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Hillsborough, NH — 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. 37 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 0.93× 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. 18 ZIP cells in this county are withheld, 15 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

Range spans the U.S. rate   Hillsborough fast food — 84–93% of the U.S. rate

292 fast food are counted in Hillsborough — 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 7% between 2015 and 2023 (272 → 292). 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 03060 (Nashua), 03063 (Nashua), 03458 (Peterborough) — well above the national rate. On measured density alone, the lowest-density residential ZIPs with a published count are 03062 (Nashua), 03110 (Bedford), 03064 (Nashua).

BLS QCEW puts the latest county-wide count (2026 Q1) at 312 establishments, the freshest available signal.

Measured density: Hillsborough sits at 84% of the U.S. rate for fast food. 15 ZIPs with population have no published count (each 0–2 businesses), so the true per-capita rate is between 84% and 93% of the U.S. rate. Why. The highest measured density is in 03060 and 03063; the lowest measured density is in 03062 and 03110.

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
292–328
published count; upper bound counts each withheld ZIP cell as 2 (18 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)
312
2026 Q1 — county total
Residents
426,425
34 ZIPs with data
Workers
184,159
jobs located in county

Is the area growing?

Population
430,462
Census PEP, July 1 2024
Change since 2020
+1.8%
+7,533 people
Net migration 2024
+2,501
international +2,566, domestic −65
Jobs located here
218,283
LODES 2022, +2.3% since 2019

Hillsborough had an estimated 430,462 residents on July 1, 2024 — 1.8% more than in 2020 (+7,533). In the latest year it gained 2,743 people: births minus deaths +235, international migration +2,566, domestic migration −65. Components are published separately and may not sum exactly.

218,283 jobs were located in the county in 2022 (+2.3% since 2019), and 225,898 employed residents lived there (−0.2% 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
03086 Wilton
+11.6%
03070 New Boston
+8.7%
03049 Hollis
+8.7%
ZIP losing residents
2015–19 → 2020–24
Change

No ZIP had a statistically significant decrease.

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
53
no paid employees (2024)
Receipts
$4.7M
published gross receipts
Receipts per business
$88K
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 7% since 2015

Number of fast food in Hillsborough 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.

272
2015
295
2018
272
2020
280
2021
291
2022
292
2023

Highest measured density

ZIP
vs. U.S. average
Index
03060 Nashua
160%
03063 Nashua
157%
03458 Peterborough
137%
03103 Manchester
133%
03055 Milford
131%
03051 Hudson
110%
03109 Manchester
108%
03102 Manchester
89%
03031 Amherst
85%
03076 Pelham
76%
03054 Merrimack
75%
03104 Manchester
69%
03244 Hillsborough
66%
03045 Goffstown
49%
03049 Hollis
48%

Lowest measured density

ZIP
vs. U.S. average
Index
03062 Nashua
31%
03110 Bedford
32%
03064 Nashua
37%
03049 Hollis
48%
03045 Goffstown
49%
03244 Hillsborough
66%
03104 Manchester
69%
03054 Merrimack
75%
03076 Pelham
76%
03031 Amherst
85%
03102 Manchester
89%
03109 Manchester
108%
03051 Hudson
110%
03055 Milford
131%
03103 Manchester
133%
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.

Employment hubs & destinations

These ZIPs have far more workers (or visitors) than residents, so their counts are driven by daytime and visitor demand — not a place to read "shortage" from resident numbers alone.

ZIPNeighborhoodType ResidentsWorkersFast foodIndex
03101Manchester Employment hub 3,20115,378 17 234%

Scroll the table sideways to see all columns.

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
03101Manchester 3,20115,378 17 15.6 234% High density
03060Nashua 31,65720,941 45 10.7 160% High density
03063Nashua 15,80512,230 23 10.5 157% High density
03458Peterborough 6,8723,767 8 9.1 137% Above average
03103Manchester 37,77523,480 44 8.9 133% Above average
03055Milford 16,3376,338 17 8.7 131% Above average
03051Hudson 25,55711,545 23 7.3 110% Above average
03109Manchester 9,9295,156 9 7.2 108% Above average
03102Manchester 33,9599,250 23 6.0 89% Below average
03031Amherst 11,8494,379 8 5.7 85% Below average
03076Pelham 14,4492,734 8 5.1 76% Below average
03054Merrimack 28,17619,249 19 5.0 75% Below average
03104Manchester 35,2378,109 18 4.6 69% Below average
03244Hillsborough 8,1561,734 4 4.4 66% Below average
03045Goffstown 14,0802,361 5 3.3 49% Far below average
03049Hollis 8,6031,497 3 3.2 48% Far below average
03064Nashua 14,3913,593 4 2.5 37% Far below average
03110Bedford 23,74617,271 7 2.2 32% Far below average
03062Nashua 29,4418,468 7 2.1 31% Far below average
03033Brookline 5,736464 0–2 — — Not published
03043Francestown 1,398144 0–2 — — Not published
03047Greenfield 1,730268 0–2 — — Not published
03048Greenville 3,237459 0–2 — — Not published
03052Litchfield 8,499557 0–2 — — Not published
03057Mont Vernon 2,70972 0–2 — — Not published
03061Nashua —2,195 0–2 — — Not published
03070New Boston 6,177564 0–2 — — Not published
03071New Ipswich 5,310819 0–2 — — Not published
03082Lyndeborough 1,53163 0–2 — — Not published
03084Temple 1,363158 0–2 — — Not published
03086Wilton 4,258997 0–2 — — Not published
03105Manchester —321 0–2 — — Not published
03108Manchester —609 0–2 — — Not published
03281Weare 9,1701,098 0–2 — — Not published
03440Antrim 2,661363 0–2 — — Not published
03442Bennington 1,588541 0–2 — — Not published
03449Hancock 1,838112 0–2 — — Not published

Scroll the table sideways to see all columns.

Find an actual space in Manchester

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 Manchester retail space →
Crexi
Free listings + market data
Browse Manchester retail space →
CityFeet
Retail space for lease
Browse Manchester 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 Hillsborough 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 312 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.