Food and drink · County · California
Coffee shops and cafes in Santa Cruz County, CA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for coffee shops and cafes in Santa Cruz County, CA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 28 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,816 of 2,063 scored counties
#43 of 55 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 171
- 54 chain locations (32%)
- Official establishments
- 110
- All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +13.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $469.6M
- On food away from home · $4,847 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.7M
- 26% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 17.6
- 60% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 258,852
- −4.7% since 2020
See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in Santa Cruz County
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 Santa Cruz 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
Santa Cruz County scores 28 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for coffee shops and cafes, ranking #1,816 of 2,063 scored counties and #43 of 55 scored counties in California. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 171 coffee shops and cafes in Santa Cruz County. Chain locations make up 32% of them, against 39% across the U.S. That comes to 17.6 for every 10,000 households, 60% above the U.S. rate of 11.0.
Households in Santa Cruz County spend about $469.6M a year on food away from home, or $4,847 per household, 19% above the U.S. average. That is about $2.7M of household spending for each cafe on map listings, 26% 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.
Official counts show 110 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Santa Cruz County in 2023, up 13.4% from 2019. That is one for every 881 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, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $750K has gone to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Santa Cruz County. Population estimates show Santa Cruz County declined 4.7% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Santa Cruz County 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 | Santa Cruz County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 17.6 | 14.8 | 11.0 |
| Spending per listing | $2.7M | $3.1M | $3.7M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars) | 881 | 1,010 | 1,518 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +13.4% | +13.5% | +24.3% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −4.7% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,847 | $4,559 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $111,093 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 28 | 32 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 97 → 110All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +13.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,458
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $34.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 15All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 17154 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 127The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $750K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Santa Cruz 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. These official figures cover all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars, not only coffee shops and cafes.
Population and households in Santa Cruz County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 258,852−4.7% since 2020
- Households
- 96,898
- Median age
- 40.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 60%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 445 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 595
- Median household income
- $111,093+35.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $156,435
- Median home value
- $1,027,500
- Jobs located here
- 95,587
- Daytime population
- 247,989Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Santa Cruz 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 coffee shops and cafes on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Santa Cruz County. 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 counties in California for coffee shops and cafes, numbered among those based in California, with Santa Cruz County marked.
Top counties in California
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Yuba County, CA | 80 | 21 | 7.3 | $5.2M | +8.2% | #110 of 2,063 |
| 2San Benito County, CA | 63 | 22 | 10.7 | $4.6M | +8.6% | #503 of 2,063 |
| 3Madera County, CA | 61 | 36 | 7.9 | $4.8M | +7.4% | #562 of 2,063 |
| 4Contra Costa County, CA | 59 | 400 | 9.7 | $5.4M | +0.3% | #638 of 2,063 |
| 5Solano County, CA | 58 | 157 | 10.0 | $4.5M | +0.6% | #690 of 2,063 |
| 6San Joaquin County, CA | 58 | 258 | 10.5 | $4.1M | +5.5% | #699 of 2,063 |
| 7Merced County, CA | 56 | 74 | 8.6 | $4.1M | +5.1% | #777 of 2,063 |
| 8Riverside County, CA | 56 | 837 | 10.8 | $4M | +5.0% | #779 of 2,063 |
| 9Kern County, CA | 50 | 272 | 9.5 | $3.9M | +2.3% | #998 of 2,063 |
| 10Placer County, CA | 50 | 251 | 15.9 | $3.1M | +8.9% | #1,017 of 2,063 |
| 43Santa Cruz County, CA | 28 | 171 | 17.6 | $2.7M | −4.7% | #1,816 of 2,063 |
Other business types in Santa Cruz County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes37
- Sit-down restaurants40
- Fast food and sandwich shops57
- Pizza58
- Coffee shops and cafes28
- Bakeries and dessert shops30
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 Santa Cruz County, CA?
There are 171 coffee shops and cafes on map listings in Santa Cruz County as of September 2026. 54 of them (32%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 110 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in 2023, up 13.4% from 2019. That count covers all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars (bakeries and dessert shops included), not only coffee shops and cafes. Another 15 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Santa Cruz County, CA spend on food away from home?
About $469.6M a year, or $4,847 per household. That is 19% above the U.S. average (an index of 119, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 171 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $2.7M 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 96,898 households in Santa Cruz County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Santa Cruz County, CA compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?
Santa Cruz County has 17.6 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 60% above the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $2.7M, 26% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the national ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, Santa Cruz County would have about 127, against 171 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 881 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S. The official count rose 13.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.3% for the U.S.
How fast is Santa Cruz County, CA growing?
Population estimates put Santa Cruz County at 258,852 people in 2025, down 4.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 96,898 households. The median household income in Santa Cruz County is $111,093 a year, 38% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 35.1% 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. Santa Cruz County scores 28 for coffee shops and cafes (lower middle), #1,816 of 2,063 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Santa Cruz County. 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 Santa Cruz County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz 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.