Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Hawaii

Coffee shops and cafes in Kauai County, HI

The coffee shops and cafes in Kauai County, HI, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 25 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,896 of 2,063 scored counties
#3 of 4 scored counties in Hawaii

Listings
94
21 chain locations (22%)
Official establishments
39
All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +5.4% since 2019
Household spending a year
$103.9M
On food away from home · $4,396 a household
Spending per listing
$1.1M
70% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
39.8
3.6 times the U.S.
Population, 2025
73,400
+0.3% since 2020

See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in Kauai 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 Kauai County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey 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, Kauai County has a Groundwork market score of 25 (lower middle): #1,896 of 2,063 scored counties and #3 of 4 scored counties in Hawaii. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

Map listings as of September 2026 show 94 coffee shops and cafes in Kauai County. 21 of them (22%) are chain locations, against 39% across the U.S. That comes to 39.8 for every 10,000 households, 3.6 times the U.S. rate of 11.0.

At $4,396 per household (8% above the U.S. average), households in Kauai County spend about $103.9M a year on food away from home. That is about $1.1M of household spending for each cafe on map listings, 70% below 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 Kauai County was 39 in 2023, up 5.4% from 2019. That is one for every 606 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. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $10K has gone to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Kauai County. Population estimates show Kauai County grew 0.3% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How Kauai County compares

The same measures for Hawaii 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.

Coffee shops and cafes in Kauai County, HI compared with Hawaii and the U.S.
MeasureKauai CountyHawaiiU.S.
Listings per 10k households39.822.311.0
Spending per listing$1.1M$2M$3.7M
Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars)6069021,518
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+5.4%+13.3%+24.3%
Population growth, 2020–2025+0.3%−1.3%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$4,396$4,533$4,070
Median household income$97,668$100,389$80,734
Groundwork market score2520

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
37 → 39All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +5.4% over the period
Employees, 2023
321
Annual payroll, 2023
$7.5M
One-person businesses, 2023
12All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
9421 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
28The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$10K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Kauai 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 Kauai County

Population, 2025 estimate
73,400+0.3% since 2020
Households
23,632
Median age
43.9
Homes lived in by their owners
69%
Vehicles per household
2.3
Land area
620 sq. mi.
People per square mile
119
Median household income
$97,668+16.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$126,466
Median home value
$873,200
Jobs located here
28,378
Daytime population
63,469Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Kauai 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 Kauai County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Coffee shops and cafes across Hawaii

Every Hawaii market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Hawaii for coffee shops and cafes, numbered among those based in Hawaii, with Kauai County marked.

Top counties in Hawaii

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

Other business types in Kauai County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many coffee shops and cafes are in Kauai County, HI?

There are 94 coffee shops and cafes on map listings in Kauai County as of September 2026. 21 of them (22%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 39 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in 2023, up 5.4% from 2019. That count covers all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars (bakeries and dessert shops included), not only coffee shops and cafes. Another 12 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in Kauai County, HI spend on food away from home?

About $103.9M a year, or $4,396 per household. That is 8% above the U.S. average (an index of 108, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 94 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $1.1M 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 23,632 households in Kauai County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Kauai County, HI compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?

Kauai County has 39.8 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 3.6 times the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $1.1M, 70% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the national ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, Kauai County would have about 28, against 94 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 606 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.3% for the U.S.

How fast is Kauai County, HI growing?

Population estimates put Kauai County at 73,400 people in 2025, up 0.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 23,632 households. The median household income in Kauai County is $97,668 a year, 21% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 16.9% 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. Kauai County scores 25 for coffee shops and cafes (lower middle), #1,896 of 2,063 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Kauai 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 Kauai County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Kauai 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 Kauai 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.