Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Alabama

Sit-down restaurants in Lawrence County, AL

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for sit-down restaurants in Lawrence County, AL, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 68 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #428 of 2,405 scored counties
#11 of 64 scored counties in Alabama

Listings
48
10 chain locations (21%)
Official establishments
16
−27.3% since 2019
Household spending a year
$46.5M
On food away from home · $3,410 a household
Spending per listing
$968K
46% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
35.2
43% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
33,843
+2.3% since 2020

See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Lawrence 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 Lawrence County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey 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 48 sit-down restaurants in Lawrence County. Of those, 10 are chain locations, or 21%, against 29% across the U.S. That is 35.2 per 10,000 households, 43% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.

Households in Lawrence County spend about $46.5M a year on food away from home, or $3,410 per household, 16% below the U.S. average. That is about $968K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 46% above 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.

In 2023, official counts showed 16 businesses with payroll in Lawrence County classed as full-service restaurants, down 27.3% from 2019. That is one for every 852 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts also show 5 one-person businesses without payroll.

Population estimates put the population change in Lawrence County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.3%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Lawrence County scores 68 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #428 of 2,405 scored counties and #11 of 64 scored counties in Alabama. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How Lawrence 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.

Sit-down restaurants in Lawrence County, AL compared with Alabama and the U.S.
MeasureLawrence CountyAlabamaU.S.
Listings per 10k households35.253.161.3
Spending per listing$968K$663K$664K
Households per official establishment852721500
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−27.3%−2.6%+1.5%
Population growth, 2020–2025+2.3%+3.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,410$3,519$4,070
Median household income$66,071$63,999$80,734
Groundwork market score6852

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
22 → 16−27.3% over the period
Employees, 2023
135
Annual payroll, 2023
$2M
One-person businesses, 2023
5Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
4810 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
70The 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 Lawrence 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 Lawrence County

Population, 2025 estimate
33,843+2.3% since 2020
Households
13,627
Median age
42.1
Homes lived in by their owners
82%
Vehicles per household
2.3
Land area
691 sq. mi.
People per square mile
48
Median household income
$66,071+47.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$80,069
Median home value
$172,300
Jobs located here
5,153
Daytime population
24,598Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Lawrence 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 Lawrence County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Sit-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 Lawrence County marked.

Top counties in Alabama

Counties in Alabama ranked for sit-down restaurants by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Limestone County, AL9114134.4$1.2M+18.0%#18 of 2,405
2Cleburne County, AL791118.4$1.7M+6.0%#134 of 2,405
3Shelby County, AL7745151.9$853K+6.5%#202 of 2,405
4Autauga County, AL749240.1$936K+5.1%#278 of 2,405
5Blount County, AL707634.3$996K+1.8%#369 of 2,405
6St. Clair County, AL7017449.6$742K+7.1%#388 of 2,405
7Washington County, AL691728.5$1.2M−3.3%#393 of 2,405
8Cullman County, AL6914340.5$846K+6.7%#409 of 2,405
9Chilton County, AL697441.4$811K+5.9%#411 of 2,405
10Elmore County, AL6916048.7$769K+4.2%#415 of 2,405
11Lawrence County, AL684835.2$968K+2.3%#428 of 2,405

Other business types in Lawrence County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many sit-down restaurants are in Lawrence County, AL?

Lawrence County has 48 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 10 of them (21%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 16 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 27.3% from 2019. Another 5 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in Lawrence County, AL spend on food away from home?

About $46.5M a year, or $3,410 per household. That is 16% below the U.S. average (an index of 84, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 48 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $968K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 13,627 households in Lawrence County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Lawrence County, AL compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?

Lawrence County has 35.2 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 43% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $968K, 46% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Lawrence County would have about 70, against 48 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 852 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 27.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.

How fast is Lawrence County, AL growing?

Population estimates put Lawrence County at 33,843 people in 2025, up 2.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 13,627 households. The median household income in Lawrence County is $66,071 a year, 18% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 47.2% 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. Lawrence County scores 68 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #428 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Lawrence 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 Lawrence County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Lawrence 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 Lawrence 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.