Food and drink · County · Kentucky
Coffee shops and cafes in Shelby County, KY
The coffee shops and cafes in Shelby County, KY, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 75 out of 100: High
Ranked #190 of 2,063 scored counties
#9 of 53 scored counties in Kentucky
- Listings
- 13
- 6 chain locations (46%)
- Official establishments
- 9
- All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
- Household spending a year
- $72.9M
- On food away from home · $3,941 a household
- Spending per listing
- $5.6M
- 51% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.0
- 36% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 51,243
- +6.2% since 2020
See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in Shelby 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 Shelby 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
Shelby County scores 75 (high) on the Groundwork market score for coffee shops and cafes, ranking #190 of 2,063 scored counties and #9 of 53 scored counties in Kentucky. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for coffee shops and cafes.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 13 coffee shops and cafes in Shelby County. Chain locations make up 46% of them, against 39% across the U.S. That comes to 7.0 for every 10,000 households, 36% below the U.S. rate of 11.0.
At $3,941 per household (3% below the U.S. average), households in Shelby County spend about $72.9M a year on food away from home. That is about $5.6M of household spending for each cafe on map listings, 51% 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 9 businesses with payroll in Shelby County classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars. That is one for every 2,054 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. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Shelby County grew 6.2%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Shelby County compares
The same measures for Kentucky 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 | Shelby County | Kentucky | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.0 | 7.4 | 11.0 |
| Spending per listing | $5.6M | $4.7M | $3.7M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars) | 2,054 | 2,979 | 1,518 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +30.4% | +24.3% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +6.2% | +2.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,941 | $3,489 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $82,604 | $63,726 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 75 | 67 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 6 → 9All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
- Employees, 2023
- 70
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 4All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 136 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 20The 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 Shelby 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 Shelby County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 51,243+6.2% since 2020
- Households
- 18,484
- Median age
- 41.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 74%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 380 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 129
- Median household income
- $82,604+23.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $104,252
- Median home value
- $304,800
- Jobs located here
- 16,455
- Daytime population
- 41,644Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Shelby 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 Shelby 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 Kentucky
Every Kentucky market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Kentucky for coffee shops and cafes, numbered among those based in Kentucky, with Shelby County marked.
Top counties in Kentucky
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Bullitt County, KY | 89 | 14 | 4.4 | $8.8M | +5.0% | #23 of 2,063 |
| 2Scott County, KY | 87 | 14 | 6.2 | $6.6M | +8.2% | #41 of 2,063 |
| 3Oldham County, KY | 86 | 16 | 6.9 | $7.2M | +4.9% | #46 of 2,063 |
| 4Woodford County, KY | 80 | 7 | 6.5 | $6.2M | +3.7% | #106 of 2,063 |
| 5Boone County, KY | 80 | 41 | 8.0 | $5.4M | +6.5% | #109 of 2,063 |
| 6Kenton County, KY | 77 | 47 | 7.0 | $5.7M | +3.9% | #155 of 2,063 |
| 7Nelson County, KY | 76 | 13 | 6.8 | $5.2M | +4.8% | #175 of 2,063 |
| 8Jessamine County, KY | 75 | 12 | 6.0 | $6.3M | +7.8% | #186 of 2,063 |
| 9Shelby County, KY | 75 | 13 | 7.0 | $5.6M | +6.2% | #190 of 2,063 |
| 10Madison County, KY | 72 | 29 | 7.8 | $4.4M | +9.4% | #257 of 2,063 |
Other business types in Shelby County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes75
- Sit-down restaurants75
- Fast food and sandwich shops65
- Pizza78
- Coffee shops and cafes75
- Bakeries and dessert shops75
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 Shelby County, KY?
There are 13 coffee shops and cafes on map listings in Shelby County as of September 2026. 6 of them (46%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 9 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. Official counts list 4 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Shelby County, KY spend on food away from home?
About $72.9M a year, or $3,941 per household. That is 3% below the U.S. average (an index of 97, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 13 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $5.6M 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 18,484 households in Shelby County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Shelby County, KY compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?
Shelby County has 7.0 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 36% below the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $5.6M, 51% above the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the national ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, Shelby County would have about 20, against 13 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,054 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S.
How fast is Shelby County, KY growing?
Population estimates put Shelby County at 51,243 people in 2025, up 6.2% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 18,484 households. The median household income in Shelby County is $82,604 a year, 2% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.2% 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. Shelby County scores 75 for coffee shops and cafes (high), #190 of 2,063 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Shelby 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 Shelby County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Shelby 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 Shelby 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.