Food and drink · County · Alabama
Sit-down restaurants in Winston County, AL
The sit-down restaurants in Winston County, AL, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 58 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #806 of 2,405 scored counties
#23 of 64 scored counties in Alabama
- Listings
- 34
- 7 chain locations (21%)
- Official establishments
- 11
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $29.5M
- On food away from home · $3,133 a household
- Spending per listing
- $868K
- 31% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 36.1
- 41% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 23,829
- +1.4% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Winston 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 Winston 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
Households in Winston County spend about $29.5M a year on food away from home, or $3,133 per household, 23% below the U.S. average. Spread across 34 sit-down restaurants, that is $868K per restaurant, 31% above the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
Winston County has 34 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 7 of them (21%) are chain locations, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 36.1 for every 10,000 households, 41% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
In 2023, official counts showed 11 businesses with payroll in Winston County classed as full-service restaurants. That is one for every 856 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Another 6 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
Population estimates put the population change in Winston County from 2020 to 2025 at +1.4%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Winston County scores 58 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #806 of 2,405 scored counties and #23 of 64 scored counties in Alabama.
How Winston 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 | Winston County | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 36.1 | 53.1 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $868K | $663K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 856 | 721 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −2.6% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.4% | +3.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,133 | $3,519 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $57,256 | $63,999 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 58 | 52 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 17 → 11
- Employees, 2023
- 86
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 6Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 347 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 45The 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 Winston 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 Winston County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 23,829+1.4% since 2020
- Households
- 9,420
- Median age
- 43.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 76%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.3
- Land area
- 613 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 39
- Median household income
- $57,256+60.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $72,668
- Median home value
- $118,900
- Jobs located here
- 7,365
- Daytime population
- 22,080Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Winston 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 Winston 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 Winston 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 |
| 23Winston County, AL | 58 | 34 | 36.1 | $868K | +1.4% | #806 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Winston County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes64
- Sit-down restaurants58
- Fast food and sandwich shops43
- Pizza
- Coffee shops and cafes42
- 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 Winston County, AL?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 34 sit-down restaurants in Winston County. 7 of them (21%) 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. Official counts list 6 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Winston County, AL spend on food away from home?
About $29.5M a year, or $3,133 per household. That is 23% below the U.S. average (an index of 77, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 34 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $868K 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 9,420 households in Winston County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Winston County, AL compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Winston County has 36.1 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 41% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $868K, 31% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Winston County would have about 45, against 34 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 856 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S.
How fast is Winston County, AL growing?
Population estimates put Winston County at 23,829 people in 2025, up 1.4% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 9,420 households. Median household income in Winston County is $57,256, 29% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 60.0%, 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. Winston County scores 58 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #806 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Winston 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 Winston County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Winston 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 Winston 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.