Groundwork

Market rankings · Hawaii

Coffee shops and cafes in Hawaii

Every metro area, small-town market and county in Hawaii, ranked by the Groundwork market score for coffee shops and cafes, with competitor counts and household spending for each.

Listings
1,099
287 chain locations (26%)
Official establishments
546
All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +13.3% since 2019
Household spending a year
$2.2B
On food away from home
Listings per 10k households
22.3
Twice the U.S.
Spending per listing
$2M
45% below the U.S.
Rank among states
#50 of 51
Market score 20 · Low

A site report maps the coffee shops and cafes on map listings around any address in Hawaii by name and distance, and the spending within reach.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

There are 1,099 coffee shops and cafes on map listings in Hawaii as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 26% of them, against 39% across the U.S. That is 22.3 per 10,000 households, twice the U.S. rate of 11.0.

Household spending on food away from home in Hawaii comes to about $2.2B a year: $4,533 per household, 11% above the U.S. average. That works out to $2M per cafe, 45% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only coffee shops and cafes.

Official counts show 546 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Hawaii in 2023, up 13.3% from 2019. That is one for every 902 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 24.3% over the same years. That count covers all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars (bakeries and dessert shops included), not only coffee shops and cafes. Since fiscal 2022, 24 SBA-backed loans worth $5.5M have gone to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Hawaii.

Among the 50 states and DC, Hawaii ranks #50 for coffee shops and cafes, with a Groundwork market score of 20 (low). Of the 2 scored metro areas in or partly in Hawaii, the Urban Honolulu metro area scores highest (25). Of the 2 scored small-town markets in or partly in Hawaii, the Hilo-Kailua area scores highest (39).

Every market in Hawaii for coffee shops and cafes

Download the ranking (CSV)

Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in Hawaii, 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

Metro areas reaching Hawaii, ranked for coffee shops and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Urban Honolulu, HI2560817.9$2.6M−2.3%#364 of 387
2Kahului-Wailuku, HI2016629.7$1.5M−2.5%#381 of 387

Small-town markets

Small-town markets reaching Hawaii, ranked for coffee shops and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Hilo-Kailua, HI3923131.2$1.3M+4.6%#391 of 529
2Kapaa, HI299439.8$1.1M+0.3%#480 of 529

Counties

Counties in Hawaii, ranked for coffee shops and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Hawaii County, HI3423131.2$1.3M+4.6%#1,640 of 2,063
2Honolulu County, HI2960817.9$2.6M−2.3%#1,792 of 2,063
3Kauai County, HI259439.8$1.1M+0.3%#1,896 of 2,063
4Maui County, HI2216629.7$1.5M−2.5%#1,952 of 2,063
Kalawao County, HINot scored00.0n/a+2.5%

Markets with fewer than 5 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored; they’re listed last in each table.

Questions

How many coffee shops and cafes are in Hawaii?

As of September 2026, map listings count 1,099 coffee shops and cafes in Hawaii. 287 of them (26%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 546 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in 2023, up 13.3% 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 also show 147 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Hawaii spend on food away from home?

About $2.2B a year, or $4,533 per household. That is 11% above the U.S. average (an index of 111, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,099 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $2M 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 492,453 households in Hawaii and national spending patterns by income.

How does Hawaii compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?

Hawaii has 22.3 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, twice the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $2M, 45% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the U.S. ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, Hawaii would have about 603, against 1,099 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 902 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S. The official count rose 13.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.3% for the U.S.

Which market in Hawaii has the highest market score for coffee shops and cafes?

Among 2 scored metro areas in or partly in Hawaii, the Urban Honolulu metro area scores highest, at 25 (lower middle). Among 2 scored small-town markets in or partly in Hawaii, the Hilo-Kailua area scores highest, at 39 (lower middle). Among 4 scored counties in Hawaii, Hawaii County scores highest, at 34 (lower middle). 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. Hawaii scores 20 for coffee shops and cafes (low), #50 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 Hawaii. 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

All 51 states

Top markets for coffee shops and cafes across the U.S. · All business types in Hawaii

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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.