Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Alabama

Sit-down restaurants in Montgomery County, AL

How Montgomery County, AL compares with other counties and the U.S. for sit-down restaurants: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 34 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,901 of 2,405 scored counties
#56 of 64 scored counties in Alabama

Listings
576
233 chain locations (40%)
Official establishments
125
−9.4% since 2019
Household spending a year
$307M
On food away from home · $3,359 a household
Spending per listing
$533K
20% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
63.0
3% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
225,891
−1.1% since 2020

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

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

Montgomery County scores 34 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #1,901 of 2,405 scored counties and #56 of 64 scored counties in Alabama. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

As of September 2026, map listings count 576 sit-down restaurants in Montgomery County. 233 of them (40%) are chain locations, against 29% across the U.S. That is 63.0 per 10,000 households, 3% above the U.S. rate of 61.3.

Households in Montgomery County spend about $307M a year on food away from home, or $3,359 per household, 17% below the U.S. average. That is about $533K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 20% below 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.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Montgomery County was 125 in 2023, down 9.4% from 2019. That is one for every 731 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $480K have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Montgomery County. Population estimates show Montgomery County declined 1.1% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How Montgomery 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 Montgomery County, AL compared with Alabama and the U.S.
MeasureMontgomery CountyAlabamaU.S.
Listings per 10k households63.053.161.3
Spending per listing$533K$663K$664K
Households per official establishment731721500
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−9.4%−2.6%+1.5%
Population growth, 2020–2025−1.1%+3.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,359$3,519$4,070
Median household income$59,386$63,999$80,734
Groundwork market score3452

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
138 → 125−9.4% over the period
Employees, 2023
3,184
Annual payroll, 2023
$74.3M
One-person businesses, 2023
30Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
576233 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
463The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
3
Amount
$480K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Montgomery 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 Montgomery County

Population, 2025 estimate
225,891−1.1% since 2020
Households
91,381
Median age
37.8
Homes lived in by their owners
58%
Vehicles per household
1.7
Land area
785 sq. mi.
People per square mile
289
Median household income
$59,386+18.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$83,436
Median home value
$171,900
Jobs located here
132,478
Daytime population
270,619Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

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

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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 Montgomery 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
56Montgomery County, AL3457663.0$533K−1.1%#1,901 of 2,405

Other business types in Montgomery County

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

Questions

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

Montgomery County has 576 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 233 of them (40%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 125 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 9.4% from 2019. Official counts list 30 one-person businesses without payroll.

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

About $307M a year, or $3,359 per household. That is 17% below the U.S. average (an index of 83, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 576 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $533K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 91,381 households in Montgomery County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Montgomery County has 63.0 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 3% above the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $533K, 20% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Montgomery County would have about 463, against 576 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 731 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 9.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.

How fast is Montgomery County, AL growing?

Population estimates put Montgomery County at 225,891 people in 2025, down 1.1% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 91,381 households. The median household income in Montgomery County is $59,386 a year, 26% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 18.5% 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. Montgomery County scores 34 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #1,901 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Montgomery 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 Montgomery 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.