Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Indiana

Coffee shops and cafes in Whitley County, IN

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 70 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #306 of 2,063 scored counties
#17 of 70 scored counties in Indiana

Listings
11
3 chain locations (27%)
Official establishments
5
All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
Household spending a year
$54.2M
On food away from home · $3,860 a household
Spending per listing
$4.9M
33% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
7.8
29% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
35,046
+2.1% since 2020

See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in Whitley 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 Whitley 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

As of September 2026, map listings count 11 coffee shops and cafes in Whitley County. Of those, 3 are chain locations, or 27%, against 39% across the U.S. That comes to 7.8 for every 10,000 households, 29% below the U.S. rate of 11.0.

Households in Whitley County spend about $54.2M a year on food away from home, or $3,860 per household, 5% below the U.S. average. Spread across 11 coffee shops and cafes, that is $4.9M per cafe, 33% 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 5 businesses with payroll in Whitley County classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars. That is one for every 2,806 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 $17K has gone to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Whitley County.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Whitley County grew 2.1%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for coffee shops and cafes in Whitley County is 70 (upper middle), #306 of 2,063 scored counties and #17 of 70 scored counties in Indiana. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How Whitley County compares

The same measures for Indiana 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 Whitley County, IN compared with Indiana and the U.S.
MeasureWhitley CountyIndianaU.S.
Listings per 10k households7.88.011.0
Spending per listing$4.9M$4.8M$3.7M
Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars)2,8062,1251,518
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+40.8%+24.3%
Population growth, 2020–2025+2.1%+2.7%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,860$3,802$4,070
Median household income$78,083$71,957$80,734
Groundwork market score7070

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
5 → 5All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
Employees, 2023
56
Annual payroll, 2023
$486K
One-person businesses, 2023
0All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
113 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
15The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$17K

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

Population, 2025 estimate
35,046+2.1% since 2020
Households
14,029
Median age
41.3
Homes lived in by their owners
82%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
336 sq. mi.
People per square mile
103
Median household income
$78,083+26.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$94,006
Median home value
$219,400
Jobs located here
13,433
Daytime population
31,218Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Whitley 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 Whitley 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 Indiana

Every Indiana market ranked →

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

Top counties in Indiana

Counties in Indiana ranked for coffee shops and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Warrick County, IN87114.4$9.8M+4.4%#38 of 2,063
2Hancock County, IN85247.2$6.2M+13.5%#51 of 2,063
3Dearborn County, IN82104.9$8.1M+1.7%#71 of 2,063
4Boone County, IN82248.4$5.9M+13.5%#83 of 2,063
5Morgan County, IN81196.7$6M+4.4%#91 of 2,063
6Franklin County, IN8055.4$7.2M+2.2%#100 of 2,063
7Putnam County, IN8085.7$6.7M+3.2%#102 of 2,063
8Hendricks County, IN80497.3$6.3M+10.2%#105 of 2,063
9Bartholomew County, IN79236.9$5.8M+4.3%#118 of 2,063
10Lawrence County, IN7684.2$8.5M+1.2%#168 of 2,063
17Whitley County, IN70117.8$4.9M+2.1%#306 of 2,063

Other business types in Whitley County

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

Questions

How many coffee shops and cafes are in Whitley County, IN?

Whitley County has 11 coffee shops and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 3 of them (27%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 5 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.

How much do households in Whitley County, IN spend on food away from home?

About $54.2M a year, or $3,860 per household. That is 5% below the U.S. average (an index of 95, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 11 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $4.9M 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 14,029 households in Whitley County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Whitley County has 7.8 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 29% below the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $4.9M, 33% above the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the national ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, Whitley County would have about 15, against 11 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,806 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S.

How fast is Whitley County, IN growing?

Population estimates put Whitley County at 35,046 people in 2025, up 2.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 14,029 households. The median household income in Whitley County is $78,083 a year, 3% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 26.5% 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. Whitley County scores 70 for coffee shops and cafes (upper middle), #306 of 2,063 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Whitley 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 Whitley 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.