How Many Subway Restaurants Are There in the US? (2026)

How Many Subway Restaurants Are There in the US? (2026)

There are 16,177 Subway restaurants in the United States as of 2026. Subway operates in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., making it the largest fast food chain in the U.S. by location count — ahead of McDonald's (13,786 locations), Starbucks (~16,000 locations counting all formats), and every other major QSR brand. California has the most Subway locations with 1,650+, followed by Texas (1,400+) and Florida (1,050+).

Although Subway leads in raw store count, McDonald's blows past Subway in revenue: Subway's average per-location revenue is ~$485,000 versus McDonald's ~$4 million, which is why McDonald's is still the #1 US fast food chain by total system revenue.

Subway Locations by State — Top 10

Has the Subway Store Count Been Declining?

Yes. Subway peaked at roughly 27,000 U.S. locations in 2015. By 2026 the count has fallen to 16,177 — a net loss of over 10,800 stores in a decade as the franchise contracted aggressively after the 2014–2018 sales slump and the Roger Mariani / Mahdi Family ownership transition. The remaining stores are larger, better-located, and operating at higher per-store revenue than the late-2010s low.

Subway vs Other Major Fast Food Chains (US Location Count, 2026)

• Subway: 16,177
• McDonald's: 13,786 — see our McDonald's US location breakdown
• Starbucks: ~16,000 (across all formats; see Starbucks US locations)
• Taco Bell: ~7,800
• Burger King: ~7,000
• Wendy's: ~6,000
• Dunkin': ~9,000 — see our Starbucks vs Dunkin location comparison

For the full breakdown of every major US chain by location count, see Fast Food Chains with the Most US Locations.