Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Alabama

Coffee shops and cafes in Covington County, AL

The coffee shops and cafes in Covington 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 #1,448 of 2,063 scored counties
#41 of 46 scored counties in Alabama

Listings
17
1 chain location (6%)
Official establishments
5
All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
Household spending a year
$46.7M
On food away from home · $3,188 a household
Spending per listing
$2.7M
26% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
11.6
5% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
37,947
+1.2% since 2020

See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in Covington 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 Covington 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

As of September 2026, map listings count 17 coffee shops and cafes in Covington County. One of them (6%) is a chain location, against 39% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 11.6, 5% above the U.S. rate of 11.0.

At $3,188 per household (22% below the U.S. average), households in Covington County spend about $46.7M a year on food away from home. That works out to $2.7M per cafe, 26% below 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 5 businesses with payroll in Covington County classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars. That is one for every 2,928 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 7 one-person businesses without payroll.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Covington County grew 1.2%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Covington County scores 39 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for coffee shops and cafes, ranking #1,448 of 2,063 scored counties and #41 of 46 scored counties in Alabama.

How Covington 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 Covington County, AL compared with Alabama and the U.S.
MeasureCovington CountyAlabamaU.S.
Listings per 10k households11.67.711.0
Spending per listing$2.7M$4.6M$3.7M
Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars)2,9282,5481,518
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+61.3%+24.3%
Population growth, 2020–2025+1.2%+3.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,188$3,519$4,070
Median household income$52,456$63,999$80,734
Groundwork market score3967

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
5 → 5All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
Employees, 2023
9
Annual payroll, 2023
$291K
One-person businesses, 2023
7All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
171 chain location
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
13The 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 Covington 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 Covington County

Population, 2025 estimate
37,947+1.2% since 2020
Households
14,642
Median age
43.9
Homes lived in by their owners
76%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
1,031 sq. mi.
People per square mile
37
Median household income
$52,456+24.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$74,062
Median home value
$152,100
Jobs located here
11,850
Daytime population
35,530Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Covington 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 Covington 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 Covington 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
41Covington County, AL391711.6$2.7M+1.2%#1,448 of 2,063

Other business types in Covington County

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

Questions

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

Covington County has 17 coffee shops and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. One of them (6%) is a chain location. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 5 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in 2023. That count covers all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars (bakeries and dessert shops included), not only coffee shops and cafes. Official counts also show 7 one-person businesses without payroll.

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

About $46.7M a year, or $3,188 per household. That is 22% below the U.S. average (an index of 78, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 17 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $2.7M 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 14,642 households in Covington County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Covington County has 11.6 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $2.7M, 26% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the national ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, Covington County would have about 13, against 17 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,928 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S.

How fast is Covington County, AL growing?

Population estimates put Covington County at 37,947 people in 2025, up 1.2% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 14,642 households. The median household income in Covington County is $52,456 a year, 35% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 24.3% from the 2015–2019 survey, 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. Covington County scores 39 for coffee shops and cafes (lower middle), #1,448 of 2,063 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Covington 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 Covington County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Covington 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 Covington 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.