Food and drink · County · Alabama
Restaurants and cafes in Shelby County, AL
The restaurants and cafes in Shelby County, AL, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 73 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #310 of 2,405 scored counties
#7 of 64 scored counties in Alabama
- Listings
- 767
- 386 chain locations (50%)
- Official establishments
- 374
- +12.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $384.9M
- On food away from home · $4,431 a household
- Spending per listing
- $502K
- 35% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 88.3
- 20% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 238,552
- +6.5% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Shelby 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 Shelby 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 $4,431 per household (9% above the U.S. average), households in Shelby County spend about $384.9M a year on food away from home. Spread across 767 restaurants and cafes, that is $502K per restaurant, 35% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 767 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Shelby County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 50% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That is 88.3 per 10,000 households, 20% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Shelby County was 374 in 2023, up 12.0% from 2019. That is one for every 232 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 95 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 14 SBA-backed loans worth $9.2M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Shelby County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Shelby County grew 6.5%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Shelby County scores 73 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #310 of 2,405 scored counties and #7 of 64 scored counties in Alabama. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Shelby 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 | Shelby County | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 88.3 | 92.0 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $502K | $382K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 232 | 246 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +12.0% | +7.4% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +6.5% | +3.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,431 | $3,519 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $97,961 | $63,999 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 73 | 59 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 334 → 374+12.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 8,104
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $173.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 95Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 767386 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,038The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 14
- Amount
- $9.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Shelby 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 Shelby County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 238,552+6.5% since 2020
- Households
- 86,866
- Median age
- 41.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 81%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 785 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 293
- Median household income
- $97,961+25.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $128,135
- Median home value
- $326,100
- Jobs located here
- 95,355
- Daytime population
- 222,801Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Shelby 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 Shelby 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 Shelby 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 |
Other business types in Shelby County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes73
- Sit-down restaurants77
- Fast food and sandwich shops62
- Pizza68
- Coffee shops and cafes79
- Bakeries and dessert shops70
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 Shelby County, AL?
As of September 2026, map listings count 767 restaurants and cafes in Shelby County. 386 of them (50%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 374 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 12.0% from 2019. Official counts also show 95 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Shelby County, AL spend on food away from home?
About $384.9M a year, or $4,431 per household. That is 9% above the U.S. average (an index of 109, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 767 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $502K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 86,866 households in Shelby County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Shelby County, AL compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Shelby County has 88.3 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 20% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $502K, 35% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Shelby County would have about 1,038, against 767 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 232 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 12.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Shelby County, AL growing?
Population estimates put Shelby County at 238,552 people in 2025, up 6.5% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 86,866 households. Median household income in Shelby County is $97,961, 21% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.9%, 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. Shelby County scores 73 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #310 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Shelby 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 Shelby County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Shelby 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 Shelby 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.