Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Alabama

Restaurants and cafes in Cullman County, AL

How Cullman County, AL compares with other counties and the U.S. for restaurants and cafes: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 64 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #608 of 2,405 scored counties
#20 of 64 scored counties in Alabama

Listings
271
142 chain locations (52%)
Official establishments
131
+4.0% since 2019
Household spending a year
$120.9M
On food away from home · $3,421 a household
Spending per listing
$446K
20% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
76.7
30% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
94,009
+6.7% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Cullman 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 Cullman 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

At $3,421 per household (16% below the U.S. average), households in Cullman County spend about $120.9M a year on food away from home. That is about $446K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 20% above the U.S. figure of $371K.

Cullman County has 271 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 142 of them (52%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 76.7 for every 10,000 households, 30% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.

Official counts show 131 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Cullman County in 2023, up 4.0% from 2019. That is one for every 270 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 16 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $2.6M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Cullman County.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Cullman County grew 6.7%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For restaurants and cafes, Cullman County has a Groundwork market score of 64 (upper middle): #608 of 2,405 scored counties and #20 of 64 scored counties in Alabama.

How Cullman 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.

Restaurants and cafes in Cullman County, AL compared with Alabama and the U.S.
MeasureCullman CountyAlabamaU.S.
Listings per 10k households76.792.0109.8
Spending per listing$446K$382K$371K
Households per official establishment270246209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+4.0%+7.4%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+6.7%+3.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,421$3,519$4,070
Median household income$62,656$63,999$80,734
Groundwork market score6459

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
126 → 131+4.0% over the period
Employees, 2023
3,208
Annual payroll, 2023
$61.5M
One-person businesses, 2023
16Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
271142 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
326The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
3
Amount
$2.6M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Cullman 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 Cullman County

Population, 2025 estimate
94,009+6.7% since 2020
Households
35,347
Median age
41.2
Homes lived in by their owners
77%
Vehicles per household
2.2
Land area
735 sq. mi.
People per square mile
123
Median household income
$62,656+39.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$82,606
Median home value
$199,100
Jobs located here
31,045
Daytime population
83,269Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Cullman 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 Cullman County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Restaurants 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 Cullman County marked.

Top counties in Alabama

Counties in Alabama ranked for restaurants and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Limestone County, AL9123757.9$697K+18.0%#20 of 2,405
2Cleburne County, AL782643.5$725K+6.0%#166 of 2,405
3St. Clair County, AL7427979.5$463K+7.1%#278 of 2,405
4Lawrence County, AL737252.8$645K+2.3%#288 of 2,405
5Blount County, AL7312455.9$610K+1.8%#290 of 2,405
6Autauga County, AL7315567.6$556K+5.1%#299 of 2,405
7Shelby County, AL7376788.3$502K+6.5%#310 of 2,405
8Chilton County, AL7212067.1$500K+5.9%#343 of 2,405
9Washington County, AL702948.6$732K−3.3%#387 of 2,405
10Cherokee County, AL706462.8$512K+5.8%#402 of 2,405
20Cullman County, AL6427176.7$446K+6.7%#608 of 2,405

Other business types in Cullman County

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

Questions

How many restaurants and cafes are in Cullman County, AL?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 271 restaurants and cafes in Cullman County. 142 of them (52%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 131 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 4.0% from 2019. Another 16 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in Cullman County, AL spend on food away from home?

About $120.9M a year, or $3,421 per household. That is 16% below the U.S. average (an index of 84, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 271 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $446K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 35,347 households in Cullman County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Cullman County, AL compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?

Cullman County has 76.7 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 30% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $446K, 20% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Cullman County would have about 326, against 271 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 270 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 4.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Cullman County, AL growing?

Population estimates put Cullman County at 94,009 people in 2025, up 6.7% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 35,347 households. Median household income in Cullman County is $62,656, 22% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 39.5%, 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. Cullman County scores 64 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #608 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Cullman 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 Cullman County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Cullman 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 Cullman 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.