Food and drink · County · Alabama
Restaurants and cafes in Hale County, AL
How Hale 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 65 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #556 of 2,405 scored counties
#17 of 64 scored counties in Alabama
- Listings
- 33
- 12 chain locations (36%)
- Official establishments
- 11
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $16M
- On food away from home · $2,843 a household
- Spending per listing
- $486K
- 31% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 58.5
- 47% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 15,194
- +2.9% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Hale 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 Hale 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
At $2,843 per household (30% below the U.S. average), households in Hale County spend about $16M a year on food away from home. Spread across 33 restaurants and cafes, that is $486K per restaurant, 31% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
Hale County has 33 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 12 of them (36%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That is 58.5 per 10,000 households, 47% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Hale County was 11 in 2023. That is one for every 513 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 4 one-person businesses without payroll.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Hale County grew 2.9%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). Hale County scores 65 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #556 of 2,405 scored counties and #17 of 64 scored counties in Alabama. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Hale 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 | Hale County | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 58.5 | 92.0 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $486K | $382K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 513 | 246 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +7.4% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.9% | +3.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $2,843 | $3,519 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $39,250 | $63,999 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 65 | 59 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 15 → 11
- Employees, 2023
- 178
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 4Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 3312 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 43The 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 restaurants and other eating places in Hale 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 Hale County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 15,194+2.9% since 2020
- Households
- 5,642
- Median age
- 40.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 74%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 644 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 23
- Median household income
- $39,250+15.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $60,886
- Median home value
- $127,600
- Jobs located here
- 2,723
- Daytime population
- 11,017Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Hale 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 Hale 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 Hale 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 |
| 17Hale County, AL | 65 | 33 | 58.5 | $486K | +2.9% | #556 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Hale County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes65
- Sit-down restaurants62
- Fast food and sandwich shops48
- Pizza
- Coffee shops and cafes
- Bakeries and dessert shops
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 Hale County, AL?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 33 restaurants and cafes in Hale County. 12 of them (36%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 11 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023. Another 4 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Hale County, AL spend on food away from home?
About $16M a year, or $2,843 per household. That is 30% below the U.S. average (an index of 70, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 33 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $486K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 5,642 households in Hale County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Hale County, AL compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Hale County has 58.5 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 47% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $486K, 31% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Hale County would have about 43, against 33 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 513 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S.
How fast is Hale County, AL growing?
Population estimates put Hale County at 15,194 people in 2025, up 2.9% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 5,642 households. Median household income in Hale County is $39,250, 51% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 15.3%, 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. Hale County scores 65 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #556 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Hale 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 Hale County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Hale 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 Hale 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.