Food and drink · County · Alabama
Restaurants and cafes in Dale County, AL
How Dale 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 52 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #1,096 of 2,405 scored counties
#29 of 64 scored counties in Alabama
- Listings
- 154
- 69 chain locations (45%)
- Official establishments
- 62
- +1.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $62.3M
- On food away from home · $3,158 a household
- Spending per listing
- $405K
- 9% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 78.1
- 29% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 49,912
- +1.3% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Dale 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 Dale 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
Household spending on food away from home in Dale County comes to about $62.3M a year: $3,158 per household, 22% below the U.S. average. That works out to $405K per restaurant, 9% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 154 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Dale County as of September 2026. Of those, 69 are chain locations, or 45%, against 34% across the U.S. That is 78.1 per 10,000 households, 29% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 62 businesses with payroll in Dale County classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 1.6% from 2019. That is one for every 318 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 22 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $450K have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Dale County.
Population estimates put the population change in Dale County from 2020 to 2025 at +1.3%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Dale County is 52 (upper middle), #1,096 of 2,405 scored counties and #29 of 64 scored counties in Alabama.
How Dale 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 | Dale County | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 78.1 | 92.0 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $405K | $382K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 318 | 246 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +1.6% | +7.4% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.3% | +3.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,158 | $3,519 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $54,963 | $63,999 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 52 | 59 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 61 → 62+1.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 852
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $14.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 22Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 15469 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 168The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $450K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Dale 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 Dale County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 49,912+1.3% since 2020
- Households
- 19,727
- Median age
- 40.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 62%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 561 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 88
- Median household income
- $54,963+16.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $74,266
- Median home value
- $143,500
- Jobs located here
- 15,272
- Daytime population
- 47,928Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Dale 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 Dale 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 Dale 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 |
| 29Dale County, AL | 52 | 154 | 78.1 | $405K | +1.3% | #1,096 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Dale County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes52
- Sit-down restaurants55
- Fast food and sandwich shops35
- Pizza66
- Coffee shops and cafes56
- Bakeries and dessert shops64
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 Dale County, AL?
As of September 2026, map listings count 154 restaurants and cafes in Dale County. 69 of them (45%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 62 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 1.6% from 2019. Official counts list 22 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Dale County, AL spend on food away from home?
About $62.3M a year, or $3,158 per household. That is 22% below the U.S. average (an index of 78, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 154 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $405K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 19,727 households in Dale County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Dale County, AL compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Dale County has 78.1 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 29% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $405K, 9% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Dale County would have about 168, against 154 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 318 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 1.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Dale County, AL growing?
Population estimates put Dale County at 49,912 people in 2025, up 1.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 19,727 households. Median household income in Dale County is $54,963, 32% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 16.4%, 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. Dale County scores 52 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #1,096 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Dale 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 Dale County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Dale 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 Dale 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.