Food and drink · County · Connecticut
Coffee shops and cafes in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT
How the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT compares with other counties and the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 59 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #650 of 2,063 scored counties
#3 of 9 scored counties in Connecticut
- Listings
- 76
- 24 chain locations (32%)
- Official establishments
- 57
- All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
- Household spending a year
- $345.9M
- On food away from home · $4,670 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.6M
- 23% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 10.3
- 6% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 177,311
- +2.3% since 2020
See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region
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 Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region. 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 76 coffee shops and cafes in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region. 24 of them (32%) are chain locations, against 39% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 10.3, 6% below the U.S. rate of 11.0.
Household spending on food away from home in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region comes to about $345.9M a year: $4,670 per household, 15% above the U.S. average. That is about $4.6M of household spending for each cafe on map listings, 23% above 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 Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region was 57 in 2023. That is one for every 1,299 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. Official counts list 4 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $2.5M have gone to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region.
Population estimates put the population change in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region from 2020 to 2025 at +2.3%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For coffee shops and cafes, the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region has a Groundwork market score of 59 (upper middle): #650 of 2,063 scored counties and #3 of 9 scored counties in Connecticut.
How the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region compares
The same measures for Connecticut 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 | Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region | Connecticut | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 10.3 | 11.0 | 11.0 |
| Spending per listing | $4.6M | $4.1M | $3.7M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars) | 1,299 | 1,238 | 1,518 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +8.1% | +24.3% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.3% | +3.0% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,670 | $4,498 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $104,428 | $95,781 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 59 | 61 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 57All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
- Employees, 2023
- 677
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $13.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 4All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 7624 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 93The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $2.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, 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 Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 177,311+2.3% since 2020
- Households
- 74,068
- Median age
- 45.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 76%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 424 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 415
- Median household income
- $104,428
- Average household income
- $138,522
- Median home value
- $379,700
- Jobs located here
- 70,497
- Daytime population
- 159,861Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region?
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 the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region. 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 Connecticut
Every Connecticut market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Connecticut for coffee shops and cafes, numbered among those based in Connecticut, with the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region marked.
Top counties in Connecticut
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, CT | 66 | 159 | 8.8 | $4.8M | +3.2% | #406 of 2,063 |
| 2Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 62 | 30 | 7.6 | $5.6M | +3.0% | #527 of 2,063 |
| 3Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT | 59 | 76 | 10.3 | $4.6M | +2.3% | #650 of 2,063 |
| 4Northwest Hills Planning Region, CT | 58 | 56 | 11.7 | $3.8M | +2.2% | #703 of 2,063 |
| 5Capitol Planning Region, CT | 56 | 400 | 10.2 | $4.3M | +3.1% | #770 of 2,063 |
| 6Greater Bridgeport Planning Region, CT | 56 | 128 | 10.7 | $4.2M | +4.1% | #775 of 2,063 |
| 7Western Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 54 | 312 | 13.3 | $4M | +3.5% | #855 of 2,063 |
| 8South Central Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 48 | 276 | 12.0 | $3.6M | +2.5% | #1,098 of 2,063 |
| 9Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 48 | 136 | 11.7 | $3.5M | +2.0% | #1,099 of 2,063 |
Other business types in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes53
- Sit-down restaurants48
- Fast food and sandwich shops76
- Pizza63
- Coffee shops and cafes59
- Bakeries and dessert shops43
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 Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT?
The Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region has 76 coffee shops and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 24 of them (32%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 57 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in 2023. That count covers all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars (bakeries and dessert shops included), not only coffee shops and cafes. Official counts also show 4 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT spend on food away from home?
About $345.9M a year, or $4,670 per household. That is 15% above the U.S. average (an index of 115, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 76 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $4.6M 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 74,068 households in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?
The Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region has 10.3 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 6% below the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $4.6M, 23% above the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the national ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region would have about 93, against 76 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,299 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S.
How fast is the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT growing?
Population estimates put the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region at 177,311 people in 2025, up 2.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 74,068 households. The median household income in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region is $104,428 a year, 29% above the U.S. median of $80,734.
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 Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region scores 59 for coffee shops and cafes (upper middle), #650 of 2,063 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region. 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 Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region?
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 Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region. 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.