Food and drink · Metro area · California
Coffee shops and cafes in the Chico, CA metro area
How the Chico, CA metro area compares with other metro areas and the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 21 out of 100: Low
Ranked #377 of 387 scored metro areas
#25 of 25 scored metro areas based in California
- Listings
- 107
- 46 chain locations (43%)
- Official establishments
- 76
- All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +16.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $309.7M
- On food away from home · $3,717 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.9M
- 22% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 12.8
- 16% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 209,211
- −0.5% since 2020
See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in the Chico metro area
The site report maps the coffee shops and cafes 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 the Chico metro area. 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
The Chico metro area scores 21 (low) on the Groundwork market score for coffee shops and cafes, ranking #377 of 387 scored metro areas and #25 of 25 scored metro areas based in California. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.
As of September 2026, map listings count 107 coffee shops and cafes in the Chico metro area. Of those, 46 are chain locations, or 43%, against 39% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 12.8, 16% above the U.S. rate of 11.0.
At $3,717 per household (9% below the U.S. average), households in the Chico metro area spend about $309.7M a year on food away from home. That is about $2.9M of household spending for each cafe on map listings, 22% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. That spending covers all food away from home, which coffee shops and cafes share with other businesses in the trade.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in the Chico metro area was 76 in 2023, up 16.9% from 2019. That is one for every 1,096 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S. The official count takes in all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars, not only coffee shops and cafes: bakeries and dessert shops are counted too. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $335K have gone to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in the Chico metro area. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Chico metro area declined 0.5%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Chico metro area compares
The same measures for California and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all food away from home by the coffee shops and cafes 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 | Chico metro area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 12.8 | 14.8 | 11.0 |
| Spending per listing | $2.9M | $3.1M | $3.7M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars) | 1,096 | 1,010 | 1,518 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +16.9% | +13.5% | +24.3% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.5% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,717 | $4,559 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $67,928 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 21 | 32 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 76All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +16.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,086
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $24.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 14All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 10746 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 84The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $335K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in the Chico metro area, 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. These official figures cover all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars, not only coffee shops and cafes.
Population and households in the Chico metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 209,211−0.5% since 2020
- Households
- 83,312
- Median age
- 38.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 57%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 1,637 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 127
- Median household income
- $67,928+29.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $95,439
- Median home value
- $424,700
- Jobs located here
- 75,172
- Daytime population
- 203,711Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Chico metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the coffee shops and cafes on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of the Chico metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardCoffee shops and cafes across California
Every California market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in California for coffee shops and cafes, numbered among those based in California, with the Chico metro area marked.
Top metro areas in California
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Yuba City, CA | 66 | 51 | 8.2 | $4.7M | +3.3% | #68 of 387 |
| 2Vallejo, CA | 59 | 157 | 10.0 | $4.5M | +0.6% | #119 of 387 |
| 3Stockton-Lodi, CA | 59 | 258 | 10.5 | $4.1M | +5.5% | #124 of 387 |
| 4Merced, CA | 54 | 74 | 8.6 | $4.1M | +5.1% | #163 of 387 |
| 5Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 52 | 1,534 | 10.6 | $4M | +3.5% | #179 of 387 |
| 6Bakersfield-Delano, CA | 45 | 272 | 9.5 | $3.9M | +2.3% | #230 of 387 |
| 7Visalia, CA | 44 | 129 | 9.0 | $4.1M | +2.4% | #237 of 387 |
| 8Fresno, CA | 43 | 382 | 10.3 | $3.7M | +3.2% | #253 of 387 |
| 9Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | 42 | 1,222 | 13.9 | $3.2M | +3.2% | #263 of 387 |
| 10Hanford-Corcoran, CA | 41 | 40 | 9.1 | $4M | +1.0% | #267 of 387 |
| 25Chico, CA | 21 | 107 | 12.8 | $2.9M | −0.5% | #377 of 387 |
Other business types in the Chico metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes39
- Sit-down restaurants48
- Fast food and sandwich shops50
- Pizza50
- Coffee shops and cafes21
- Bakeries and dessert shops38
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 coffee shops and cafes are in the Chico, CA metro area?
The Chico metro area has 107 coffee shops and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 46 of them (43%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 76 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in 2023, up 16.9% from 2019. That count covers all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars (bakeries and dessert shops included), not only coffee shops and cafes. Another 14 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Chico, CA metro area spend on food away from home?
About $309.7M a year, or $3,717 per household. That is 9% below the U.S. average (an index of 91, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 107 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $2.9M per cafe. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only coffee shops and cafes. It is estimated from the incomes of the 83,312 households in the Chico metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Chico, CA metro area compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?
The Chico metro area has 12.8 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 16% above the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $2.9M, 22% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the national ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, the Chico metro area would have about 84, against 107 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,096 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S. The official count rose 16.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.3% for the U.S.
How fast is the Chico, CA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Chico metro area at 209,211 people in 2025, down 0.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 83,312 households. The median household income in the Chico metro area is $67,928 a year, 16% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 29.3% 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. The Chico metro area scores 21 for coffee shops and cafes (low), #377 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Chico metro area. It maps the coffee shops and cafes 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 coffee shops and cafes · All 56 business types in the Chico metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Chico metro area?
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 the Chico metro area. 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.