Food and drink · County · Alabama
Coffee shops and cafes in Lee County, AL
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for coffee shops and cafes in Lee County, AL, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 55 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #817 of 2,063 scored counties
#24 of 46 scored counties in Alabama
- Listings
- 63
- 25 chain locations (40%)
- Official establishments
- 42
- All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +55.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $248.1M
- On food away from home · $3,573 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.9M
- 6% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 9.1
- 17% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 189,881
- +8.6% since 2020
See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in Lee 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 Lee County. 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
Household spending on food away from home in Lee County comes to about $248.1M a year: $3,573 per household, 12% below the U.S. average. Spread across 63 coffee shops and cafes, that is $3.9M per cafe, 6% above the U.S. figure of $3.7M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only coffee shops and cafes.
Lee County has 63 coffee shops and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 25 of them (40%) are chain locations, against 39% across the U.S. That is 9.1 per 10,000 households, 17% below the U.S. rate of 11.0.
In 2023, official counts showed 42 businesses with payroll in Lee County classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars, up 55.6% from 2019. That is one for every 1,653 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. Another 4 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Lee County grew 8.6%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For coffee shops and cafes, Lee County has a Groundwork market score of 55 (upper middle): #817 of 2,063 scored counties and #24 of 46 scored counties in Alabama.
How Lee 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.
| Measure | Lee County | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 9.1 | 7.7 | 11.0 |
| Spending per listing | $3.9M | $4.6M | $3.7M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars) | 1,653 | 2,548 | 1,518 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +55.6% | +61.3% | +24.3% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +8.6% | +3.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,573 | $3,519 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $65,824 | $63,999 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 55 | 67 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 27 → 42All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +55.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 501
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $9.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 4All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 6325 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 67The 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 Lee 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 Lee County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 189,881+8.6% since 2020
- Households
- 69,436
- Median age
- 36.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 608 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 298
- Median household income
- $65,824+27.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $90,204
- Median home value
- $262,200
- Jobs located here
- 64,944
- Daytime population
- 179,619Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Lee 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 Lee County. 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 counties in Alabama for coffee shops and cafes, numbered among those based in Alabama, with Lee County marked.
Top counties in Alabama
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Limestone County, AL | 88 | 29 | 7.1 | $5.7M | +18.0% | #34 of 2,063 |
| 2St. Clair County, AL | 87 | 15 | 4.3 | $8.6M | +7.1% | #39 of 2,063 |
| 3Shelby County, AL | 79 | 56 | 6.4 | $6.9M | +6.5% | #115 of 2,063 |
| 4Elmore County, AL | 78 | 21 | 6.4 | $5.9M | +4.2% | #139 of 2,063 |
| 5Chilton County, AL | 77 | 8 | 4.5 | $7.5M | +5.9% | #149 of 2,063 |
| 6Jackson County, AL | 74 | 8 | 3.7 | $8.5M | +3.3% | #196 of 2,063 |
| 7Autauga County, AL | 74 | 13 | 5.7 | $6.6M | +5.1% | #201 of 2,063 |
| 8Blount County, AL | 71 | 12 | 5.4 | $6.3M | +1.8% | #268 of 2,063 |
| 9Talladega County, AL | 69 | 8 | 2.4 | $13.3M | +0.3% | #313 of 2,063 |
| 10Tuscaloosa County, AL | 69 | 63 | 7.0 | $5.1M | +3.8% | #330 of 2,063 |
| 24Lee County, AL | 55 | 63 | 9.1 | $3.9M | +8.6% | #817 of 2,063 |
Other business types in Lee County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes47
- Sit-down restaurants47
- Fast food and sandwich shops42
- Pizza60
- Coffee shops and cafes55
- Bakeries and dessert shops59
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 Lee County, AL?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 63 coffee shops and cafes in Lee County. 25 of them (40%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 42 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in 2023, up 55.6% from 2019. 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 4 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Lee County, AL spend on food away from home?
About $248.1M a year, or $3,573 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 63 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $3.9M 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 69,436 households in Lee County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Lee County, AL compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?
Lee County has 9.1 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 17% below the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $3.9M, 6% above the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the U.S. ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, Lee County would have about 67, against 63 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,653 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S. The official count rose 55.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.3% for the U.S.
How fast is Lee County, AL growing?
Population estimates put Lee County at 189,881 people in 2025, up 8.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 69,436 households. Median household income in Lee County is $65,824, 18% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 27.9%, 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. Lee County scores 55 for coffee shops and cafes (upper middle), #817 of 2,063 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Lee 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 Lee County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Lee 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 Lee 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.