BizGapMap

Home / Limited-service restaurants (fast food) / Washington / Spokane County, WA

Spokane County, WA — 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. 48 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 — 0.81× the U.S. rate (between 0.81× and 0.89× 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. 26 ZIP cells in this county are withheld, 17 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   Spokane County fast food — 81–89% of the U.S. rate

361 fast food are counted in Spokane County — 5.4 per 10,000 people present (residents + daytime workers), 81% 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 9% between 2015 and 2023 (320 → 350). 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 99001 (Airway Heights), 99218 (Spokane), 99202 (Spokane) — well above the national rate. On measured density alone, the lowest-density residential ZIPs with a published count are 99217 (Spokane), 99203 (Spokane), 99208 (Spokane).

BLS QCEW puts the latest county-wide count (2026 Q1) at 342 establishments, the freshest available signal.

Measured density: Spokane County sits at 81% of the U.S. rate for fast food. 17 ZIPs with population have no published count (each 0–2 businesses), so the true per-capita rate is between 81% and 89% of the U.S. rate. Why. The highest measured density is in 99001 and 99218; the lowest measured density is in 99217 and 99203.

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
361–413
published count; upper bound counts each withheld ZIP cell as 2 (26 cells) (2023)
Per 10,000 present
5.4
residents + daytime workers
U.S. average
6.7
per 10,000 present
County index
0.81×
vs. U.S.
Latest quarter (QCEW)
342
2026 Q1 — county total
Residents
558,369
39 ZIPs with data
Workers
211,785
jobs located in county

Is the area growing?

Population
555,947
Census PEP, July 1 2024
Change since 2020
+2.7%
+14,749 people
Net migration 2024
+2,649
international +1,631, domestic +1,018
Jobs located here
241,189
LODES 2022, +4.9% since 2019

Spokane County had an estimated 555,947 residents on July 1, 2024 — 2.7% more than in 2020 (+14,749). In the latest year it gained 3,189 people: births minus deaths +529, international migration +1,631, domestic migration +1,018. Components are published separately and may not sum exactly.

241,189 jobs were located in the county in 2022 (+4.9% since 2019), and 229,949 employed residents lived there (+4.5% 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
99016 Greenacres
+36.8%
99001 Airway Heights
+33.7%
99006 Deer Park
+26.2%
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
39
no paid employees (2024)
Receipts
$1.9M
published gross receipts
Receipts per business
$48K
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 9% since 2015

Number of fast food in Spokane 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.

320
2015
355
2018
344
2020
356
2021
350
2022
350
2023

Highest measured density

ZIP
vs. U.S. average
Index
99001 Airway Heights
195%
99218 Spokane
193%
99202 Spokane
159%
99037 Veradale
129%
99212 Spokane
117%
99207 Spokane
116%
99205 Spokane
103%
99027 Otis Orchards
94%
99021 Mead
93%
99019 Liberty Lake
92%
99223 Spokane
85%
99206 Spokane
84%
99216 Spokane
77%
99006 Deer Park
69%
99022 Medical Lake
64%

Lowest measured density

ZIP
vs. U.S. average
Index
99217 Spokane
19%
99203 Spokane
39%
99208 Spokane
49%
99204 Spokane
51%
99224 Spokane
61%
99004 Cheney
62%
99022 Medical Lake
64%
99006 Deer Park
69%
99216 Spokane
77%
99206 Spokane
84%
99223 Spokane
85%
99019 Liberty Lake
92%
99021 Mead
93%
99027 Otis Orchards
94%
99205 Spokane
103%
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
99201Spokane Employment hub 15,82935,651 29 129%
99014Four Lakes Employment hub 17109 0–2 —
99258Spokane Employment hub 4713,325 0–2 —

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
99001Airway Heights 9,4402,640 14 13.0 195% High density
99218Spokane 16,8979,769 28 12.9 193% High density
99202Spokane 19,92120,438 32 10.6 159% High density
99201Spokane 15,82935,651 29 8.6 129% Above average
99037Veradale 16,5224,124 16 8.6 129% Above average
99212Spokane 21,70715,398 23 7.8 117% Above average
99207Spokane 32,7709,602 29 7.7 116% Above average
99205Spokane 43,1697,235 32 6.8 103% Above average
99027Otis Orchards 5,992747 4 6.3 94% Below average
99021Mead 8,9421,356 6 6.2 93% Below average
99019Liberty Lake 12,4477,778 10 6.1 92% Below average
99223Spokane 36,0945,058 22 5.7 85% Below average
99206Spokane 41,08914,740 27 5.6 84% Below average
99216Spokane 28,57820,485 20 5.2 77% Below average
99006Deer Park 16,1772,197 8 4.6 69% Below average
99022Medical Lake 8,7671,338 4 4.2 64% Below average
99004Cheney 22,8712,632 10 4.1 62% Below average
99224Spokane 24,91913,882 13 4.1 61% Below average
99204Spokane 7,6438,002 4 3.4 51% Below average
99208Spokane 58,66910,638 21 3.3 49% Far below average
99203Spokane 21,4682,782 6 2.6 39% Far below average
99217Spokane 21,4414,951 3 1.3 19% Far below average
99003Chattaroy 4,810385 0–2 — — Not published
99005Colbert 10,815748 0–2 — — Not published
99009Elk 4,506264 0–2 — — Not published
99011Fairchild Air Force Base 2,931289 0–2 — — Not published
99012Fairfield 1,167117 0–2 — — Not published
99014Four Lakes 17109 0–2 — — Not published
99016Greenacres 21,6151,930 0–2 — — Not published
99020Marshall 1612 0–2 — — Not published
99023Mica 80068 0–2 — — Not published
99025Newman Lake 5,668517 0–2 — — Not published
99026Nine Mile Falls 9,320678 0–2 — — Not published
99030Rockford 91974 0–2 — — Not published
99031Spangle 1,251184 0–2 — — Not published
99036Valleyford 1,58173 0–2 — — Not published
99039Waverly 16614 0–2 — — Not published
99209Spokane —80 0–2 — — Not published
99210Spokane —131 0–2 — — Not published
99211Spokane —163 0–2 — — Not published
99213Spokane —67 0–2 — — Not published
99214Spokane —24 0–2 — — Not published
99219Spokane —622 0–2 — — Not published
99220Spokane —6,268 0–2 — — Not published
99228Spokane —37 0–2 — — Not published
99251Spokane 9641,555 0–2 — — Not published
99258Spokane 4713,325 0–2 — — Not published
99260Spokane —234 0–2 — — Not published

Scroll the table sideways to see all columns.

Find an actual space in Spokane

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 Spokane retail space →
Crexi
Free listings + market data
Browse Spokane retail space →
CityFeet
Retail space for lease
Browse Spokane 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 Spokane 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 342 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.