Food and drink · County · Illinois
Coffee shops and cafes in Cook County, IL
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for coffee shops and cafes in Cook County, IL, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 46 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,175 of 2,063 scored counties
#44 of 74 scored counties in Illinois
- Listings
- 2,491
- 1,142 chain locations (46%)
- Official establishments
- 1,245
- All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +11.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $8.9B
- On food away from home · $4,255 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.6M
- 3% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.9
- 8% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 5,194,625
- −1.3% since 2020
See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in Cook 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 Cook 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
Households in Cook County spend about $8.9B a year on food away from home, or $4,255 per household, 5% above the U.S. average. Spread across 2,491 coffee shops and cafes, that is $3.6M per cafe, 3% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only coffee shops and cafes.
There are 2,491 coffee shops and cafes on map listings in Cook County as of September 2026. Of those, 1,142 are chain locations, or 46%, against 39% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 11.9, 8% above the U.S. rate of 11.0.
Official counts show 1,245 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Cook County in 2023, up 11.7% from 2019. That is one for every 1,687 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S. That count covers all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars (bakeries and dessert shops included), not only coffee shops and cafes. Official counts list 333 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 72 SBA-backed loans worth $27.5M have gone to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Cook County.
Population estimates show Cook County declined 1.3% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. For coffee shops and cafes, Cook County has a Groundwork market score of 46 (lower middle): #1,175 of 2,063 scored counties and #44 of 74 scored counties in Illinois.
How Cook County compares
The same measures for Illinois 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 | Cook County | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 11.9 | 10.3 | 11.0 |
| Spending per listing | $3.6M | $4.1M | $3.7M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars) | 1,687 | 1,881 | 1,518 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +11.7% | +22.5% | +24.3% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.3% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,255 | $4,215 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $83,498 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 46 | 57 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 1,115 → 1,245All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +11.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 15,834
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $406.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 333All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 2,4911,142 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 2,413The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 72
- Amount
- $27.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Cook 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 Cook County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 5,194,625−1.3% since 2020
- Households
- 2,100,230
- Median age
- 39.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 58%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.4
- Land area
- 945 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 5,484
- Median household income
- $83,498+29.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $120,729
- Median home value
- $324,500
- Jobs located here
- 2,683,238
- Daytime population
- 5,468,881Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Cook 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 Cook 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 Illinois
Every Illinois market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Illinois for coffee shops and cafes, numbered among those based in Illinois, with Cook County marked.
Top counties in Illinois
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Boone County, IL | 77 | 11 | 5.7 | $7.4M | +0.4% | #150 of 2,063 |
| 2Ogle County, IL | 75 | 14 | 6.7 | $5.9M | −0.7% | #187 of 2,063 |
| 3McHenry County, IL | 74 | 99 | 8.4 | $5.6M | +2.5% | #206 of 2,063 |
| 4Kendall County, IL | 73 | 42 | 9.3 | $5.2M | +9.9% | #240 of 2,063 |
| 5Effingham County, IL | 72 | 8 | 5.7 | $6.9M | −0.5% | #245 of 2,063 |
| 6Macoupin County, IL | 71 | 10 | 5.7 | $6.7M | −2.6% | #264 of 2,063 |
| 7Clinton County, IL | 71 | 13 | 8.9 | $4.6M | +0.6% | #279 of 2,063 |
| 8Will County, IL | 68 | 206 | 8.4 | $5.7M | +2.2% | #348 of 2,063 |
| 9St. Clair County, IL | 67 | 73 | 7.2 | $5.4M | −2.5% | #381 of 2,063 |
| 10Madison County, IL | 66 | 85 | 7.7 | $5.1M | −1.0% | #402 of 2,063 |
| 44Cook County, IL | 46 | 2,491 | 11.9 | $3.6M | −1.3% | #1,175 of 2,063 |
Other business types in Cook County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes39
- Sit-down restaurants37
- Fast food and sandwich shops50
- Pizza55
- Coffee shops and cafes46
- Bakeries and dessert shops41
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 Cook County, IL?
As of September 2026, map listings count 2,491 coffee shops and cafes in Cook County. 1,142 of them (46%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 1,245 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in 2023, up 11.7% 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 333 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Cook County, IL spend on food away from home?
About $8.9B a year, or $4,255 per household. That is 5% above the U.S. average (an index of 105, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 2,491 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $3.6M 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 2,100,230 households in Cook County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Cook County, IL compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?
Cook County has 11.9 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 8% above the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $3.6M, 3% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the U.S. ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, Cook County would have about 2,413, against 2,491 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,687 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S. The official count rose 11.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.3% for the U.S.
How fast is Cook County, IL growing?
Population estimates put Cook County at 5,194,625 people in 2025, down 1.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 2,100,230 households. Median household income in Cook County is $83,498, 3% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.1%, 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. Cook County scores 46 for coffee shops and cafes (lower middle), #1,175 of 2,063 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Cook 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 Cook County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Cook 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 Cook 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.