Food and drink · County · Alabama
Sit-down restaurants in Clarke County, AL
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for sit-down restaurants in Clarke County, AL, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 26 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #2,182 of 2,405 scored counties
#61 of 64 scored counties in Alabama
- Listings
- 55
- 25 chain locations (45%)
- Official establishments
- 11
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $26.1M
- On food away from home · $3,098 a household
- Spending per listing
- $474K
- 29% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 65.3
- 7% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 22,014
- −4.2% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Clarke County
The site report maps the sit-down restaurants 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 Clarke 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
For sit-down restaurants, Clarke County has a Groundwork market score of 26 (lower middle): #2,182 of 2,405 scored counties and #61 of 64 scored counties in Alabama. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Household spending on food away from home in Clarke County comes to about $26.1M a year: $3,098 per household, 24% below the U.S. average. That is about $474K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 29% below the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
Clarke County has 55 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 25 of them (45%) are chain locations, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 65.3, 7% above the U.S. rate of 61.3.
In 2023, official counts showed 11 businesses with payroll in Clarke County classed as full-service restaurants. That is one for every 766 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Population estimates show Clarke County declined 4.2% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Clarke 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 sit-down restaurants 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 | Clarke County | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 65.3 | 53.1 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $474K | $663K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 766 | 721 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −2.6% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −4.2% | +3.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,098 | $3,519 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $49,249 | $63,999 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 26 | 52 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 13 → 11
- Employees, 2023
- 161
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 5525 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 39The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Clarke 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 Clarke County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 22,014−4.2% since 2020
- Households
- 8,423
- Median age
- 41.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 1,238 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 18
- Median household income
- $49,249+31.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $75,047
- Median home value
- $121,700
- Jobs located here
- 7,813
- Daytime population
- 20,445Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Clarke 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 sit-down restaurants on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Clarke County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSit-down restaurants across Alabama
Every Alabama market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Alabama for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Alabama, with Clarke County marked.
Top counties in Alabama
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Limestone County, AL | 91 | 141 | 34.4 | $1.2M | +18.0% | #18 of 2,405 |
| 2Cleburne County, AL | 79 | 11 | 18.4 | $1.7M | +6.0% | #134 of 2,405 |
| 3Shelby County, AL | 77 | 451 | 51.9 | $853K | +6.5% | #202 of 2,405 |
| 4Autauga County, AL | 74 | 92 | 40.1 | $936K | +5.1% | #278 of 2,405 |
| 5Blount County, AL | 70 | 76 | 34.3 | $996K | +1.8% | #369 of 2,405 |
| 6St. Clair County, AL | 70 | 174 | 49.6 | $742K | +7.1% | #388 of 2,405 |
| 7Washington County, AL | 69 | 17 | 28.5 | $1.2M | −3.3% | #393 of 2,405 |
| 8Cullman County, AL | 69 | 143 | 40.5 | $846K | +6.7% | #409 of 2,405 |
| 9Chilton County, AL | 69 | 74 | 41.4 | $811K | +5.9% | #411 of 2,405 |
| 10Elmore County, AL | 69 | 160 | 48.7 | $769K | +4.2% | #415 of 2,405 |
| 61Clarke County, AL | 26 | 55 | 65.3 | $474K | −4.2% | #2,182 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Clarke County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes10
- Sit-down restaurants26
- Fast food and sandwich shops4
- Pizza17
- Coffee shops and cafes39
- Bakeries and dessert shops
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 sit-down restaurants are in Clarke County, AL?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 55 sit-down restaurants in Clarke County. 25 of them (45%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 11 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023.
How much do households in Clarke County, AL spend on food away from home?
About $26.1M a year, or $3,098 per household. That is 24% below the U.S. average (an index of 76, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 55 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $474K per restaurant. That spending covers all food away from home, which sit-down restaurants share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 8,423 households in Clarke County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Clarke County, AL compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Clarke County has 65.3 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 7% above the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $474K, 29% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Clarke County would have about 39, against 55 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 766 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S.
How fast is Clarke County, AL growing?
Population estimates put Clarke County at 22,014 people in 2025, down 4.2% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 8,423 households. Median household income in Clarke County is $49,249, 39% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 31.7%, 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. Clarke County scores 26 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #2,182 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Clarke County. It maps the sit-down restaurants 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 sit-down restaurants · All 56 business types in Clarke County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Clarke 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 Clarke 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.