Groceries and convenience · Metro area · Alabama
Grocery stores in the Tuscaloosa, AL metro area
How the Tuscaloosa, AL metro area compares with other metro areas and the U.S. for grocery stores: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 40 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #263 of 387 scored metro areas
#4 of 12 scored metro areas based in Alabama
- Listings
- 74
- 36 chain locations (49%)
- Official establishments
- 35
- −5.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $602M
- On groceries · $5,697 a household
- Spending per listing
- $8.1M
- 12% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.0
- 3% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 281,850
- +2.9% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in the Tuscaloosa metro area
The site report maps the grocery 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 the Tuscaloosa metro area. 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
Households in the Tuscaloosa metro area spend about $602M a year on groceries, or $5,697 per household, 10% below the U.S. average. Spread across 74 grocery stores, that is $8.1M per store, 12% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores.
There are 74 grocery stores on map listings in the Tuscaloosa metro area as of September 2026. 36 of them (49%) are chain locations, against 37% across the U.S. That is 7.0 per 10,000 households, 3% above the U.S. rate of 6.8.
Official counts show 35 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in the Tuscaloosa metro area in 2023, down 5.9% from 2019. That is one for every 3,020 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.
Population estimates show the Tuscaloosa metro area grew 2.9% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). The Tuscaloosa metro area scores 40 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for grocery stores, ranking #263 of 387 scored metro areas and #4 of 12 scored metro areas based in Alabama.
How the Tuscaloosa metro area 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 grocery 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 | Tuscaloosa metro area | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.0 | 7.4 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $8.1M | $7.8M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 3,020 | 2,554 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −5.9% | +6.3% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.9% | +3.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,697 | $5,771 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $61,517 | $63,999 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 40 | 38 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 35−5.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,022
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $51.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 7436 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 65The 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 supermarkets and grocery stores in the Tuscaloosa metro area, 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 the Tuscaloosa metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 281,850+2.9% since 2020
- Households
- 105,683
- Median age
- 36.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 63%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 3,493 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 80
- Median household income
- $61,517+22.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $84,019
- Median home value
- $230,700
- Jobs located here
- 106,684
- Daytime population
- 281,020Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Tuscaloosa metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the grocery stores on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of the Tuscaloosa metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardGrocery stores across Alabama
Every Alabama market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Alabama for grocery stores, numbered among those based in Alabama, with the Tuscaloosa metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Alabama
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Huntsville, AL | 77 | 122 | 5.9 | $10.7M | +12.5% | #30 of 387 |
| 2Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL | 66 | 57 | 5.8 | $10.6M | +14.8% | #84 of 387 |
| 3Auburn-Opelika, AL | 60 | 43 | 5.6 | $10.2M | +7.1% | #127 of 387 |
| 4Tuscaloosa, AL | 40 | 74 | 7.0 | $8.1M | +2.9% | #263 of 387 |
| 5Decatur, AL | 39 | 44 | 7.0 | $8.3M | +2.5% | #270 of 387 |
| 6Montgomery, AL | 37 | 101 | 6.7 | $8.6M | +0.9% | #280 of 387 |
| 7Birmingham, AL | 37 | 328 | 7.1 | $8.5M | +1.4% | #281 of 387 |
| 8Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL | 35 | 45 | 7.1 | $8M | +3.5% | #296 of 387 |
| 9Gadsden, AL | 24 | 34 | 8.6 | $6.3M | +0.4% | #352 of 387 |
| 10Dothan, AL | 21 | 50 | 8.2 | $6.8M | +3.4% | #361 of 387 |
Other business types in the Tuscaloosa metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores39
- Grocery stores40
- Convenience stores33
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many grocery stores are in the Tuscaloosa, AL metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 74 grocery stores in the Tuscaloosa metro area. 36 of them (49%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 35 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023, down 5.9% from 2019.
How much do households in the Tuscaloosa, AL metro area spend on groceries?
About $602M a year, or $5,697 per household. That is 10% below the U.S. average (an index of 90, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 74 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $8.1M per store. That spending covers all groceries, which grocery stores share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 105,683 households in the Tuscaloosa metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Tuscaloosa, AL metro area compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
The Tuscaloosa metro area has 7.0 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 3% above the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $8.1M, 12% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery stores to household spending, the Tuscaloosa metro area would have about 65, against 74 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,020 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. The official count fell 5.9% from 2019 to 2023, against 0.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Tuscaloosa, AL metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Tuscaloosa metro area at 281,850 people in 2025, up 2.9% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 105,683 households. The median household income in the Tuscaloosa metro area is $61,517 a year, 24% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 22.0% 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. The Tuscaloosa metro area scores 40 for grocery stores (lower middle), #263 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Tuscaloosa metro area. It maps the grocery 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 grocery stores · All 56 business types in the Tuscaloosa metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Tuscaloosa metro area?
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 the Tuscaloosa metro area. 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.