8 States With the Fewest Fast-Food Restuarants, According to a 2026 Study

Fast-food restaurants are everywhere in America, but some states appear to have far fewer major-chain locations relative to their populations than others. A widely reported comparison examined locations from 22 selected restaurant chains and calculated how many existed per 100,000 residents in each state.

The brands included familiar names such as McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, Chick-fil-A, Taco Bell, Subway, Starbucks, Domino’s, Dunkin’, and several others. One important distinction matters before getting into the list: these numbers do not represent every fast-food restaurant in each state. They measure only the selected chains included in the analysis, adjusted for population.

Based on the lowest rates reported in secondary coverage, these eight states landed at the bottom of the comparison.

Vermont

Vermont had the lowest reported rate, with 27.65 selected-chain locations for every 100,000 residents. That does not mean Vermont necessarily has the fewest restaurants of every kind. Instead, it means the 22 chains counted in the comparison had the smallest presence relative to the state’s population among the reported bottom group.

Vermont’s restaurant landscape has also generated plenty of local discussion over the years. Vermont Public has reported on past disputes involving McDonald’s development in Manchester, including concerns over permitting, traffic, and building design.

Those local debates provide useful context, but they do not explain why Vermont ended up with the lowest reported rate.

Related: 6 Iconic Fast Food Chains You’ve Probably Never Heard Of

New York

New York came next at 29.47 locations per 100,000 residents. At first glance, that might seem surprising. New York is home to one of the country’s largest populations and an enormous restaurant scene.

But that is exactly why the per-capita measurement matters. A state can have many restaurant locations overall and still rank low when you divide those locations by a very large population.

The reported figure should therefore not be read as evidence that New York has few fast-food restaurants in absolute terms.

Idaho

Idaho followed closely behind New York, with a reported rate of 29.78 selected-chain locations per 100,000 residents. Like several other states on this list, Idaho’s figure also appeared in published coverage before 2026.

That is important because it means the number should not automatically be described as a newly collected 2026 restaurant figure.

The available reports do not establish the exact year of the restaurant-location data or population figures used to calculate the rate.

California

California ranked near the bottom with 30.05 selected-chain locations per 100,000 residents. This is the clearest example of why per-capita rankings can be misunderstood.

California is the most populous state in the country, so even a large number of restaurants can produce a relatively modest per-person rate.

The figure does not tell us California has a small fast-food industry. It simply shows that the selected chains counted in the comparison were relatively fewer compared with the state’s population.

Alaska

Alaska recorded a reported rate of 30.82 locations per 100,000 residents. It can be tempting to assume geography explains Alaska’s position, but the reported comparison does not establish that.

The analysis measures restaurants relative to population. It does not account for distances between locations, travel times, regional concentration, or how accessible restaurants are to individual residents.

In other words, Alaska’s rate tells us how many selected locations existed relative to population, but it does not tell us how easy or difficult it is to reach one.

New Jersey

New Jersey had a reported rate of 31.45 selected-chain locations per 100,000 residents. As with the other states in the comparison, the figure represents population-adjusted availability rather than a raw restaurant count.

The primary material reviewed did not include the original restaurant totals or the population denominator used to calculate the figure.

That makes it important to stick to the reported rate rather than estimating how many individual locations the state had.

Utah

Utah appeared near the bottom with 32.77 selected-chain locations per 100,000 residents. Utah is also a useful example of how the restaurant list itself can shape a ranking.

Deseret News reported that regional chains including Cafe Rio, Costa Vida, Kneaders and Café Zupas were excluded from the comparison because they did not meet the national-footprint criteria used for the selected brand list.

That means the ranking does not capture every quick-service option available to Utah residents. A different analysis that included more regional chains could produce a different result.

Washington

Washington rounded out the reported bottom eight with 33.09 selected-chain locations per 100,000 residents. Again, interpret the number narrowly.

It does not tell us how many total fast-food restaurants exist across Washington, whether residents visit fast-food restaurants frequently, or how restaurant locations are distributed across cities and rural communities.

It simply places Washington among the states with the lowest reported rates for the particular 22-chain group used in the comparison.

The Bigger Picture Behind the Numbers

The biggest takeaway from this list is that “fewest fast-food restaurants” can mean very different things depending on the methodology. This comparison looks at selected chain locations per 100,000 residents.

Another ranking could look at total restaurant locations. Another might compare restaurants per square mile. An official government analysis could use a broad limited-service restaurant industry category instead of a list of recognizable chains.

Those approaches could produce very different rankings. These figures also raise an important sourcing issue. Several of the same numbers appeared in a March 2025 article attributed to PriceListo, while later 2026 coverage attributed the analysis to Seating Masters.

The available source material does not establish why the attribution changed or identify a complete original dataset. For that reason, these figures are best understood as reported population-adjusted rates for selected chains, rather than definitive counts of every fast-food restaurant in each state.

Still, they offer an interesting snapshot of just how different America’s fast-food landscape can look once population enters the equation.

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