Food and drink · County · Colorado
Coffee shops and cafes in Boulder County, CO
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for coffee shops and cafes in Boulder County, CO, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 32 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,691 of 2,063 scored counties
#24 of 36 scored counties in Colorado
- Listings
- 252
- 87 chain locations (35%)
- Official establishments
- 126
- All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +2.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $646.2M
- On food away from home · $4,716 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.6M
- 31% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 18.4
- 67% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 328,560
- −0.7% since 2020
See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in Boulder 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 Boulder 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
For coffee shops and cafes, Boulder County has a Groundwork market score of 32 (lower middle): #1,691 of 2,063 scored counties and #24 of 36 scored counties in Colorado. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
At $4,716 per household (16% above the U.S. average), households in Boulder County spend about $646.2M a year on food away from home. Spread across 252 coffee shops and cafes, that is $2.6M per cafe, 31% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only coffee shops and cafes.
There are 252 coffee shops and cafes on map listings in Boulder County as of September 2026. 87 of them (35%) are chain locations, against 39% across the U.S. That is 18.4 per 10,000 households, 67% above the U.S. rate of 11.0.
Official counts show 126 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Boulder County in 2023, up 2.4% from 2019. That is one for every 1,087 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S. That count covers all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars (bakeries and dessert shops included), not only coffee shops and cafes. Since fiscal 2022, 7 SBA-backed loans worth $2.7M have gone to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Boulder County. Population estimates put the population change in Boulder County from 2020 to 2025 at −0.7%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Boulder County compares
The same measures for Colorado 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 | Boulder County | Colorado | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 18.4 | 13.6 | 11.0 |
| Spending per listing | $2.6M | $3.2M | $3.7M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars) | 1,087 | 1,351 | 1,518 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +2.4% | +22.5% | +24.3% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.7% | +3.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,716 | $4,421 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $103,994 | $95,470 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 32 | 51 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 123 → 126All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +2.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,096
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $43.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 16All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 25287 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 175The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 7
- Amount
- $2.7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Boulder 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 Boulder County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 328,560−0.7% since 2020
- Households
- 137,008
- Median age
- 39.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 62%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 726 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 453
- Median household income
- $103,994+25.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $148,846
- Median home value
- $756,300
- Jobs located here
- 190,563
- Daytime population
- 376,803Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Boulder 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 Boulder 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 Colorado
Every Colorado market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Colorado for coffee shops and cafes, numbered among those based in Colorado, with Boulder County marked.
Top counties in Colorado
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Elbert County, CO | 89 | 10 | 10.0 | $5.2M | +16.5% | #28 of 2,063 |
| 2Adams County, CO | 74 | 153 | 8.1 | $5.3M | +6.6% | #208 of 2,063 |
| 3Douglas County, CO | 73 | 144 | 10.3 | $5.5M | +10.9% | #237 of 2,063 |
| 4Broomfield County, CO | 71 | 31 | 9.8 | $5.2M | +6.3% | #275 of 2,063 |
| 5Park County, CO | 66 | 11 | 12.2 | $3.6M | +5.1% | #415 of 2,063 |
| 6Weld County, CO | 62 | 143 | 11.5 | $3.8M | +14.2% | #550 of 2,063 |
| 7Arapahoe County, CO | 57 | 283 | 11.0 | $4.2M | +2.8% | #731 of 2,063 |
| 8Pueblo County, CO | 54 | 54 | 7.9 | $4.4M | +0.6% | #846 of 2,063 |
| 9Jefferson County, CO | 51 | 277 | 11.5 | $4.2M | −0.5% | #972 of 2,063 |
| 10El Paso County, CO | 49 | 377 | 13.0 | $3.3M | +3.2% | #1,063 of 2,063 |
| 24Boulder County, CO | 32 | 252 | 18.4 | $2.6M | −0.7% | #1,691 of 2,063 |
Other business types in Boulder County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes38
- Sit-down restaurants36
- Fast food and sandwich shops58
- Pizza56
- Coffee shops and cafes32
- Bakeries and dessert shops46
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 Boulder County, CO?
As of September 2026, map listings count 252 coffee shops and cafes in Boulder County. 87 of them (35%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 126 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in 2023, up 2.4% from 2019. The official count takes in all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars, not only coffee shops and cafes: bakeries and dessert shops are counted too. Official counts list 16 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Boulder County, CO spend on food away from home?
About $646.2M a year, or $4,716 per household. That is 16% above the U.S. average (an index of 116, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 252 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $2.6M per cafe. That spending covers all food away from home, which coffee shops and cafes share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 137,008 households in Boulder County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Boulder County, CO compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?
Boulder County has 18.4 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 67% above the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $2.6M, 31% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the U.S. ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, Boulder County would have about 175, against 252 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,087 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S. The official count rose 2.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.3% for the U.S.
How fast is Boulder County, CO growing?
Population estimates put Boulder County at 328,560 people in 2025, down 0.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 137,008 households. Median household income in Boulder County is $103,994, 29% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.3%, 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. Boulder County scores 32 for coffee shops and cafes (lower middle), #1,691 of 2,063 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Boulder 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 Boulder County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Boulder 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 Boulder 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.