Market rankings · Alabama

Fast food and sandwich shops in Alabama

Markets across Alabama ranked by the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, with competitor counts and household spending for each.

Listings: 3,007; 2,701 chain locations (90%)
Official establishments: 4,442; All limited-service restaurants · +8.8% since 2019
Household spending a year: $7B; On food away from home
Listings per 10k households: 15.1; 14% above the U.S.
Spending per listing: $2.3M; 23% below the U.S.
Rank among states: #49 of 51; Market score 20 · Low

A site report maps the fast food and sandwich shops on map listings around any address in Alabama by name and distance, and the spending within reach.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey 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 3,007 fast food and sandwich shops in Alabama. 2,701 of them (90%) are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. That is 15.1 per 10,000 households, 14% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.

At $3,519 per household (14% below the U.S. average), households in Alabama spend about $7B a year on food away from home. Spread across 3,007 fast food and sandwich shops, that is $2.3M per shop, 23% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. That spending covers all food away from home, which fast food and sandwich shops share with other businesses in the trade.

In 2023, official counts showed 4,442 businesses with payroll in Alabama classed as limited-service restaurants, up 8.8% from 2019. That is one for every 450 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 6.1% over the same years. The official count takes in all limited-service restaurants, not only fast food and sandwich shops: pizza places are counted too. Since fiscal 2022, 100 SBA-backed loans worth $73.7M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Alabama.

Among the 50 states and DC, Alabama ranks #49 for fast food and sandwich shops, with a Groundwork market score of 20 (low). Of the 13 scored metro areas in or partly in Alabama, the Daphne-Fairhope-Foley metro area scores highest (58). Of the 13 scored small-town markets in or partly in Alabama, the Alexander City area scores highest (58).

Every market in Alabama for fast food and sandwich shops

Download the ranking (CSV)

Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in Alabama, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.

Metro areas

Metro areas reaching Alabama, ranked for fast food and sandwich shops by Groundwork market score
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Spending per listing	Population growth	U.S. rank
1Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL	58	140	14.2	$2.7M	+14.8%	#155 of 387
2Huntsville, AL	56	314	15.2	$2.7M	+12.5%	#161 of 387
3Decatur, AL	49	73	11.6	$3.1M	+2.5%	#199 of 387
4Birmingham, AL	32	691	14.9	$2.5M	+1.4%	#299 of 387
5Auburn-Opelika, AL	32	113	14.7	$2.4M	+7.1%	#302 of 387
6Tuscaloosa, AL	30	160	15.1	$2.3M	+2.9%	#314 of 387
7Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL	29	90	14.2	$2.4M	+3.5%	#319 of 387
8Mobile, AL	19	245	15.2	$2.2M	−0.7%	#361 of 387
9Dothan, AL	17	113	18.5	$1.8M	+3.4%	#370 of 387
10Montgomery, AL	16	270	17.8	$2M	+0.9%	#372 of 387
11Anniston-Oxford, AL	12	65	14.4	$2.2M	−0.3%	#380 of 387
Columbus, GA-AL	9	208	16.3	$2.1M	−1.3%	#382 of 387
12Gadsden, AL	9	69	17.5	$1.8M	+0.4%	#383 of 387

Small-town markets

Small-town markets reaching Alabama, ranked for fast food and sandwich shops by Groundwork market score
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Spending per listing	Population growth	U.S. rank
1Alexander City, AL	58	13	7.6	$4.3M	−0.8%	#196 of 537
2Scottsboro, AL	53	26	11.9	$2.6M	+3.3%	#251 of 537
3Enterprise, AL	53	29	13.8	$2.6M	+6.3%	#252 of 537
4Fort Payne, AL	52	30	11.5	$2.6M	+3.4%	#258 of 537
5Talladega-Sylacauga, AL	45	53	13.9	$2.3M	0.0%	#325 of 537
6Albertville, AL	44	55	15.1	$2.3M	+6.0%	#333 of 537
7Russellville, AL	43	16	13.4	$2.3M	+1.1%	#342 of 537
8Cullman, AL	42	60	17.0	$2M	+6.7%	#355 of 537
9Ozark, AL	40	36	18.2	$1.7M	+1.3%	#370 of 537
LaGrange, GA-AL	28	71	17.6	$1.8M	+3.0%	#464 of 537
10Eufaula, AL-GA	21	14	13.7	$2.1M	−1.2%	#493 of 537
11Selma, AL	20	21	13.2	$2M	−7.9%	#500 of 537
12Troy, AL	17	33	26.4	$1.2M	+2.4%	#512 of 537

