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Burger chains remain remarkably popular in the U.S., including some of the country's biggest overall concepts. That continued in 2020 despite the pandemic.
| 2021 Rank | Chain Name | 2020 US Sales ($000,000) | 2020 US Units |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McDonald's | $40,517 | 13,682 |
| 5 | Wendy's | $10,231 | 5,881 |
| 6 | Burger King | $9,657 | 7,081 |
| 11 | Sonic Drive-In | $5,680 | 3,526 |
| 20 | Jack in the Box | $3,673 | 2,241 |
| 26 | Whataburger | $2,698 | 844 |
| 31 | Culver's | $1,986 | 782 |
| 34 | Hardee's | $1,820* | 1,755 |
| 39 | Five Guys | $1,711 | 1,382 |
| 44 | Carl's Jr. | $1,281* | 1,063 |
| 45 | In-N-Out Burger | $1,073* | 361 |
| 53 | Steak 'n Shake | $765* | 518 |
| 61 | Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers | $643 | 388 |
| 67 | White Castle | $583 | 361 |
| 69 | Checkers Drive-In Restaurants | $546* | 570 |
| 71 | Shake Shack | $535 | 205 |
| 77 | The Habit Burger Grill | $465 | 278 |
| 79 | Jack's | $460* | 192 |
| 109 | Rally's Hamburgers | $296 | 310 |
| 110 | Krystal Company | $294* | 300 |
| 135 | A&W All-American Food | $216* | 553 |
| 149 | Smashburger | $187 | 219 |
| 150 | Farmer Boys | $187* | 98 |
| 178 | Wayback Burgers | $146* | 147 |
| 186 | Cook-Out Restaurant | $141* | 295 |
| 199 | BurgerFi | $126 | 112 |
| 226 | Fuddruckers | $109* | 89 |
Source: Technomic's Top 500 Chain Restaurant Report; *Technomic estimate