Food and drink · County · Alabama
Sit-down restaurants in Dale County, AL
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for sit-down restaurants in Dale County, AL, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 55 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #947 of 2,405 scored counties
#25 of 64 scored counties in Alabama
- Listings
- 79
- 25 chain locations (32%)
- Official establishments
- 23
- −11.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $62.3M
- On food away from home · $3,158 a household
- Spending per listing
- $789K
- 19% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 40.0
- 35% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 49,912
- +1.3% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Dale 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 Dale 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
Household spending on food away from home in Dale County comes to about $62.3M a year: $3,158 per household, 22% below the U.S. average. That is about $789K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 19% above the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
There are 79 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Dale County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 32% of them, against 29% across the U.S. That is 40.0 per 10,000 households, 35% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Official counts show 23 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Dale County in 2023, down 11.5% from 2019. That is one for every 858 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts also show 6 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $325K has gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Dale County.
Population estimates show Dale County grew 1.3% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For sit-down restaurants, Dale County has a Groundwork market score of 55 (upper middle): #947 of 2,405 scored counties and #25 of 64 scored counties in Alabama.
How Dale 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 | Dale County | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 40.0 | 53.1 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $789K | $663K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 858 | 721 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −11.5% | −2.6% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.3% | +3.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,158 | $3,519 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $54,963 | $63,999 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 55 | 52 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 26 → 23−11.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 271
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 6Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 7925 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 94The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $325K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Dale 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 Dale County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 49,912+1.3% since 2020
- Households
- 19,727
- Median age
- 40.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 62%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 561 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 88
- Median household income
- $54,963+16.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $74,266
- Median home value
- $143,500
- Jobs located here
- 15,272
- Daytime population
- 47,928Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Dale 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 Dale 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 Dale 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 |
| 25Dale County, AL | 55 | 79 | 40.0 | $789K | +1.3% | #947 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Dale County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes52
- Sit-down restaurants55
- Fast food and sandwich shops35
- Pizza66
- Coffee shops and cafes56
- Bakeries and dessert shops64
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 Dale County, AL?
As of September 2026, map listings count 79 sit-down restaurants in Dale County. 25 of them (32%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 23 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 11.5% from 2019. Another 6 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Dale County, AL spend on food away from home?
About $62.3M a year, or $3,158 per household. That is 22% below the U.S. average (an index of 78, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 79 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $789K 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 19,727 households in Dale County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Dale County, AL compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Dale County has 40.0 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 35% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $789K, 19% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Dale County would have about 94, against 79 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 858 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 11.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Dale County, AL growing?
Population estimates put Dale County at 49,912 people in 2025, up 1.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 19,727 households. Median household income in Dale County is $54,963, 32% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 16.4%, 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. Dale County scores 55 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #947 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Dale 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 Dale County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Dale 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 Dale 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.