Coffee shops in Alabama: 1,110 locations, +17.7% jobs
Official counts for coffee shops in Alabama, 2026 Q1: how many there are, whether they are adding jobs, what they pay, and how Alabama compares with the other states. From the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Census Bureau, refreshed each quarter.
Alabama against the country · 2026 Q1
| Alabama | United States | |
|---|---|---|
| Coffee shops with employees | 1,110 | 89,512 |
| Per 100,000 residents | 21.5 | 26.3 |
| Jobs | 11,234 | 998,459 |
| Jobs, year over year | +17.7% | +5.6% |
| Locations, year over year | +8.9% | +5.0% |
| Average weekly wage | $387 | $474 |
| Rank among states, density | 38 of 50 | |
| Rank among states, job growth | 1 of 50 |
What the numbers say
Alabama has 1,110 coffee shops with payroll, employing 11,234 people. At 21.5 per 100,000 residents the market is close to the national average, number 38 among the 50 states with published data. Jobs grew +17.7% over the year, ahead of the national +5.6%. Jobs grew faster than locations, which means existing operators are hiring: demand is being absorbed by the businesses already open.
Average pay at coffee shops in Alabama is $387 a week, 18% below the national figure of $474. Budget labor from this number, not from a national guide.
Over five years, from 2021 to 2025, the number of coffee shops in Alabama moved +58.4%, from 664 to 1,052.
Coffee shops in Alabama, annual average
- 2021664
- 2022786
- 2023885
- 2024977
- 20251,052
Jobs at coffee shops in Alabama
- 20216,201
- 20227,254
- 20238,419
- 20249,021
- 202510,189
What counts as "coffee shops" here
Snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars: coffee shops, cafés, juice and smoothie bars, ice cream parlors and bakery-cafés that serve to go. Full restaurants are counted separately. The code is NAICS 722515. BLS counts establishments that report payroll, so a one-person business with no employees is not in these figures; in trades with many solo operators the true number of businesses is higher.
Before you open one in Alabama
A statewide figure tells you which way the wind blows. It does not tell you whether the corner you are looking at has the households, the income and the gap in competition to support one more. A counts the coffee shops within reach of one address in Alabama, reads the county trend from the same BLS table, and scores the plan. The saturation check does a city-level version for free.
Questions people ask
How many coffee shops are there in Alabama?
BLS counted 1,110 coffee shops with employees in Alabama in 2026 Q1, employing 11,234 people. Owner-only businesses with no payroll are not in that count. That is 21.5 per 100,000 residents, against 26.3 nationally.
Are coffee shops growing in Alabama?
Yes. Jobs at coffee shops in Alabama changed +17.7% over the year to 2026 Q1, and the number of locations changed +8.9%. That ranks Alabama 1 of 50 states for job growth in this business type. Over five years the location count moved +58.4%.
Is Alabama a crowded market for coffee shops?
Alabama has 21.5 coffee shops per 100,000 residents, close to the national average, ranking 38 of 50 states. Density is a statewide average; a Neur report counts the competitors around one address.
Coffee shops in every state
Densest first. The number is coffee shops per 100,000 residents in 2026 Q1.
Other business types in Alabama
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private sector, NAICS 722515, 2026 Q1 (quarterly) and annual averages (five-year series); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year population estimates. This page is generated from those feeds and rewritten when a new quarter publishes. All 14 business types in Alabama · Growth ranking for Alabama · Coffee shops by state