Food and drink · County · Alabama
Restaurants and cafes in Covington County, AL
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Covington County, AL, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 34 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,877 of 2,405 scored counties
#55 of 64 scored counties in Alabama
- Listings
- 145
- 51 chain locations (35%)
- Official establishments
- 57
- +5.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $46.7M
- On food away from home · $3,188 a household
- Spending per listing
- $322K
- 13% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 99.0
- 10% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 37,947
- +1.2% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Covington County
The site report maps the restaurants 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 Covington 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
The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Covington County is 34 (lower middle), #1,877 of 2,405 scored counties and #55 of 64 scored counties in Alabama. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 145 restaurants and cafes in Covington County. Of those, 51 are chain locations, or 35%, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 99.0 for every 10,000 households, 10% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Household spending on food away from home in Covington County comes to about $46.7M a year: $3,188 per household, 22% below the U.S. average. That is about $322K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 13% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
Official counts show 57 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Covington County in 2023, up 5.6% from 2019. That is one for every 257 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $378K has gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Covington County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Covington County grew 1.2%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Covington 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 restaurants 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 | Covington County | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 99.0 | 92.0 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $322K | $382K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 257 | 246 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +5.6% | +7.4% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.2% | +3.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,188 | $3,519 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $52,456 | $63,999 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 34 | 59 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 54 → 57+5.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 957
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $15.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 15Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 14551 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 126The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $378K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Covington 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 Covington County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 37,947+1.2% since 2020
- Households
- 14,642
- Median age
- 43.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 76%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 1,031 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 37
- Median household income
- $52,456+24.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $74,062
- Median home value
- $152,100
- Jobs located here
- 11,850
- Daytime population
- 35,530Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Covington 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 restaurants and cafes on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Covington County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardRestaurants and cafes across Alabama
Every Alabama market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Alabama for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Alabama, with Covington County marked.
Top counties in Alabama
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Limestone County, AL | 91 | 237 | 57.9 | $697K | +18.0% | #20 of 2,405 |
| 2Cleburne County, AL | 78 | 26 | 43.5 | $725K | +6.0% | #166 of 2,405 |
| 3St. Clair County, AL | 74 | 279 | 79.5 | $463K | +7.1% | #278 of 2,405 |
| 4Lawrence County, AL | 73 | 72 | 52.8 | $645K | +2.3% | #288 of 2,405 |
| 5Blount County, AL | 73 | 124 | 55.9 | $610K | +1.8% | #290 of 2,405 |
| 6Autauga County, AL | 73 | 155 | 67.6 | $556K | +5.1% | #299 of 2,405 |
| 7Shelby County, AL | 73 | 767 | 88.3 | $502K | +6.5% | #310 of 2,405 |
| 8Chilton County, AL | 72 | 120 | 67.1 | $500K | +5.9% | #343 of 2,405 |
| 9Washington County, AL | 70 | 29 | 48.6 | $732K | −3.3% | #387 of 2,405 |
| 10Cherokee County, AL | 70 | 64 | 62.8 | $512K | +5.8% | #402 of 2,405 |
| 55Covington County, AL | 34 | 145 | 99.0 | $322K | +1.2% | #1,877 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Covington County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes34
- Sit-down restaurants42
- Fast food and sandwich shops26
- Pizza43
- Coffee shops and cafes39
- Bakeries and dessert shops36
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 restaurants and cafes are in Covington County, AL?
There are 145 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Covington County as of September 2026. 51 of them (35%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 57 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 5.6% from 2019. Another 15 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Covington County, AL spend on food away from home?
About $46.7M a year, or $3,188 per household. That is 22% below the U.S. average (an index of 78, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 145 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $322K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 14,642 households in Covington County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Covington County, AL compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Covington County has 99.0 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 10% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $322K, 13% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Covington County would have about 126, against 145 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 257 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Covington County, AL growing?
Population estimates put Covington County at 37,947 people in 2025, up 1.2% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 14,642 households. The median household income in Covington County is $52,456 a year, 35% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 24.3% 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. Covington County scores 34 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,877 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Covington County. It maps the restaurants 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 restaurants and cafes · All 56 business types in Covington County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Covington 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 Covington 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.