Counties

Counties in Alabama, ranked for fast food and sandwich shops by Groundwork market score
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Spending per listing	Population growth	U.S. rank
1Limestone County, AL	86	39	9.5	$4.2M	+18.0%	#44 of 2,222
2Randolph County, AL	70	7	7.6	$4.2M	+4.8%	#354 of 2,222
3Blount County, AL	69	18	8.1	$4.2M	+1.8%	#391 of 2,222
4Lawrence County, AL	67	12	8.8	$3.9M	+2.3%	#468 of 2,222
5Cleburne County, AL	65	6	10.0	$3.1M	+6.0%	#555 of 2,222
6Shelby County, AL	62	119	13.7	$3.2M	+6.5%	#658 of 2,222
7Autauga County, AL	60	28	12.2	$3.1M	+5.1%	#749 of 2,222
8Cherokee County, AL	59	11	10.8	$3M	+5.8%	#793 of 2,222
9Baldwin County, AL	58	140	14.2	$2.7M	+14.8%	#838 of 2,222
10Chilton County, AL	57	21	11.7	$2.9M	+5.9%	#868 of 2,222
11Geneva County, AL	55	11	10.3	$2.9M	+3.2%	#947 of 2,222
12St. Clair County, AL	55	50	14.2	$2.6M	+7.1%	#961 of 2,222
13Tallapoosa County, AL	54	13	7.6	$4.3M	−0.8%	#971 of 2,222
14Bibb County, AL	53	7	9.1	$3.4M	+0.4%	#1,013 of 2,222
15Henry County, AL	53	8	11.3	$2.9M	+7.1%	#1,023 of 2,222
16Madison County, AL	52	275	16.7	$2.5M	+11.0%	#1,085 of 2,222
17Pickens County, AL	48	7	10.3	$3M	−3.9%	#1,213 of 2,222
18Hale County, AL	48	6	10.6	$2.7M	+2.9%	#1,227 of 2,222
19Elmore County, AL	48	50	15.2	$2.5M	+4.2%	#1,236 of 2,222
20Morgan County, AL	47	61	12.4	$2.9M	+2.6%	#1,257 of 2,222
21Choctaw County, AL	46	5	9.5	$3.1M	−5.7%	#1,295 of 2,222
22DeKalb County, AL	45	30	11.5	$2.6M	+3.4%	#1,340 of 2,222
23Jackson County, AL	45	26	11.9	$2.6M	+3.3%	#1,342 of 2,222
24Coffee County, AL	45	29	13.8	$2.6M	+6.3%	#1,344 of 2,222
25Winston County, AL	43	13	13.8	$2.3M	+1.4%	#1,412 of 2,222

