Food and drink · County · Alabama
Restaurants and cafes in Houston County, AL
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Houston County, AL, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 26 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #2,160 of 2,405 scored counties
#59 of 64 scored counties in Alabama
- Listings
- 502
- 247 chain locations (49%)
- Official establishments
- 233
- +10.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $144.7M
- On food away from home · $3,342 a household
- Spending per listing
- $288K
- 22% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 115.9
- 6% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 110,318
- +2.8% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Houston 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 Houston 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 Houston County is 26 (lower middle), #2,160 of 2,405 scored counties and #59 of 64 scored counties in Alabama. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Household spending on food away from home in Houston County comes to about $144.7M a year: $3,342 per household, 18% below the U.S. average. That works out to $288K per restaurant, 22% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
Houston County has 502 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 247 are chain locations, or 49%, against 34% across the U.S. That is 115.9 per 10,000 households, 6% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Houston County was 233 in 2023, up 10.4% from 2019. That is one for every 186 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 7 SBA-backed loans worth $3.3M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Houston County. Population estimates show Houston County grew 2.8% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Houston 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 | Houston County | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 115.9 | 92.0 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $288K | $382K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 186 | 246 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +10.4% | +7.4% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.8% | +3.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,342 | $3,519 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $58,626 | $63,999 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 26 | 59 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 211 → 233+10.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 4,935
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $90.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 43Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 502247 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 390The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 7
- Amount
- $3.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Houston 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 Houston County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 110,318+2.8% since 2020
- Households
- 43,302
- Median age
- 40.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 64%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 580 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 187
- Median household income
- $58,626+23.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $81,747
- Median home value
- $183,300
- Jobs located here
- 51,974
- Daytime population
- 116,184Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Houston 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 Houston 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 Houston 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 |
| 59Houston County, AL | 26 | 502 | 115.9 | $288K | +2.8% | #2,160 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Houston County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes26
- Sit-down restaurants31
- Fast food and sandwich shops21
- Pizza43
- Coffee shops and cafes44
- Bakeries and dessert shops44
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 Houston County, AL?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 502 restaurants and cafes in Houston County. 247 of them (49%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 233 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 10.4% from 2019. Official counts list 43 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Houston County, AL spend on food away from home?
About $144.7M a year, or $3,342 per household. That is 18% below the U.S. average (an index of 82, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 502 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $288K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 43,302 households in Houston County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Houston County, AL compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Houston County has 115.9 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 6% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $288K, 22% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Houston County would have about 390, against 502 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 186 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 10.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Houston County, AL growing?
Population estimates put Houston County at 110,318 people in 2025, up 2.8% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 43,302 households. Median household income in Houston County is $58,626, 27% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 23.2%, 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. Houston County scores 26 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #2,160 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Houston 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 Houston County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Houston 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 Houston 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.