Are US consumers purchasing more or less fast food nowadays? Who’s purchasing it the most? And how much does this vary by region or income?
We recently ran a survey with a nationally representative sample of 3,000 US consumers to better understand their perspectives on fast food today. While we shared the overall key findings, we also wanted to dive deeper into their present day purchasing habits when it comes to fast food.
Read on to find out what we uncovered.
We found that four in five (80%) of Americans today eat fast food at least once per month, and 43% do so four or more times monthly, signaling strong ongoing demand.
The Midwest leads in broad monthly engagement (82%), while the South and West have the highest share of heavy users (8+ times/month). In contrast, 25% of Northeasterners rarely visit QSRs, making them the most occasional eaters by region.
And the rate is largely growing! Our findings show that 1 in 5 consumers (20%) say they’re eating fast food more often than a year ago, while four in ten (39%) report no change, suggesting consistent demand.
The West stands out the most here, with 23% of Western consumers saying they’ve increased their fast food visits — higher than any other region — while Midwesterners are most likely to say they’re eating it less (37%).
Consumers earning $100K+ are more likely to be heavy users, with 25% eating fast food 8+ times/month.
In contrast, 40% of lower-income consumers say they’re cutting back on fast food — more than any other income group. This suggests economic pressure is reducing QSR frequency for some while higher-income consumers lean in.
In fact, nearly 1 in 3 consumers earning $100K–$149K and 28% earning $150K+ say they’re eating fast food more often than a year ago. And 40% of consumers earning less than $50K say they’re eating it less frequently.
🎼 Ba da ba ba bah…Two-thirds of consumers (65%) say they eat at McDonald’s at least once a month, and a full third (33%) visit weekly or more, making it the clear fan favorite of the nation.
As we mentioned, McDonald’s is the top weekly choice in every region, but we do see variations in who follows by region.
It’s Chick-fil-A that follows strongly in the South and West, and Taco Bell climbs higher in the Northeast and Midwest regions.
While Chick-fil-A ranks second in weekly visits in the South, it drops to fourth or fifth in other regions — reflecting both regional access and brand affinity.
We found that McDonald’s still leads by a wide margin for monthly visits, but Taco Bell ranks #2 in every region except the Northeast, where Burger King takes the second spot.
It’s also worth noting that Chick-fil-A is a top-three regular in three regions, but falls to fifth in the Northeast, suggesting potential for growth where it has less presence.
We found that taste (71%) and price (67%) are the top drivers overall — but among those who eat fast food more than 10 times a month, price jumps to 77%, matching taste in importance.
Convenience, location and speed rise in importance as visit frequency increases, while nutrition and experience matter more to infrequent visitors.
Unsurprisingly, we found that nearly one in three Gen Z and Millennial consumers (ages 18–35) order fast food via delivery apps one to three times a month or more.
In contrast, more than two-thirds (69%) of adults 56–75 never use delivery apps for fast food, highlighting a clear generational divide.
Most Americans eat fast food monthly, especially in the Midwest and South
Fast food habits are largely consistent year over year
High earners eat fast food more often than you might expect
McDonald’s leads the QSR landscape
Fast food favorites shift slightly by region
Monthly regulars follow similar patterns
It’s not just taste that rules for high-frequency eaters (it’s price!)
Younger consumers are powering app-based fast food delivery
Ultimately, while from which brand varies by region, consumers still want their fast food. However, their purchase decision is now not only influenced by taste, but by price as well.
Dive deeper into these purchasing behaviors and more in our report.