Market rankings · Delaware
Coffee shops and cafes in Delaware
Markets across Delaware ranked by the Groundwork market score for coffee shops and cafes, with competitor counts and household spending for each.
- Listings
- 354
- 149 chain locations (42%)
- Official establishments
- 230
- All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +5.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.6B
- On food away from home
- Listings per 10k households
- 8.8
- 20% below the U.S.
- Spending per listing
- $4.6M
- 25% above the U.S.
- Rank among states
- #3 of 51
- Market score 75 · High
A site report maps the coffee shops and cafes on map listings around any address in Delaware by name and distance, and the spending within reach.
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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 354 coffee shops and cafes in Delaware. 149 of them (42%) are chain locations, against 39% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 8.8, 20% below the U.S. rate of 11.0.
Household spending on food away from home in Delaware comes to about $1.6B a year: $4,092 per household, in line with the U.S. average. That is about $4.6M of household spending for each cafe on map listings, 25% 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.
In 2023, official counts showed 230 businesses with payroll in Delaware classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars, up 5.5% from 2019. That is one for every 1,748 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 24.3% over the same years. 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, 11 SBA-backed loans worth $2M have gone to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Delaware.
Among the 50 states and DC, Delaware ranks #3 for coffee shops and cafes, with a Groundwork market score of 75 (high). Of the 2 scored metro areas in or partly in Delaware, the Dover metro area scores highest (79). The one scored small-town market in or partly in Delaware, the Seaford area, scores 68.
Every market in Delaware for coffee shops and cafes
Download the ranking (CSV)Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in Delaware, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.
Metro areas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Dover, DE | 79 | 47 | 6.6 | $5.6M | +6.8% | #12 of 387 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 60 | 2,335 | 9.5 | $4.6M | +1.4% | #111 of 387 |
Small-town markets
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Seaford, DE | 68 | 93 | 8.7 | $4.5M | +16.1% | #73 of 529 |
Counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Kent County, DE | 77 | 47 | 6.6 | $5.6M | +6.8% | #156 of 2,063 |
| 2Sussex County, DE | 65 | 93 | 8.7 | $4.5M | +16.1% | #437 of 2,063 |
| 3New Castle County, DE | 63 | 214 | 9.5 | $4.5M | +3.0% | #506 of 2,063 |
Questions
How many coffee shops and cafes are in Delaware?
There are 354 coffee shops and cafes on map listings in Delaware as of September 2026. 149 of them (42%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 230 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in 2023, up 5.5% from 2019. That count covers all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars (bakeries and dessert shops included), not only coffee shops and cafes. Official counts list 46 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Delaware spend on food away from home?
About $1.6B a year, or $4,092 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 101, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 354 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 402,038 households in Delaware and national spending patterns by income.
How does Delaware compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?
Delaware has 8.8 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 20% below the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $4.6M, 25% above the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the national ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, Delaware would have about 444, against 354 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,748 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.3% for the U.S.
Which market in Delaware has the highest market score for coffee shops and cafes?
Among 2 scored metro areas in or partly in Delaware, the Dover metro area scores highest, at 79 (high). The one scored small-town market in or partly in Delaware is the Seaford area, at 68 (upper middle). Among 3 scored counties in Delaware, Kent County scores highest, at 77 (high). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.
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. Delaware scores 75 for coffee shops and cafes (high), #3 of the 50 states and DC.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Delaware. 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.
Coffee shops and cafes in other states
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Top markets for coffee shops and cafes across the U.S. · All business types in Delaware
Related business types in Delaware
- Restaurants and cafes4,155 listings
- Sit-down restaurants2,429 listings
- Fast food and sandwich shops478 listings
- Pizza346 listings
- Bakeries and dessert shops439 listings
Screening a site or an acquisition in Delaware?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
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.