Misc

Ranked: Biggest Fast Food Chains in America

Published

4 years ago

December 7, 2019

Nick Routley

Ranked: The Biggest Fast Food Chains in America

Fast food is a supersized business in America.

The average American spends as much as $1,200 every year on fast food — and roughly a quarter of the U.S. population eats three or more fast food meals per week.

Today’s unique infographic, via TitleMax, shows just how dominant the quick serve food industry is, and which brands are leading the pack in terms of revenue and store locations.

Billions Served

All of the biggest fast food chains now top $1 billion in sales annually. McDonald’s leads the pack with almost triple the sales of the number two chain, Starbucks.

Below are the top 30 fast food chains in the United States by revenue:

Rank	Chain	Sales (U.S., 2017)	# of Locations (U.S.)
1	McDonald's	$37.5B	14,036
2	Starbucks	$13.2B	13,930
3	Subway	$10.8B	25,908
4	Burger King	$9.8B	7,226
5	Taco Bell	$9.3B	6,446
6	Wendy's	$9.3B	5,769
7	Dunkin' Donuts	$5.9B	12,538
8	Chick-fil-A	$9.0B	2,225
9	Domino's	$5.9B	5,587
10	Pizza Hut	$5.5B	7,522
11	Panera Bread	$4.5B	2,043
12	Chipotle	$4.5B	2,371
13	KFC	$4.4B	4,019
14	Sonic Drive-In	$4.4B	3,593
15	Dairy Queen	$3.6B	4,455
16	Arby's	$3.6B	3,415
17	Little Caesars	$3.5B	4,332
18	Jack in the Box	$3.5B	2,251
19	Popeye's	$3.2B	2,231
20	Papa John's	$3.1B	3,314
21	Panda Express	$2.3B	2,011
22	Whataburger	$2.3B	821
23	Hardee's	$2.2B	1,864
24	Jimmy John's	$2.1B	2,755
25	Zaxby's	$2.1B	890
26	Carl's Jr.	$1.5B	1,156
27	Five Guys	$1.4B	1,321
28	Culver's	$1.4B	643
29	Bojangles'	$1.3B	764
30	Wingstop	$1.1B	1,027

In 2017, the top 30 fast food chains rang up $172 billion in sales at over 140,000 locations across the United States. When smaller chains are also included, annual industry revenue tops a whopping $200 billion.

Location, Location

Fast food can be a profitable business, but certain chains are runaway successes when sales-per-unit are considered. Chick-fil-A’s sales average out to $4.3 million per location — 53% higher than McDonald’s, which brings in $2.8 million of sales per location.

Subway, which is known for having a low franchise fee and no exclusive territory rights, has the lowest sales-per-unit in the top 30 ($419,792).

That said, no one can compare to Subway in terms of sheer volume. The chain has over 25,000 locations, making it not only the biggest fast food chain in the country, but the most common retailer overall (even beating out dollar stores). It’s possible that America has seen peak Subway though — the number of locations has been steadily dropping since 2011.

On the opposite end of the spectrum is Starbucks. The Seattle-based coffee chain has been relentlessly expanding over the past decade.

Regional Preferences

Of course, not all fast food chains have the ubiquity of Subway and McDonald’s. Many of these brands have achieved impressive sales numbers in specific regions. Whether you’re loyal to Dunkin’ Donuts, Chick-fil-A, or In-N-Out may depend heavily on where you live.

dunkin donuts vs starbucks

Source

Will America’s next big fast food powerhouse come from an already-strong regional chain, or will it be the result of a new phenomenon, completely?

Related Topics:revenue fast food starbucks mcdonalds fast food chains restaurants

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Misc

How Hard Is It to Get Into an Ivy League School?

We detail the admission rates and average annual cost for Ivy League schools, as well as the median SAT scores required to be accepted.

Published

2 days ago

April 17, 2024

Marcus Lu

Graphic showing the admission rates and average annual tuition for Ivy League schools, as well as the median SAT scores required to be accepted.

How Hard Is It to Get Into an Ivy League School?

This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

Ivy League institutions are renowned worldwide for their academic excellence and long-standing traditions. But how hard is it to get into one of the top universities in the U.S.?

In this graphic, we detail the admission rates and average annual cost for Ivy League schools, as well as the median SAT scores required to be accepted. The data comes from the National Center for Education Statistics and was compiled by 24/7 Wall St.

Note that “average annual cost” represents the net price a student pays after subtracting the average value of grants and/or scholarships received.

Harvard is the Most Selective

The SAT is a standardized test commonly used for college admissions in the United States. It’s taken by high school juniors and seniors to assess their readiness for college-level academic work.

When comparing SAT scores, Harvard and Dartmouth are among the most challenging universities to gain admission to. The median SAT scores for their students are 760 for reading and writing and 790 for math. Still, Harvard has half the admission rate (3.2%) compared to Dartmouth (6.4%).

School	Admission rate (%)	SAT Score: Reading & Writing	SAT Score: Math	Avg Annual Cost*
Harvard University	3.2	760	790	$13,259
Columbia University	3.9	750	780	$12,836
Yale University	4.6	760	780	$16,341
Brown University	5.1	760	780	$26,308
Princeton University	5.7	760	780	$11,080
Dartmouth College	6.4	760	790	$33,023
University of Pennsylvania	6.5	750	790	$14,851
Cornell University	7.5	750	780	$29,011

*Costs after receiving federal financial aid.

Additionally, Dartmouth has the highest average annual cost at $33,000. Princeton has the lowest at $11,100.

While student debt has surged in the United States in recent years, hitting $1.73 trillion in 2023, the worth of obtaining a degree from any of the schools listed surpasses mere academics. This is evidenced by the substantial incomes earned by former students.

Harvard grads, for example, have the highest average starting salary in the country, at $91,700.