Food and drink · County · Alabama
Restaurants and cafes in Washington County, AL
How Washington 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 70 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #387 of 2,405 scored counties
#9 of 64 scored counties in Alabama
- Listings
- 29
- 4 chain locations (14%)
- Official establishments
- 10
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $21.2M
- On food away from home · $3,559 a household
- Spending per listing
- $732K
- 97% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 48.6
- 56% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 14,822
- −3.3% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Washington 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 Washington 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 29 restaurants and cafes in Washington County. 4 of them (14%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That is 48.6 per 10,000 households, 56% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Households in Washington County spend about $21.2M a year on food away from home, or $3,559 per household, 13% below the U.S. average. That is about $732K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 97% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
Official counts show 10 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Washington County in 2023. That is one for every 596 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 11 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $194K have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Washington County.
Population estimates put the population change in Washington County from 2020 to 2025 at −3.3%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For restaurants and cafes, Washington County has a Groundwork market score of 70 (upper middle): #387 of 2,405 scored counties and #9 of 64 scored counties in Alabama. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Washington 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 | Washington County | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 48.6 | 92.0 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $732K | $382K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 596 | 246 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +7.4% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −3.3% | +3.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,559 | $3,519 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $61,042 | $63,999 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 70 | 59 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 7 → 10
- Employees, 2023
- 44
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $741K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 11Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 294 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 57The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $194K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Washington 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 Washington County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 14,822−3.3% since 2020
- Households
- 5,963
- Median age
- 43.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 86%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.5
- Land area
- 1,080 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 14
- Median household income
- $61,042+47.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $82,685
- Median home value
- $159,700
- Jobs located here
- 3,076
- Daytime population
- 12,111Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Washington 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 Washington 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 Washington 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 Washington County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
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 Washington County, AL?
Washington County has 29 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 4 of them (14%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 10 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023. Official counts also show 11 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Washington County, AL spend on food away from home?
About $21.2M a year, or $3,559 per household. That is 13% below the U.S. average (an index of 87, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 29 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $732K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 5,963 households in Washington County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Washington County, AL compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Washington County has 48.6 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 56% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $732K, 97% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Washington County would have about 57, against 29 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 596 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S.
How fast is Washington County, AL growing?
Population estimates put Washington County at 14,822 people in 2025, down 3.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 5,963 households. The median household income in Washington County is $61,042 a year, 24% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 47.6% 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. Washington County scores 70 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #387 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Washington 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 Washington County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Washington 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 Washington 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.