Food and drink · County · Maine
Coffee shops and cafes in Penobscot County, ME
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for coffee shops and cafes in Penobscot County, ME, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 48 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,091 of 2,063 scored counties
#4 of 16 scored counties in Maine
- Listings
- 58
- 29 chain locations (50%)
- Official establishments
- 49
- All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +19.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $234.6M
- On food away from home · $3,597 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4M
- 9% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 8.9
- 19% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 157,967
- +3.8% since 2020
See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in Penobscot 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 Penobscot 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 58 coffee shops and cafes in Penobscot County. Chain locations make up 50% of them, against 39% across the U.S. That is 8.9 per 10,000 households, 19% below the U.S. rate of 11.0.
At $3,597 per household (12% below the U.S. average), households in Penobscot County spend about $234.6M a year on food away from home. That is about $4M of household spending for each cafe on map listings, 9% 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.
Official counts show 49 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Penobscot County in 2023, up 19.5% from 2019. That is one for every 1,331 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. Official counts list 4 one-person businesses without payroll.
Population estimates show Penobscot County grew 3.8% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for coffee shops and cafes in Penobscot County is 48 (lower middle), #1,091 of 2,063 scored counties and #4 of 16 scored counties in Maine.
How Penobscot County compares
The same measures for Maine 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 | Penobscot County | Maine | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 8.9 | 13.1 | 11.0 |
| Spending per listing | $4M | $2.9M | $3.7M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars) | 1,331 | 1,070 | 1,518 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +19.5% | +18.7% | +24.3% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.8% | +3.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,597 | $3,835 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $66,356 | $74,733 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 48 | 31 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 41 → 49All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +19.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 571
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $12.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 4All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 5829 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 63The 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 Penobscot 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 Penobscot County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 157,967+3.8% since 2020
- Households
- 65,221
- Median age
- 43.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 3,397 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 46
- Median household income
- $66,356+30.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $88,290
- Median home value
- $214,100
- Jobs located here
- 73,466
- Daytime population
- 158,403Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Penobscot 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 Penobscot 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 Maine
Every Maine market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Maine for coffee shops and cafes, numbered among those based in Maine, with Penobscot County marked.
Top counties in Maine
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Sagadahoc County, ME | 68 | 15 | 9.1 | $4.4M | +3.4% | #364 of 2,063 |
| 2Androscoggin County, ME | 51 | 37 | 7.9 | $4.5M | +4.8% | #966 of 2,063 |
| 3Somerset County, ME | 49 | 13 | 5.6 | $5.8M | +2.3% | #1,026 of 2,063 |
| 4Penobscot County, ME | 48 | 58 | 8.9 | $4M | +3.8% | #1,091 of 2,063 |
| 5York County, ME | 43 | 125 | 13.7 | $3M | +4.8% | #1,288 of 2,063 |
| 6Oxford County, ME | 42 | 23 | 9.5 | $3.6M | +4.2% | #1,308 of 2,063 |
| 7Waldo County, ME | 40 | 19 | 10.9 | $3.3M | +2.6% | #1,383 of 2,063 |
| 8Cumberland County, ME | 40 | 227 | 17.2 | $2.6M | +4.5% | #1,402 of 2,063 |
| 9Kennebec County, ME | 39 | 58 | 10.7 | $3.4M | +3.5% | #1,430 of 2,063 |
| 10Aroostook County, ME | 38 | 26 | 8.7 | $3.8M | −0.7% | #1,464 of 2,063 |
Other business types in Penobscot County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes61
- Sit-down restaurants61
- Fast food and sandwich shops69
- Pizza69
- Coffee shops and cafes48
- Bakeries and dessert shops43
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 Penobscot County, ME?
There are 58 coffee shops and cafes on map listings in Penobscot County as of September 2026. 29 of them (50%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 49 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in 2023, up 19.5% from 2019. That count covers all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars (bakeries and dessert shops included), not only coffee shops and cafes. Official counts also show 4 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Penobscot County, ME spend on food away from home?
About $234.6M a year, or $3,597 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 58 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $4M 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 65,221 households in Penobscot County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Penobscot County, ME compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?
Penobscot County has 8.9 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 19% below the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $4M, 9% above the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the national ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, Penobscot County would have about 63, against 58 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,331 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S. The official count rose 19.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.3% for the U.S.
How fast is Penobscot County, ME growing?
Population estimates put Penobscot County at 157,967 people in 2025, up 3.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 65,221 households. The median household income in Penobscot County is $66,356 a year, 18% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 30.6% 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. Penobscot County scores 48 for coffee shops and cafes (lower middle), #1,091 of 2,063 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Penobscot 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 Penobscot County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Penobscot 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 Penobscot 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.