Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Iowa

Coffee shops and cafes in O’Brien County, IA

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for coffee shops and cafes in O’Brien County, IA, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 27 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,841 of 2,063 scored counties
#53 of 63 scored counties in Iowa

Listings
10
3 chain locations (30%)
Official establishments
4
All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
Household spending a year
$21.1M
On food away from home · $3,635 a household
Spending per listing
$2.1M
43% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
17.2
56% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
14,220
+0.5% since 2020

See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in O’Brien 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 O’Brien 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

O’Brien County scores 27 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for coffee shops and cafes, ranking #1,841 of 2,063 scored counties and #53 of 63 scored counties in Iowa. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

At $3,635 per household (11% below the U.S. average), households in O’Brien County spend about $21.1M a year on food away from home. Spread across 10 coffee shops and cafes, that is $2.1M per cafe, 43% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only coffee shops and cafes.

O’Brien County has 10 coffee shops and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 3 are chain locations, or 30%, against 39% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 17.2, 56% above the U.S. rate of 11.0.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in O’Brien County was 4 in 2023. That is one for every 1,452 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. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of O’Brien County grew 0.5%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How O’Brien 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 O’Brien County, IA compared with Iowa and the U.S.
MeasureO’Brien CountyIowaU.S.
Listings per 10k households17.211.811.0
Spending per listing$2.1M$3.3M$3.7M
Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars)1,4521,7021,518
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+51.3%+24.3%
Population growth, 2020–2025+0.5%+1.5%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,635$3,880$4,070
Median household income$68,356$75,059$80,734
Groundwork market score2740

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
4All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
Employees, 2023
45
Annual payroll, 2023
$421K
One-person businesses, 2023
3All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
103 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 O’Brien 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 O’Brien County

Population, 2025 estimate
14,220+0.5% since 2020
Households
5,809
Median age
40.9
Homes lived in by their owners
76%
Vehicles per household
2.2
Land area
573 sq. mi.
People per square mile
25
Median household income
$68,356+27.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$84,439
Median home value
$173,100
Jobs located here
6,296
Daytime population
12,761Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in O’Brien 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 O’Brien 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 O’Brien 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
53O’Brien County, IA271017.2$2.1M+0.5%#1,841 of 2,063

Other business types in O’Brien County

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

Questions

How many coffee shops and cafes are in O’Brien County, IA?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 10 coffee shops and cafes in O’Brien County. 3 of them (30%) 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. Official counts list 3 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in O’Brien County, IA spend on food away from home?

About $21.1M a year, or $3,635 per household. That is 11% below the U.S. average (an index of 89, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 10 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $2.1M 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 5,809 households in O’Brien County and national spending patterns by income.

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

O’Brien County has 17.2 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 56% above the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $2.1M, 43% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the U.S. ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, O’Brien County would have about 6, against 10 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,452 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S.

How fast is O’Brien County, IA growing?

Population estimates put O’Brien County at 14,220 people in 2025, up 0.5% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 5,809 households. Median household income in O’Brien County is $68,356, 15% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 27.3%, 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. O’Brien County scores 27 for coffee shops and cafes (lower middle), #1,841 of 2,063 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in O’Brien 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 O’Brien County

Screening a site or an acquisition in O’Brien 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 O’Brien 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.