Food and drink · Metro area · Alabama
Coffee shops and cafes in the Birmingham, AL metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for coffee shops and cafes in the Birmingham, AL metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 68 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #55 of 387 scored metro areas
#3 of 12 scored metro areas based in Alabama
- Listings
- 345
- 116 chain locations (34%)
- Official establishments
- 191
- All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +46.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.7B
- On food away from home · $3,753 a household
- Spending per listing
- $5.1M
- 37% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.4
- 33% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,197,766
- +1.4% since 2020
See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in the Birmingham metro area
The site report maps the coffee shops and cafes on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of the Birmingham metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
As of September 2026, map listings count 345 coffee shops and cafes in the Birmingham metro area. 116 of them (34%) are chain locations, against 39% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 7.4, 33% below the U.S. rate of 11.0.
At $3,753 per household (8% below the U.S. average), households in the Birmingham metro area spend about $1.7B a year on food away from home. That is about $5.1M of household spending for each cafe on map listings, 37% above the U.S. figure of $3.7M. That spending covers all food away from home, which coffee shops and cafes share with other businesses in the trade.
In 2023, official counts showed 191 businesses with payroll in the Birmingham metro area classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars, up 46.9% from 2019. That is one for every 2,435 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S. The official count takes in all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars, not only coffee shops and cafes: bakeries and dessert shops are counted too. Official counts list 79 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 13 SBA-backed loans worth $3.6M have gone to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in the Birmingham metro area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Birmingham metro area grew 1.4%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Birmingham metro area scores 68 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for coffee shops and cafes, ranking #55 of 387 scored metro areas and #3 of 12 scored metro areas based in Alabama. That puts it in the top quarter of metro areas.
How the Birmingham metro area compares
The same measures for Alabama and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all food away from home by the coffee shops and cafes counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.
| Measure | Birmingham metro area | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.4 | 7.7 | 11.0 |
| Spending per listing | $5.1M | $4.6M | $3.7M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars) | 2,435 | 2,548 | 1,518 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +46.9% | +61.3% | +24.3% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.4% | +3.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,753 | $3,519 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $71,498 | $63,999 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 68 | 67 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 191All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +46.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,441
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $47.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 79All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 345116 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 471The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 13
- Amount
- $3.6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in the Birmingham metro area, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3. These official figures cover all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars, not only coffee shops and cafes.
Population and households in the Birmingham metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,197,766+1.4% since 2020
- Households
- 465,003
- Median age
- 40.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 5,280 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 224
- Median household income
- $71,498
- Average household income
- $100,521
- Median home value
- $240,200
- Jobs located here
- 555,318
- Daytime population
- 1,227,371Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Birmingham metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the coffee shops and cafes on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of the Birmingham metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardCoffee shops and cafes across Alabama
Every Alabama market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Alabama for coffee shops and cafes, numbered among those based in Alabama (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Birmingham metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Alabama
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Huntsville, AL | 71 | 211 | 10.2 | $4M | +12.5% | #40 of 387 |
| 2Tuscaloosa, AL | 69 | 68 | 6.4 | $5.4M | +2.9% | #45 of 387 |
| 3Birmingham, AL | 68 | 345 | 7.4 | $5.1M | +1.4% | #55 of 387 |
| 4Decatur, AL | 67 | 48 | 7.7 | $4.7M | +2.5% | #61 of 387 |
| 5Montgomery, AL | 66 | 92 | 6.1 | $5.7M | +0.9% | #66 of 387 |
| 6Anniston-Oxford, AL | 57 | 27 | 6.0 | $5.3M | −0.3% | #129 of 387 |
| Columbus, GA-AL | 57 | 84 | 6.6 | $5.1M | −1.3% | #130 of 387 |
| 7Mobile, AL | 57 | 112 | 6.9 | $4.9M | −0.7% | #132 of 387 |
| 8Auburn-Opelika, AL | 56 | 64 | 8.3 | $4.2M | +7.1% | #140 of 387 |
| 9Gadsden, AL | 54 | 28 | 7.1 | $4.4M | +0.4% | #160 of 387 |
Other business types in the Birmingham metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes51
- Sit-down restaurants52
- Fast food and sandwich shops32
- Pizza46
- Coffee shops and cafes68
- Bakeries and dessert shops62
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many coffee shops and cafes are in the Birmingham, AL metro area?
The Birmingham metro area has 345 coffee shops and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 116 of them (34%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 191 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in 2023, up 46.9% from 2019. That count covers all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars (bakeries and dessert shops included), not only coffee shops and cafes. Official counts also show 79 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Birmingham, AL metro area spend on food away from home?
About $1.7B a year, or $3,753 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 345 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $5.1M per cafe. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only coffee shops and cafes. It is estimated from the incomes of the 465,003 households in the Birmingham metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Birmingham, AL metro area compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?
The Birmingham metro area has 7.4 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 33% below the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $5.1M, 37% above the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the national ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, the Birmingham metro area would have about 471, against 345 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,435 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S. The official count rose 46.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.3% for the U.S.
How fast is the Birmingham, AL metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Birmingham metro area at 1,197,766 people in 2025, up 1.4% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 465,003 households. The median household income in the Birmingham metro area is $71,498 a year, 11% below the U.S. median of $80,734.
What is the Groundwork market score?
The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. The Birmingham metro area scores 68 for coffee shops and cafes (upper middle), #55 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Birmingham metro area. It maps the coffee shops and cafes on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.
How the score works · Top markets for coffee shops and cafes · All 56 business types in the Birmingham metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Birmingham metro area?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
The button opens the report at the center of the Birmingham metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.