Show all 67 counties

Counties in Alabama, ranked for fast food and sandwich shops by Groundwork market score, continued
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Spending per listing	Population growth	U.S. rank
26Lee County, AL	42	104	15.0	$2.4M	+8.6%	#1,446 of 2,222
27Lamar County, AL	39	6	11.8	$2.5M	−2.6%	#1,529 of 2,222
28Cullman County, AL	39	60	17.0	$2M	+6.7%	#1,551 of 2,222
29Colbert County, AL	38	30	12.3	$2.7M	+3.8%	#1,561 of 2,222
30Tuscaloosa County, AL	38	142	15.8	$2.2M	+3.8%	#1,577 of 2,222
31Marshall County, AL	37	55	15.1	$2.3M	+6.0%	#1,613 of 2,222
32Franklin County, AL	37	16	13.4	$2.3M	+1.1%	#1,614 of 2,222
33Lauderdale County, AL	36	60	15.3	$2.2M	+3.3%	#1,642 of 2,222
34Fayette County, AL	35	6	9.6	$3.2M	−2.8%	#1,661 of 2,222
35Dale County, AL	35	36	18.2	$1.7M	+1.3%	#1,690 of 2,222
36Crenshaw County, AL	34	8	15.3	$2M	0.0%	#1,724 of 2,222
37Talladega County, AL	33	52	15.5	$2.1M	+0.3%	#1,750 of 2,222
38Bullock County, AL	29	5	13.6	$1.8M	−4.5%	#1,878 of 2,222
39Monroe County, AL	28	8	10.9	$2.6M	−3.8%	#1,887 of 2,222
40Jefferson County, AL	27	436	16.2	$2.3M	−1.3%	#1,920 of 2,222
41Mobile County, AL	27	245	15.2	$2.2M	−0.7%	#1,922 of 2,222
42Marion County, AL	26	12	11.3	$2.7M	−0.3%	#1,938 of 2,222
43Covington County, AL	26	20	13.7	$2.3M	+1.2%	#1,942 of 2,222
44Walker County, AL	25	40	15.8	$2M	0.0%	#1,969 of 2,222
45Russell County, AL	21	34	14.2	$2.1M	−0.6%	#2,029 of 2,222
46Houston County, AL	21	94	21.7	$1.5M	+2.8%	#2,045 of 2,222
47Calhoun County, AL	20	65	14.4	$2.2M	−0.3%	#2,050 of 2,222
48Dallas County, AL	19	21	13.2	$2M	−7.9%	#2,069 of 2,222
49Macon County, AL	17	9	12.4	$2.3M	−6.8%	#2,097 of 2,222
50Sumter County, AL	16	7	14.5	$1.8M	−5.0%	#2,119 of 2,222
51Etowah County, AL	16	69	17.5	$1.8M	+0.4%	#2,120 of 2,222
52Chambers County, AL	15	22	16.4	$1.8M	−0.9%	#2,131 of 2,222
53Pike County, AL	15	33	26.4	$1.2M	+2.4%	#2,145 of 2,222
54Montgomery County, AL	14	187	20.5	$1.6M	−1.1%	#2,152 of 2,222
55Barbour County, AL	13	14	15.3	$1.9M	−1.4%	#2,164 of 2,222
56Escambia County, AL	11	29	22.6	$1.3M	0.0%	#2,186 of 2,222
57Conecuh County, AL	9	12	27.2	$1M	−5.7%	#2,198 of 2,222
58Marengo County, AL	8	14	17.7	$1.8M	−5.0%	#2,200 of 2,222
59Butler County, AL	6	15	19.7	$1.5M	−4.8%	#2,212 of 2,222
60Clarke County, AL	4	27	32.1	$966K	−4.2%	#2,220 of 2,222
Washington County, AL	Not scored	1	1.7	$21.2M	−3.3%
Clay County, AL	Not scored	4	6.9	$4.6M	−0.1%
Coosa County, AL	Not scored	1	2.3	$13.7M	−1.7%
Wilcox County, AL	Not scored	3	7.8	$3.6M	−8.3%
Lowndes County, AL	Not scored	5	11.7	$2.4M	−9.0%
Perry County, AL	Not scored	3	8.7	$2.8M	−12.2%
Greene County, AL	Not scored	5	15.5	$1.6M	−8.2%

Markets with fewer than 5 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored; they’re listed last in each table.

Questions

How many fast food and sandwich shops are in Alabama?

There are 3,007 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in Alabama as of September 2026. 2,701 of them (90%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 4,442 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 8.8% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Official counts also show 638 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Alabama spend on food away from home?

About $7B a year, or $3,519 per household. That is 14% below the U.S. average (an index of 86, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 3,007 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $2.3M per shop. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only fast food and sandwich shops. It is estimated from the incomes of the 1,997,247 households in Alabama and national spending patterns by income.

How does Alabama compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?

Alabama has 15.1 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 14% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2.3M, 23% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Alabama would have about 2,303, against 3,007 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 450 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 8.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.

Which market in Alabama has the highest market score for fast food and sandwich shops?

Among 13 scored metro areas in or partly in Alabama, the Daphne-Fairhope-Foley metro area scores highest, at 58 (upper middle). Among 13 scored small-town markets in or partly in Alabama, the Alexander City area scores highest, at 58 (upper middle). Among 60 scored counties in Alabama, Limestone County scores highest, at 86 (high). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.

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. Alabama scores 20 for fast food and sandwich shops (low), #49 of the 50 states and DC.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Alabama. It maps the fast food and sandwich shops 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.

Restaurants and cafes18,378 listings
Sit-down restaurants10,602 listings
Pizza1,143 listings
Coffee shops and cafes1,537 listings
Bakeries and dessert shops1,346 listings

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