Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Alabama

Coffee shops and cafes in St. Clair County, AL

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for coffee shops and cafes in St. Clair County, AL, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 87 out of 100: High

Ranked #39 of 2,063 scored counties
#2 of 46 scored counties in Alabama

Listings
15
5 chain locations (33%)
Official establishments
6
All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
Household spending a year
$129.2M
On food away from home · $3,679 a household
Spending per listing
$8.6M
2.3 times the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
4.3
61% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
98,206
+7.1% since 2020

See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in St. Clair 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 St. Clair 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

For coffee shops and cafes, St. Clair County has a Groundwork market score of 87 (high): #39 of 2,063 scored counties and #2 of 46 scored counties in Alabama. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for coffee shops and cafes.

At $3,679 per household (10% below the U.S. average), households in St. Clair County spend about $129.2M a year on food away from home. That works out to $8.6M per cafe, 2.3 times the U.S. figure of $3.7M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only coffee shops and cafes.

There are 15 coffee shops and cafes on map listings in St. Clair County as of September 2026. 5 of them (33%) are chain locations, against 39% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 4.3, 61% below the U.S. rate of 11.0.

In 2023, official counts showed 6 businesses with payroll in St. Clair County classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars. That is one for every 5,851 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 show St. Clair County grew 7.1% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How St. Clair 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 St. Clair County, AL compared with Alabama and the U.S.
MeasureSt. Clair CountyAlabamaU.S.
Listings per 10k households4.37.711.0
Spending per listing$8.6M$4.6M$3.7M
Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars)5,8512,5481,518
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+61.3%+24.3%
Population growth, 2020–2025+7.1%+3.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,679$3,519$4,070
Median household income$77,463$63,999$80,734
Groundwork market score8767

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
5 → 6All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
Employees, 2023
58
Annual payroll, 2023
$791K
One-person businesses, 2023
4All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
155 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
35The 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 St. Clair 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 St. Clair County

Population, 2025 estimate
98,206+7.1% since 2020
Households
35,107
Median age
41.6
Homes lived in by their owners
83%
Vehicles per household
2.1
Land area
632 sq. mi.
People per square mile
149
Median household income
$77,463+32.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$91,073
Median home value
$226,300
Jobs located here
22,156
Daytime population
72,944Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in St. Clair 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 St. Clair 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 St. Clair 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

Other business types in St. Clair County

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

Questions

How many coffee shops and cafes are in St. Clair County, AL?

As of September 2026, map listings count 15 coffee shops and cafes in St. Clair County. 5 of them (33%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 6 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. Official counts list 4 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in St. Clair County, AL spend on food away from home?

About $129.2M a year, or $3,679 per household. That is 10% below the U.S. average (an index of 90, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 15 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $8.6M 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 35,107 households in St. Clair County and national spending patterns by income.

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

St. Clair County has 4.3 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 61% below the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $8.6M, 2.3 times the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the U.S. ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, St. Clair County would have about 35, against 15 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 5,851 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S.

How fast is St. Clair County, AL growing?

Population estimates put St. Clair County at 98,206 people in 2025, up 7.1% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 35,107 households. Median household income in St. Clair County is $77,463, 4% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 32.9%, 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. St. Clair County scores 87 for coffee shops and cafes (high), #39 of 2,063 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in St. Clair 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 St. Clair County

Screening a site or an acquisition in St. Clair 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 St. Clair 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.