Food and drink · Metro area · Alabama
Restaurants and cafes in the Tuscaloosa, AL metro area
The restaurants and cafes in the Tuscaloosa, AL metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 65 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #93 of 387 scored metro areas
#3 of 12 scored metro areas based in Alabama
- Listings
- 860
- 429 chain locations (50%)
- Official establishments
- 387
- +9.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $363.9M
- On food away from home · $3,443 a household
- Spending per listing
- $423K
- 14% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 81.4
- 26% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 281,850
- +2.9% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Tuscaloosa metro 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 Tuscaloosa metro 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 860 restaurants and cafes in the Tuscaloosa metro area. Of those, 429 are chain locations, or 50%, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 81.4, 26% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
At $3,443 per household (15% below the U.S. average), households in the Tuscaloosa metro area spend about $363.9M a year on food away from home. Spread across 860 restaurants and cafes, that is $423K per restaurant, 14% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
Official counts show 387 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Tuscaloosa metro area in 2023, up 9.1% from 2019. That is one for every 273 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 74 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 6 SBA-backed loans worth $3.1M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Tuscaloosa metro area.
Population estimates show the Tuscaloosa metro area grew 2.9% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). For restaurants and cafes, the Tuscaloosa metro area has a Groundwork market score of 65 (upper middle): #93 of 387 scored metro areas and #3 of 12 scored metro areas based in Alabama. That puts it in the top quarter of metro areas.
How the Tuscaloosa metro 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 | Tuscaloosa metro area | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 81.4 | 92.0 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $423K | $382K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 273 | 246 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +9.1% | +7.4% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.9% | +3.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,443 | $3,519 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $61,517 | $63,999 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 65 | 59 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 387+9.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 8,318
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $164.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 74Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 860429 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 981The 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 the Tuscaloosa metro 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 Tuscaloosa metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 281,850+2.9% since 2020
- Households
- 105,683
- Median age
- 36.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 63%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 3,493 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 80
- Median household income
- $61,517+22.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $84,019
- Median home value
- $230,700
- Jobs located here
- 106,684
- Daytime population
- 281,020Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Tuscaloosa metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 Tuscaloosa metro 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 metro areas in Alabama for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Alabama, with the Tuscaloosa metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Alabama
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Huntsville, AL | 77 | 2,055 | 99.8 | $413K | +12.5% | #33 of 387 |
| 2Decatur, AL | 71 | 498 | 79.5 | $450K | +2.5% | #52 of 387 |
| 3Tuscaloosa, AL | 65 | 860 | 81.4 | $423K | +2.9% | #93 of 387 |
| 4Birmingham, AL | 51 | 4,531 | 97.4 | $385K | +1.4% | #185 of 387 |
| 5Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL | 48 | 558 | 87.8 | $386K | +3.5% | #203 of 387 |
| 6Montgomery, AL | 44 | 1,408 | 93.0 | $375K | +0.9% | #230 of 387 |
| 7Auburn-Opelika, AL | 43 | 725 | 94.6 | $371K | +7.1% | #238 of 387 |
| 8Mobile, AL | 38 | 1,545 | 95.6 | $352K | −0.7% | #275 of 387 |
| 9Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL | 37 | 1,282 | 130.1 | $297K | +14.8% | #285 of 387 |
| 10Gadsden, AL | 35 | 333 | 84.5 | $371K | +0.4% | #290 of 387 |
Other business types in the Tuscaloosa metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes65
- Sit-down restaurants60
- Fast food and sandwich shops30
- Pizza57
- Coffee shops and cafes69
- 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 Tuscaloosa, AL metro area?
There are 860 restaurants and cafes on map listings in the Tuscaloosa metro area as of September 2026. 429 of them (50%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 387 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 9.1% from 2019. Official counts also show 74 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Tuscaloosa, AL metro area spend on food away from home?
About $363.9M a year, or $3,443 per household. That is 15% below the U.S. average (an index of 85, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 860 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $423K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 105,683 households in the Tuscaloosa metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Tuscaloosa, AL metro area compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Tuscaloosa metro area has 81.4 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 26% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $423K, 14% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Tuscaloosa metro area would have about 981, against 860 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 273 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 9.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Tuscaloosa, AL metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Tuscaloosa metro area at 281,850 people in 2025, up 2.9% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 105,683 households. The median household income in the Tuscaloosa metro area is $61,517 a year, 24% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 22.0% 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. The Tuscaloosa metro area scores 65 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #93 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Tuscaloosa metro 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 Tuscaloosa metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Tuscaloosa metro 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 Tuscaloosa metro 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.