Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Alabama

Coffee shops and cafes in Clarke County, AL

The coffee shops and cafes in Clarke County, AL, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 39 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,415 of 2,063 scored counties
#38 of 46 scored counties in Alabama

Listings
6
0 chain locations (0%)
Official establishments
4
All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
Household spending a year
$26.1M
On food away from home · $3,098 a household
Spending per listing
$4.3M
17% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
7.1
35% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
22,014
−4.2% since 2020

See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in Clarke County

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 Clarke County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

At $3,098 per household (24% below the U.S. average), households in Clarke County spend about $26.1M a year on food away from home. That works out to $4.3M per cafe, 17% above the U.S. figure of $3.7M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only coffee shops and cafes.

There are 6 coffee shops and cafes on map listings in Clarke County as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations, against 39% across the U.S. That is 7.1 per 10,000 households, 35% below the U.S. rate of 11.0.

In 2023, official counts showed 4 businesses with payroll in Clarke County classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars. That is one for every 2,106 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S. That count covers all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars (bakeries and dessert shops included), not only coffee shops and cafes.

Population estimates put the population change in Clarke County from 2020 to 2025 at −4.2%, against +3.1% for the U.S. Clarke County scores 39 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for coffee shops and cafes, ranking #1,415 of 2,063 scored counties and #38 of 46 scored counties in Alabama.

How Clarke County 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.

Coffee shops and cafes in Clarke County, AL compared with Alabama and the U.S.
MeasureClarke CountyAlabamaU.S.
Listings per 10k households7.17.711.0
Spending per listing$4.3M$4.6M$3.7M
Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars)2,1062,5481,518
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+61.3%+24.3%
Population growth, 2020–2025−4.2%+3.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,098$3,519$4,070
Median household income$49,249$63,999$80,734
Groundwork market score3967

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
3 → 4All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
Employees, 2023
18
Annual payroll, 2023
$272K
One-person businesses, 2023
0All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
60 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
7The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
0
Amount
$0

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Clarke County, 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 Clarke County

Population, 2025 estimate
22,014−4.2% since 2020
Households
8,423
Median age
41.6
Homes lived in by their owners
71%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
1,238 sq. mi.
People per square mile
18
Median household income
$49,249+31.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$75,047
Median home value
$121,700
Jobs located here
7,813
Daytime population
20,445Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Clarke County?

These figures cover the whole county. 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 Clarke County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Coffee shops and cafes across Alabama

Every Alabama market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Alabama for coffee shops and cafes, numbered among those based in Alabama, with Clarke County marked.

Top counties in Alabama

Counties in Alabama ranked for coffee shops and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Limestone County, AL88297.1$5.7M+18.0%#34 of 2,063
2St. Clair County, AL87154.3$8.6M+7.1%#39 of 2,063
3Shelby County, AL79566.4$6.9M+6.5%#115 of 2,063
4Elmore County, AL78216.4$5.9M+4.2%#139 of 2,063
5Chilton County, AL7784.5$7.5M+5.9%#149 of 2,063
6Jackson County, AL7483.7$8.5M+3.3%#196 of 2,063
7Autauga County, AL74135.7$6.6M+5.1%#201 of 2,063
8Blount County, AL71125.4$6.3M+1.8%#268 of 2,063
9Talladega County, AL6982.4$13.3M+0.3%#313 of 2,063
10Tuscaloosa County, AL69637.0$5.1M+3.8%#330 of 2,063
38Clarke County, AL3967.1$4.3M−4.2%#1,415 of 2,063

Other business types in Clarke County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many coffee shops and cafes are in Clarke County, AL?

As of September 2026, map listings count 6 coffee shops and cafes in Clarke County. None of them are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 4 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in 2023. The official count takes in all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars, not only coffee shops and cafes: bakeries and dessert shops are counted too.

How much do households in Clarke County, AL spend on food away from home?

About $26.1M a year, or $3,098 per household. That is 24% below the U.S. average (an index of 76, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 6 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $4.3M per cafe. That spending covers all food away from home, which coffee shops and cafes share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 8,423 households in Clarke County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Clarke County, AL compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?

Clarke County has 7.1 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 35% below the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $4.3M, 17% above the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the U.S. ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, Clarke County would have about 7, against 6 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,106 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S.

How fast is Clarke County, AL growing?

Population estimates put Clarke County at 22,014 people in 2025, down 4.2% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 8,423 households. Median household income in Clarke County is $49,249, 39% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 31.7%, before inflation.

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. Clarke County scores 39 for coffee shops and cafes (lower middle), #1,415 of 2,063 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Clarke County. 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 Clarke County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Clarke County?

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 Clarke County. 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.