KFC on health inspections, place by place
See what routine health inspections recorded at KFC restaurants in each place we cover, next to the local rate for that same place. Every figure comes from that government’s own records.
Records through September 19, 2026.
In plain terms
KFC has enough routine inspections to chart in three of the six places we cover. Its restaurants came in clearly under the local rate in two and too close to the local rate to call in one.
Each place counts a different thing, so read each row against its own tall line and never against another row. Part of any gap is the menu: a chain that handles less raw food gives an inspector less to find.
Place by place
In each row the tall line is the local rate for that place. The bar is the range the chain’s real rate probably falls in, and the short tick is the rate we measured. Every row has its own scale, printed at its ends, because every place counts a different event.
- Clearly under the local rate
- Too close to call
- Clearly over
Too few inspections to chart (under 100): New York City (81), Austin (35), Seattle and King County (69).
Compare KFC with another chain, place by place.
What stands out
Under the local rate in Florida and New York State, too close to call in Chicago. Chicago: 34 of 119 (28.6%, likely range 21.2% to 37.3%), against 24.4% for all restaurants. The measured rate is over the city’s, the sample is small and the range is wide, so the records do not support calling it either way.
The two state figures are the solid ones. Florida: 473 of 1,411 (33.5%, likely range 31.1% to 36.0%), against 58.2% for all restaurants. New York State: 41 of 340 (12.1%, likely range 9.0% to 16.0%), against 25.1% for all food service establishments.
Shared kitchens are left out. A location recorded under two chain names, such as a combined KFC and Taco Bell, is one kitchen, and we count it for neither chain. That removes some KFC inspections from these counts. The chain names page lists the names set aside that way.
Closest to being charted. New York City has 81 counted inspections against the 100 we require.
Part of the gap is the kind of kitchen. New York State’s health department sorts kitchens by how much preparation they do. It names “table-service restaurants, diners and school kitchens which prepare foods” as typical high risk. Every local rate on this page includes table-service restaurants, so part of any gap between a chain and the local rate is the kind of kitchen, before anyone’s management comes into it.
Analysis written September 2026. The figures in it are read from the current records, so they move when the records do.
How these figures are made
- Sources. Florida: Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation; New York State: New York State Department of Health; Chicago: Chicago Department of Public Health. Each place’s page says exactly which inspections are counted and why.
- The figure. In each place, the number of the chain’s counted routine inspections that recorded that place’s finding, divided by all of them. The local rate is the same sum over everything in that place’s file.
- The range. A 95% Wilson score interval. Fewer inspections means a wider range. A chain needs 100 counted inspections in a place to be charted there.
- Matching names. Restaurant names are matched to KFC with a published table of name patterns, which also lists every spelling it matched. A location recorded under two chain names is counted for neither. If a match is wrong, write to hello@fastfoodfact.com.
- No combined figure. Nothing on this page adds, averages or orders rates from two places. The only number that spans places is a count of where the chain sits against each local rate.
The full method is on the methodology page.
New York State data: The analyses, interpretations and conclusions drawn from New York State data on this site were reached by FastFoodFact and not by the New York State Department of Health. The department states that this data was not collected for use as a restaurant grading system and does not support or endorse such a use; the figures here describe groups of inspections and are not a grade of any restaurant.
Chicago data: This site provides applications using data that has been modified for use from its original source, www.cityofchicago.org, the official website of the City of Chicago. The City of Chicago makes no claims as to the content, accuracy, timeliness, or completeness of any of the data provided at this site. The data provided at this site is subject to change at any time. It is understood that the data provided at this site is being used at one’s own risk.
What this does not show
- Management quality on its own. Chains differ in what they handle. A coffee counter deals with far less raw food than a kitchen that fries chicken, so part of any gap between a chain and the local rate is the menu, and the local rate includes full-service kitchens that do far more cooking than any chain here.
- The brand as a whole. These are KFC locations in three places over a few years. The records say nothing about its locations anywhere else.
- Anything about one restaurant. A figure sums up many inspections at many locations. It is not a warning about, or a recommendation of, the one near you.
- Which place is stricter or cleaner. Each place counts a different event under different rules, so the rows cannot be set against each other.
Informational only. These are public records, summarized; they are not a safety rating of any restaurant and not professional advice. Last reviewed: September 2026.
Frequently asked questions
How does KFC do on health inspections?
It depends on the place, and each place counts something different. KFC has enough routine inspections to chart in three of the six places this site covers (Florida, New York State and Chicago). Its restaurants came in clearly under the local rate in two and too close to the local rate to call in one. The figures describe those locations over those years, not the brand everywhere and not any one restaurant.
Can the KFC figures be compared between places?
No. Florida counts inspections that recorded at least one high-priority violation, New York State counts inspections that recorded at least one critical (red) violation and Chicago counts inspections that ended in a Fail. Those are different events under different rules, so a lower number in one place does not mean cleaner restaurants there. The only fair reading is each figure against its own place's local rate.
Where do these figures come from?
From inspection records published by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, the New York State Department of Health and the Chicago Department of Public Health. We count routine inspections only, match restaurant names to chains with a published table of name patterns, and need 100 inspections in a place before charting a chain there.
Does this say anything about the KFC near me?
No. A figure here sums up many inspections at many locations. For one restaurant's record, look it up with the health department that inspects it; each place page on this site links to its source.
Related tools
How often state inspectors recorded a high-priority violation at each chain's Florida restaurants, against the rate for all restaurants in the state.
Open tool →Fast-food chains in New York StateHow often inspectors recorded a critical violation at each chain's restaurants in New York State outside New York City, Suffolk and Erie, against the rate for all food service establishments there.
Open tool →Fast-food chains in ChicagoHow often routine city inspections ended in a Fail at each chain's Chicago restaurants, against the rate for all restaurants in the city.
Open tool →