Food and drink · County · Florida
Coffee shops and cafes in Highlands County, FL
How Highlands County, FL 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 69 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #338 of 2,063 scored counties
#19 of 58 scored counties in Florida
- Listings
- 32
- 7 chain locations (22%)
- Official establishments
- 9
- All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
- Household spending a year
- $147.4M
- On food away from home · $3,143 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.6M
- 24% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.8
- 38% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 111,122
- +9.7% since 2020
See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in Highlands 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 Highlands 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 32 coffee shops and cafes in Highlands County. Of those, 7 are chain locations, or 22%, against 39% across the U.S. That is 6.8 per 10,000 households, 38% below the U.S. rate of 11.0.
At $3,143 per household (23% below the U.S. average), households in Highlands County spend about $147.4M a year on food away from home. That is about $4.6M of household spending for each cafe on map listings, 24% 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 9 businesses with payroll in Highlands County classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars. That is one for every 5,209 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. Another 7 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $1.4M has gone to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Highlands County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Highlands County grew 9.7%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Highlands County scores 69 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for coffee shops and cafes, ranking #338 of 2,063 scored counties and #19 of 58 scored counties in Florida. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Highlands County compares
The same measures for Florida 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 | Highlands County | Florida | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.8 | 10.4 | 11.0 |
| Spending per listing | $4.6M | $3.7M | $3.7M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars) | 5,209 | 1,910 | 1,518 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +35.2% | +24.3% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +9.7% | +8.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,143 | $3,841 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $54,897 | $74,568 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 69 | 60 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 8 → 9All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
- Employees, 2023
- 110
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 7All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 327 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 40The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $1.4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Highlands 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 Highlands County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 111,122+9.7% since 2020
- Households
- 46,879
- Median age
- 52.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 79%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 1,018 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 104
- Median household income
- $54,897+34.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $71,953
- Median home value
- $187,900
- Jobs located here
- 28,038
- Daytime population
- 94,243Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Highlands 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 Highlands 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 Florida
Every Florida market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Florida for coffee shops and cafes, numbered among those based in Florida, with Highlands County marked.
Top counties in Florida
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Sumter County, FL | 90 | 36 | 5.1 | $7.3M | +21.1% | #21 of 2,063 |
| 2Nassau County, FL | 85 | 30 | 7.6 | $5.5M | +17.4% | #52 of 2,063 |
| 3Santa Rosa County, FL | 85 | 56 | 7.7 | $5.4M | +11.7% | #53 of 2,063 |
| 4Baker County, FL | 84 | 5 | 5.5 | $7.1M | +5.8% | #56 of 2,063 |
| 5Flagler County, FL | 81 | 37 | 7.0 | $5.5M | +21.0% | #94 of 2,063 |
| 6Wakulla County, FL | 81 | 9 | 7.1 | $5.4M | +12.3% | #95 of 2,063 |
| 7Clay County, FL | 80 | 54 | 6.5 | $6.3M | +9.4% | #104 of 2,063 |
| 8Citrus County, FL | 78 | 37 | 5.2 | $6.3M | +11.1% | #136 of 2,063 |
| 9Marion County, FL | 78 | 95 | 5.8 | $5.8M | +17.3% | #141 of 2,063 |
| 10Pasco County, FL | 78 | 169 | 7.2 | $5.2M | +19.1% | #143 of 2,063 |
| 19Highlands County, FL | 69 | 32 | 6.8 | $4.6M | +9.7% | #338 of 2,063 |
Other business types in Highlands County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes64
- Sit-down restaurants63
- Fast food and sandwich shops65
- Pizza73
- Coffee shops and cafes69
- Bakeries and dessert shops69
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 Highlands County, FL?
There are 32 coffee shops and cafes on map listings in Highlands County as of September 2026. 7 of them (22%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 9 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 list 7 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Highlands County, FL spend on food away from home?
About $147.4M a year, or $3,143 per household. That is 23% below the U.S. average (an index of 77, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 32 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 46,879 households in Highlands County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Highlands County, FL compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?
Highlands County has 6.8 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 38% below the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $4.6M, 24% above the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the national ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, Highlands County would have about 40, against 32 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 5,209 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S.
How fast is Highlands County, FL growing?
Population estimates put Highlands County at 111,122 people in 2025, up 9.7% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 46,879 households. The median household income in Highlands County is $54,897 a year, 32% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 34.1% 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. Highlands County scores 69 for coffee shops and cafes (upper middle), #338 of 2,063 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Highlands 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 Highlands County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Highlands 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 Highlands 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.