Food and drink · County · Alabama
Restaurants and cafes in Tuscaloosa County, AL
How Tuscaloosa 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 58 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #837 of 2,405 scored counties
#26 of 64 scored counties in Alabama
- Listings
- 767
- 399 chain locations (52%)
- Official establishments
- 361
- +10.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $318.9M
- On food away from home · $3,541 a household
- Spending per listing
- $416K
- 12% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 85.2
- 22% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 241,368
- +3.8% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Tuscaloosa 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 Tuscaloosa 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 767 restaurants and cafes in Tuscaloosa County. Of those, 399 are chain locations, or 52%, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 85.2, 22% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Household spending on food away from home in Tuscaloosa County comes to about $318.9M a year: $3,541 per household, 13% below the U.S. average. That is about $416K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 12% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Tuscaloosa County was 361 in 2023, up 10.4% from 2019. That is one for every 249 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 58 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 6 SBA-backed loans worth $3.1M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Tuscaloosa County.
Population estimates show Tuscaloosa County grew 3.8% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For restaurants and cafes, Tuscaloosa County has a Groundwork market score of 58 (upper middle): #837 of 2,405 scored counties and #26 of 64 scored counties in Alabama.
How Tuscaloosa 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 | Tuscaloosa County | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 85.2 | 92.0 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $416K | $382K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 249 | 246 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +10.4% | +7.4% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.8% | +3.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,541 | $3,519 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $66,231 | $63,999 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 58 | 59 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 327 → 361+10.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 7,977
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $158.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 58Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 767399 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 860The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 6
- Amount
- $3.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Tuscaloosa 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 Tuscaloosa County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 241,368+3.8% since 2020
- Households
- 90,052
- Median age
- 35.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 61%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 1,321 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 180
- Median household income
- $66,231+24.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $87,929
- Median home value
- $248,700
- Jobs located here
- 98,811
- Daytime population
- 249,539Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Tuscaloosa 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 Tuscaloosa 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 Tuscaloosa 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 |
| 26Tuscaloosa County, AL | 58 | 767 | 85.2 | $416K | +3.8% | #837 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Tuscaloosa County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes58
- Sit-down restaurants61
- Fast food and sandwich shops38
- Pizza60
- Coffee shops and cafes69
- Bakeries and dessert shops71
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 Tuscaloosa County, AL?
Tuscaloosa County has 767 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 399 of them (52%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 361 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 10.4% from 2019. Official counts list 58 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Tuscaloosa County, AL spend on food away from home?
About $318.9M a year, or $3,541 per household. That is 13% below the U.S. average (an index of 87, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 767 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $416K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 90,052 households in Tuscaloosa County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Tuscaloosa County, AL compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Tuscaloosa County has 85.2 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 22% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $416K, 12% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Tuscaloosa County would have about 860, against 767 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 249 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 Tuscaloosa County, AL growing?
Population estimates put Tuscaloosa County at 241,368 people in 2025, up 3.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 90,052 households. The median household income in Tuscaloosa County is $66,231 a year, 18% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 24.2% from the 2015–2019 survey, 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. Tuscaloosa County scores 58 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #837 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Tuscaloosa 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 Tuscaloosa County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Tuscaloosa 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 Tuscaloosa 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.