Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Iowa

Coffee shops and cafes in Jefferson County, IA

How Jefferson County, IA 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 22 out of 100: Low

Ranked #1,946 of 2,063 scored counties
#60 of 63 scored counties in Iowa

Listings
12
5 chain locations (42%)
Official establishments
4
All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
Household spending a year
$23.8M
On food away from home · $3,428 a household
Spending per listing
$2M
46% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
17.3
57% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
15,291
−2.5% since 2020

See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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, Jefferson County has a Groundwork market score of 22 (low): #1,946 of 2,063 scored counties and #60 of 63 scored counties in Iowa. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

At $3,428 per household (16% below the U.S. average), households in Jefferson County spend about $23.8M a year on food away from home. That works out to $2M per cafe, 46% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only coffee shops and cafes.

Jefferson County has 12 coffee shops and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 5 are chain locations, or 42%, against 39% across the U.S. That is 17.3 per 10,000 households, 57% above the U.S. rate of 11.0.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Jefferson County was 4 in 2023. That is one for every 1,738 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. Population estimates show Jefferson County declined 2.5% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How Jefferson County compares

The same measures for Iowa 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 Jefferson County, IA compared with Iowa and the U.S.
MeasureJefferson CountyIowaU.S.
Listings per 10k households17.311.811.0
Spending per listing$2M$3.3M$3.7M
Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars)1,7381,7021,518
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+51.3%+24.3%
Population growth, 2020–2025−2.5%+1.5%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,428$3,880$4,070
Median household income$61,620$75,059$80,734
Groundwork market score2240

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
4All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
Employees, 2023
37
Annual payroll, 2023
$665K
One-person businesses, 2023
0All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
125 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
6The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
0
Amount
$0

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

Population, 2025 estimate
15,291−2.5% since 2020
Households
6,952
Median age
44.2
Homes lived in by their owners
68%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
436 sq. mi.
People per square mile
36
Median household income
$61,620+29.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$82,383
Median home value
$163,400
Jobs located here
7,562
Daytime population
16,437Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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 Iowa

Every Iowa market ranked →

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

Top counties in Iowa

Counties in Iowa ranked for coffee shops and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Dallas County, IA685011.8$4M+17.8%#368 of 2,063
2Marshall County, IA6763.9$9.4M−0.5%#370 of 2,063
3Benton County, IA6665.9$7M+1.8%#396 of 2,063
4Warren County, IA612713.1$3.3M+9.0%#584 of 2,063
5Washington County, IA59910.0$3.8M+0.6%#661 of 2,063
6Grundy County, IA5759.8$4.1M+0.2%#732 of 2,063
7Webster County, IA56127.8$4.5M−0.4%#765 of 2,063
8Pottawattamie County, IA55369.6$3.9M−0.7%#816 of 2,063
9Allamakee County, IA5458.4$4.3M+1.2%#848 of 2,063
10Buchanan County, IA5489.7$3.9M+1.3%#857 of 2,063
60Jefferson County, IA221217.3$2M−2.5%#1,946 of 2,063

Other business types in Jefferson County

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

Questions

How many coffee shops and cafes are in Jefferson County, IA?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 12 coffee shops and cafes in Jefferson County. 5 of them (42%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 4 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in 2023. The official count takes in all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars, not only coffee shops and cafes: bakeries and dessert shops are counted too.

How much do households in Jefferson County, IA spend on food away from home?

About $23.8M a year, or $3,428 per household. That is 16% below the U.S. average (an index of 84, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 12 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 6,952 households in Jefferson County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Jefferson County has 17.3 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 57% above the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $2M, 46% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the U.S. ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, Jefferson County would have about 6, against 12 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,738 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S.

How fast is Jefferson County, IA growing?

Population estimates put Jefferson County at 15,291 people in 2025, down 2.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 6,952 households. Median household income in Jefferson County is $61,620, 24% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.2%, 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. Jefferson County scores 22 for coffee shops and cafes (low), #1,946 of 2,063 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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.