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Fast food in Alabama

How many fast food exist per person present (residents + daytime workers) across the 8 Alabama counties we cover, by ZIP code, compared with the U.S. average. Data: Census ZBP 2023 + ACS 2024 + BLS QCEW.

Includes: Fast food · Quick-service restaurants · Takeout & delivery counters · Pizza delivery · Sandwich & burger chains. Counted together because official statistics use one 722513 code.

State verdict (covered counties): Above the U.S. rate — 119% of the U.S. rate

Counties covered

in Alabama

Fast food

2,521

establishments (2023)

Per 10,000 present

8.0

residents + 0.5×workers

U.S. average

6.7

per 10,000 present

State index

119%

vs. U.S.

Residents

2,628,514

in covered counties

Workers

1,070,735

jobs in covered counties

Coverage. This page aggregates only the 8 Alabama counties BizGapMap covers — not the whole state. Counts and the index reflect those counties. The aggregate index uses only ZIP cells Census published, so it is a lower bound. Density is a supply-side signal: it counts existing fast food and the people present, not foot traffic, income, rent, or whether locals want more.

Counties in Alabama

City	County	Fast food	Residents	Workers	Per 10k	Index	Verdict
Montgomery	Montgomery County	257–295	228,185	100,573	9.2	138–148%	Above average
Opelika	Lee County	176–192	177,802	52,583	8.6	129–137%	Above average
Birmingham	Jefferson County	767–827	711,294	355,228	8.6	129–134%	Above average
Huntsville	Madison County	401–427	409,415	185,010	8.0	120–123%	Above average
Tuscaloosa	Tuscaloosa County	196–222	219,464	79,750	7.6	113–124%	Above average
Birmingham	Shelby County	190–210	223,126	74,809	7.3	109–116%	Above average
Mobile	Mobile County	341–393	412,817	152,918	7.0	104–114%	Above average
Daphne	Baldwin County	193–225	246,411	69,864	6.9	103–115%	Above average

Scroll the table sideways to see all columns.

Lowest vs. highest measured density

Fewest competitors per capita

138%

129%

129%

120%

113%

109%

104%

103%

Most competitors per capita

103%

104%

109%

113%

120%

129%

129%

138%

Low measured density is not evidence of opportunity. A county with few fast food may simply lack foot traffic, retail space, or demand. Use the ranking to find where to look, then verify locally.

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BizGapMap — free, no-login small-business saturation reports for major U.S. counties. Built entirely from public U.S. Census, BLS, and IRS data (ZBP 2023, ACS 2024 5-year, PEP 2024, LODES, QCEW, IRS SOI). No forecasts, no revenue guesses — withheld cells are marked, and the few derived counts are labelled as estimates.