Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Maine

Coffee shops and cafes in Washington County, ME

How Washington County, ME 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 37 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,539 of 2,063 scored counties
#12 of 16 scored counties in Maine

Listings
24
4 chain locations (17%)
Official establishments
3
All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
Household spending a year
$46M
On food away from home · $3,241 a household
Spending per listing
$1.9M
48% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
16.9
54% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
31,334
+0.8% since 2020

See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in Washington 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 Washington County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

At $3,241 per household (20% below the U.S. average), households in Washington County spend about $46M a year on food away from home. Spread across 24 coffee shops and cafes, that is $1.9M per cafe, 48% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only coffee shops and cafes.

There are 24 coffee shops and cafes on map listings in Washington County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 17% of them, against 39% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 16.9, 54% above the U.S. rate of 11.0.

In 2023, official counts showed 3 businesses with payroll in Washington County classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars. That is one for every 4,729 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. Official counts also show 5 one-person businesses without payroll.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Washington County grew 0.8%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for coffee shops and cafes in Washington County is 37 (lower middle), #1,539 of 2,063 scored counties and #12 of 16 scored counties in Maine.

How Washington 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.

Coffee shops and cafes in Washington County, ME compared with Maine and the U.S.
MeasureWashington CountyMaineU.S.
Listings per 10k households16.913.111.0
Spending per listing$1.9M$2.9M$3.7M
Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars)4,7291,0701,518
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+18.7%+24.3%
Population growth, 2020–2025+0.8%+3.7%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,241$3,835$4,070
Median household income$56,024$74,733$80,734
Groundwork market score3731

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
3All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
Employees, 2023
10
Annual payroll, 2023
$284K
One-person businesses, 2023
5All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
244 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
12The 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 Washington 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 Washington County

Population, 2025 estimate
31,334+0.8% since 2020
Households
14,187
Median age
48.1
Homes lived in by their owners
80%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
2,563 sq. mi.
People per square mile
12
Median household income
$56,024+35.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$74,471
Median home value
$161,800
Jobs located here
9,559
Daytime population
29,732Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Washington 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 Washington 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 Maine

Every Maine market ranked →

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

Top counties in Maine

Counties in Maine ranked for coffee shops and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Sagadahoc County, ME68159.1$4.4M+3.4%#364 of 2,063
2Androscoggin County, ME51377.9$4.5M+4.8%#966 of 2,063
3Somerset County, ME49135.6$5.8M+2.3%#1,026 of 2,063
4Penobscot County, ME48588.9$4M+3.8%#1,091 of 2,063
5York County, ME4312513.7$3M+4.8%#1,288 of 2,063
6Oxford County, ME42239.5$3.6M+4.2%#1,308 of 2,063
7Waldo County, ME401910.9$3.3M+2.6%#1,383 of 2,063
8Cumberland County, ME4022717.2$2.6M+4.5%#1,402 of 2,063
9Kennebec County, ME395810.7$3.4M+3.5%#1,430 of 2,063
10Aroostook County, ME38268.7$3.8M−0.7%#1,464 of 2,063
12Washington County, ME372416.9$1.9M+0.8%#1,539 of 2,063

Other business types in Washington County

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

Questions

How many coffee shops and cafes are in Washington County, ME?

As of September 2026, map listings count 24 coffee shops and cafes in Washington County. 4 of them (17%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 3 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. Another 5 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in Washington County, ME spend on food away from home?

About $46M a year, or $3,241 per household. That is 20% below the U.S. average (an index of 80, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 24 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $1.9M 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 14,187 households in Washington County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Washington County has 16.9 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 54% above the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $1.9M, 48% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the U.S. ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, Washington County would have about 12, against 24 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 4,729 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S.

How fast is Washington County, ME growing?

Population estimates put Washington County at 31,334 people in 2025, up 0.8% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 14,187 households. Median household income in Washington County is $56,024, 31% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 35.5%, 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. Washington County scores 37 for coffee shops and cafes (lower middle), #1,539 of 2,063 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Washington 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 Washington 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.