Groceries and convenience · County · Alabama
Convenience stores in Houston County, AL
How Houston County, AL compares with other counties and the U.S. for convenience stores: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 48 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,208 of 2,261 scored counties
#20 of 62 scored counties in Alabama
- Listings
- 51
- 27 chain locations (53%)
- Official establishments
- 10
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $242.8M
- On groceries · $5,607 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.8M
- 40% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.8
- 48% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 110,318
- +2.8% since 2020
See the convenience stores around any address in Houston County
The site report maps the convenience stores 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 Houston 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 51 convenience stores in Houston County. 27 of them (53%) are chain locations, against 60% across the U.S. That comes to 11.8 for every 10,000 households, 48% above the U.S. rate of 8.0.
At $5,607 per household (11% below the U.S. average), households in Houston County spend about $242.8M a year on groceries. That works out to $4.8M per store, 40% below the U.S. figure of $7.9M. That spending covers all groceries, which convenience stores share with other businesses in the trade.
Official counts show 10 businesses with payroll classed as convenience stores in Houston County in 2023. That is one for every 4,330 households, against one for every 3,493 across the U.S.
Population estimates put the population change in Houston County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.8%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). Houston County scores 48 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for convenience stores, ranking #1,208 of 2,261 scored counties and #20 of 62 scored counties in Alabama.
How Houston County compares
The same measures for Alabama and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all groceries by the convenience stores 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 | Houston County | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 11.8 | 10.5 | 8.0 |
| Spending per listing | $4.8M | $5.5M | $7.9M |
| Households per official establishment | 4,330 | 4,722 | 3,493 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +74.1% | +22.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.8% | +3.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,607 | $5,771 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $58,626 | $63,999 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 48 | 34 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 10
- Employees, 2023
- 26
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $526K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 5127 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 31The 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 convenience stores in Houston 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.
Population and households in Houston County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 110,318+2.8% since 2020
- Households
- 43,302
- Median age
- 40.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 64%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 580 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 187
- Median household income
- $58,626+23.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $81,747
- Median home value
- $183,300
- Jobs located here
- 51,974
- Daytime population
- 116,184Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Houston 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 convenience stores on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Houston County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardConvenience stores across Alabama
Every Alabama market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Alabama for convenience stores, numbered among those based in Alabama, with Houston County marked.
Top counties in Alabama
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Madison County, AL | 89 | 107 | 6.5 | $9.8M | +11.0% | #49 of 2,261 |
| 2Limestone County, AL | 82 | 36 | 8.8 | $7.1M | +18.0% | #135 of 2,261 |
| 3Shelby County, AL | 79 | 66 | 7.6 | $8.7M | +6.5% | #197 of 2,261 |
| 4Baldwin County, AL | 78 | 95 | 9.6 | $6.3M | +14.8% | #237 of 2,261 |
| 5Autauga County, AL | 72 | 20 | 8.7 | $6.9M | +5.1% | #382 of 2,261 |
| 6Coffee County, AL | 72 | 18 | 8.6 | $6.8M | +6.3% | #384 of 2,261 |
| 7Lee County, AL | 70 | 60 | 8.6 | $6.7M | +8.6% | #445 of 2,261 |
| 8Elmore County, AL | 68 | 34 | 10.3 | $5.8M | +4.2% | #505 of 2,261 |
| 9St. Clair County, AL | 63 | 42 | 12.0 | $5M | +7.1% | #665 of 2,261 |
| 10Cullman County, AL | 61 | 37 | 10.5 | $5.4M | +6.7% | #735 of 2,261 |
| 20Houston County, AL | 48 | 51 | 11.8 | $4.8M | +2.8% | #1,208 of 2,261 |
Other business types in Houston County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores44
- Grocery stores46
- Convenience stores48
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many convenience stores are in Houston County, AL?
There are 51 convenience stores on map listings in Houston County as of September 2026. 27 of them (53%) are chain locations. The listings count convenience stores without fuel. Official counts show 10 businesses with payroll classed as convenience stores in 2023.
How much do households in Houston County, AL spend on groceries?
About $242.8M a year, or $5,607 per household. That is 11% below the U.S. average (an index of 89, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 51 convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $4.8M per store. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only convenience stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 43,302 households in Houston County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Houston County, AL compare with the U.S. for convenience stores?
Houston County has 11.8 convenience stores per 10,000 households, 48% above the U.S. rate of 8.0. Spending per store is $4.8M, 40% below the U.S. figure of $7.9M. At the national ratio of convenience stores to household spending, Houston County would have about 31, against 51 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 4,330 households, against one for every 3,493 across the U.S.
How fast is Houston County, AL growing?
Population estimates put Houston County at 110,318 people in 2025, up 2.8% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 43,302 households. Median household income in Houston County is $58,626, 27% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 23.2%, 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. Houston County scores 48 for convenience stores (lower middle), #1,208 of 2,261 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Houston County. It maps the convenience stores 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 convenience stores · All 56 business types in Houston County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Houston 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 Houston 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.