Food and drink · Small-town market · Alabama
Restaurants and cafes in the Talladega-Sylacauga, AL area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in the Talladega-Sylacauga, AL area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 70 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #78 of 538 scored small-town markets
#3 of 12 scored small-town markets based in Alabama
- Listings
- 229
- 92 chain locations (40%)
- Official establishments
- 98
- 0.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $120.4M
- On food away from home · $3,164 a household
- Spending per listing
- $526K
- 42% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 60.2
- 45% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 91,764
- 0.0% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Talladega-Sylacauga area
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 the Talladega-Sylacauga area. 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 229 restaurants and cafes in the Talladega-Sylacauga area. Of those, 92 are chain locations, or 40%, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 60.2, 45% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Households in the Talladega-Sylacauga area spend about $120.4M a year on food away from home, or $3,164 per household, 22% below the U.S. average. That is about $526K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 42% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Talladega-Sylacauga area was 98 in 2023, unchanged from 2019. That is one for every 388 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 34 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $832K have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Talladega-Sylacauga area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Talladega-Sylacauga area from 2020 to 2025 at 0.0%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For restaurants and cafes, the Talladega-Sylacauga area has a Groundwork market score of 70 (upper middle): #78 of 538 scored small-town markets and #3 of 12 scored small-town markets based in Alabama. That puts it in the top quarter of small-town markets.
How the Talladega-Sylacauga area 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 | Talladega-Sylacauga area | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 60.2 | 92.0 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $526K | $382K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 388 | 246 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | 0.0% | +7.4% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | 0.0% | +3.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,164 | $3,519 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $57,722 | $63,999 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 70 | 59 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 980.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,117
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $37.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 34Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 22992 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 325The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $832K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Talladega-Sylacauga area, 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 the Talladega-Sylacauga area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 91,7640.0% since 2020
- Households
- 38,062
- Median age
- 43.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 1,388 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 66
- Median household income
- $57,722
- Average household income
- $72,187
- Median home value
- $144,400
- Jobs located here
- 28,443
- Daytime population
- 80,946Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Talladega-Sylacauga area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 the Talladega-Sylacauga area. 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 small-town markets in Alabama for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Alabama, with the Talladega-Sylacauga area marked.
Top small-town markets in Alabama
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Cullman, AL | 76 | 271 | 76.7 | $446K | +6.7% | #47 of 538 |
| 2Scottsboro, AL | 75 | 136 | 62.4 | $500K | +3.3% | #50 of 538 |
| 3Talladega-Sylacauga, AL | 70 | 229 | 60.2 | $526K | 0.0% | #78 of 538 |
| 4Russellville, AL | 66 | 81 | 67.8 | $453K | +1.1% | #108 of 538 |
| 5Ozark, AL | 64 | 154 | 78.1 | $405K | +1.3% | #132 of 538 |
| 6Fort Payne, AL | 62 | 204 | 77.9 | $386K | +3.4% | #153 of 538 |
| 7Enterprise, AL | 60 | 191 | 91.0 | $392K | +6.3% | #169 of 538 |
| 8Alexander City, AL | 59 | 129 | 75.5 | $429K | −0.8% | #174 of 538 |
| 9Selma, AL | 57 | 88 | 55.2 | $475K | −7.9% | #187 of 538 |
| 10Albertville, AL | 52 | 361 | 99.0 | $350K | +6.0% | #248 of 538 |
Other business types in the Talladega-Sylacauga area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes70
- Sit-down restaurants68
- Fast food and sandwich shops45
- Pizza66
- Coffee shops and cafes71
- 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 the Talladega-Sylacauga, AL area?
There are 229 restaurants and cafes on map listings in the Talladega-Sylacauga area as of September 2026. 92 of them (40%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 98 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, unchanged from 2019. Official counts also show 34 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Talladega-Sylacauga, AL area spend on food away from home?
About $120.4M a year, or $3,164 per household. That is 22% below the U.S. average (an index of 78, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 229 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $526K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 38,062 households in the Talladega-Sylacauga area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Talladega-Sylacauga, AL area compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Talladega-Sylacauga area has 60.2 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 45% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $526K, 42% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Talladega-Sylacauga area would have about 325, against 229 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 388 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count held level from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Talladega-Sylacauga, AL area growing?
Population estimates put the Talladega-Sylacauga area at 91,764 people in 2025, unchanged since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 38,062 households. The median household income in the Talladega-Sylacauga area is $57,722 a year, 29% below the U.S. median of $80,734.
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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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. The Talladega-Sylacauga area scores 70 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #78 of 538 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Talladega-Sylacauga area. 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 the Talladega-Sylacauga area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Talladega-Sylacauga area?
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 the Talladega-Sylacauga area. 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.