4,1321,373 0–2 — — Not published
32954Merritt Island —33 0–2 — — Not published
32956Rockledge —752 0–2 — — Not published
32959Sharpes 134 0–2 — — Not published

Scroll the table sideways to see all columns.

Find an actual space in Melbourne

The numbers above tell you how the market looks. To find a specific storefront, these marketplaces list available retail space for lease.

LoopNet
Largest commercial marketplace
Browse Melbourne retail space →
Crexi
Free listings + market data
Browse Melbourne retail space →
CityFeet
Retail space for lease
Browse Melbourne retail space →

Open vacancy data (actual empty units) is only published by some cities; where it exists we show it directly. Listings above are third-party.

Census withholds some ZIP-by-industry cells to protect small businesses. 0–2 means the cell was not published (Census publishes industry counts only at 3+ per ZIP), so the ZIP is left unranked rather than counted as zero. ~ means the count is estimated from the broader industry group and can be off by a business or two.

Follow Brevard County and fast food

When a data vintage changes or a section of this report is revised, we post it to a public update feed. No email address, no account, no tracking — and nothing is sent unless something actually changed.

Subscribe to updates (RSS) How these numbers are built →

Methodology & sources

Establishments. U.S. Census ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP 2023), NAICS 722513 — limited-service restaurants. Counts establishments with paid employees. ZBP is published annually with a ~2-year lag.

Fresh county signal. BLS QCEW (quarterly) is newer than ZBP — 2026 Q1 shows 468 establishments county-wide for this industry. It cannot be broken down by ZIP.

Population. U.S. Census American Community Survey 2024 5-year ZCTA population (table B01003). Workers are the ZIP's total employment from the same 2023 ZBP file.

Demand ("people present"). Demand comes from residents and daytime workers: residents + 0.5 × workers. This is the single documented assumption in the model and can be tuned.

Index. index = (ZIP establishments ÷ ZIP demand × 10,000) ÷ the U.S. average for this industry (6.67 per 10,000 present). It is a supply-side density measure; it does not capture income, rent, tourism, or whether locals actually want more.

Read the full methodology →  ·  Data sources & vintages →

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.