Food and drink · Small-town market · Alabama
Sit-down restaurants in the Fort Payne, AL area
How the Fort Payne, AL area compares with other small-town markets and the U.S. for sit-down restaurants: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 54 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #225 of 538 scored small-town markets
#8 of 12 scored small-town markets based in Alabama
- Listings
- 119
- 41 chain locations (34%)
- Official establishments
- 35
- −7.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $78.8M
- On food away from home · $3,011 a household
- Spending per listing
- $662K
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 45.5
- 26% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 74,085
- +3.4% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in the Fort Payne area
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 the Fort Payne 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 119 sit-down restaurants in the Fort Payne area. Chain locations make up 34% of them, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 45.5, 26% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Households in the Fort Payne area spend about $78.8M a year on food away from home, or $3,011 per household, 26% below the U.S. average. That is about $662K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, in line with the U.S. figure of $664K. That spending covers all food away from home, which sit-down restaurants share with other businesses in the trade.
Official counts show 35 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in the Fort Payne area in 2023, down 7.9% from 2019. That is one for every 748 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts also show 18 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $997K has gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Fort Payne area.
Population estimates show the Fort Payne area grew 3.4% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). For sit-down restaurants, the Fort Payne area has a Groundwork market score of 54 (upper middle): #225 of 538 scored small-town markets and #8 of 12 scored small-town markets based in Alabama.
How the Fort Payne 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 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 | Fort Payne area | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 45.5 | 53.1 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $662K | $663K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 748 | 721 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −7.9% | −2.6% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.4% | +3.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,011 | $3,519 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $51,204 | $63,999 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 54 | 52 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 35−7.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 671
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $12.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 18Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 11941 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 119The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $997K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Fort Payne 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 Fort Payne area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 74,085+3.4% since 2020
- Households
- 26,181
- Median age
- 40.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 78%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 777 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 93
- Median household income
- $51,204+26.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $68,235
- Median home value
- $152,700
- Jobs located here
- 22,918
- Daytime population
- 67,317Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Fort Payne area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 the Fort Payne area. 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 small-town markets in Alabama for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Alabama, with the Fort Payne area marked.
Top small-town markets in Alabama
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Cullman, AL | 79 | 143 | 40.5 | $846K | +6.7% | #23 of 538 |
| 2Scottsboro, AL | 69 | 85 | 39.0 | $799K | +3.3% | #81 of 538 |
| 3Talladega-Sylacauga, AL | 68 | 131 | 34.4 | $919K | 0.0% | #86 of 538 |
| 4Ozark, AL | 63 | 79 | 40.0 | $789K | +1.3% | #133 of 538 |
| 5Russellville, AL | 60 | 47 | 39.3 | $781K | +1.1% | #164 of 538 |
| 6Enterprise, AL | 60 | 108 | 51.5 | $693K | +6.3% | #168 of 538 |
| 7Selma, AL | 55 | 48 | 30.1 | $872K | −7.9% | #211 of 538 |
| 8Fort Payne, AL | 54 | 119 | 45.5 | $662K | +3.4% | #225 of 538 |
| 9Albertville, AL | 54 | 205 | 56.2 | $616K | +6.0% | #228 of 538 |
| 10Alexander City, AL | 51 | 77 | 45.1 | $718K | −0.8% | #254 of 538 |
Other business types in the Fort Payne area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes62
- Sit-down restaurants54
- Fast food and sandwich shops52
- Pizza62
- Coffee shops and cafes53
- Bakeries and dessert shops60
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 the Fort Payne, AL area?
There are 119 sit-down restaurants on map listings in the Fort Payne area as of September 2026. 41 of them (34%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 35 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 7.9% from 2019. Another 18 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Fort Payne, AL area spend on food away from home?
About $78.8M a year, or $3,011 per household. That is 26% below the U.S. average (an index of 74, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 119 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $662K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 26,181 households in the Fort Payne area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Fort Payne, AL area compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
The Fort Payne area has 45.5 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 26% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $662K, in line with the U.S. figure of $664K. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 748 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 7.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is the Fort Payne, AL area growing?
Population estimates put the Fort Payne area at 74,085 people in 2025, up 3.4% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 26,181 households. The median household income in the Fort Payne area is $51,204 a year, 37% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 26.6% 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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 Fort Payne area scores 54 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #225 of 538 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Fort Payne area. 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 the Fort Payne area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Fort Payne 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 Fort Payne 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.