Food and drink · County · Maryland
Coffee shops and cafes in Caroline County, MD
How Caroline County, MD 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 73 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #220 of 2,063 scored counties
#11 of 24 scored counties in Maryland
- Listings
- 5
- 1 chain location (20%)
- Official establishments
- n/a
- Fewer than 3, or not published
- Household spending a year
- $44.3M
- On food away from home · $3,549 a household
- Spending per listing
- $8.9M
- 2.4 times the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 4.0
- 64% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 34,116
- +2.5% since 2020
See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in Caroline 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 Caroline 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
At $3,549 per household (13% below the U.S. average), households in Caroline County spend about $44.3M a year on food away from home. Spread across 5 coffee shops and cafes, that is $8.9M per cafe, 2.4 times the U.S. figure of $3.7M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only coffee shops and cafes.
There are 5 coffee shops and cafes on map listings in Caroline County as of September 2026. One of them (20%) is a chain location, against 39% across the U.S. That is 4.0 per 10,000 households, 64% below the U.S. rate of 11.0.
Official counts don’t publish a figure for snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Caroline County, since they leave out counts under 3.
Population estimates put the population change in Caroline County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.5%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for coffee shops and cafes in Caroline County is 73 (upper middle), #220 of 2,063 scored counties and #11 of 24 scored counties in Maryland. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Caroline County compares
The same measures for Maryland 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 | Caroline County | Maryland | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 4.0 | 7.6 | 11.0 |
| Spending per listing | $8.9M | $6.1M | $3.7M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars) | n/a | 2,192 | 1,518 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +5.7% | +24.3% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.5% | +1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,549 | $4,604 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $68,457 | $103,678 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 73 | 82 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- n/aAll snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
- Employees, 2023
- n/a
- Annual payroll, 2023
- n/a
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 51 chain location
- 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 Caroline 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 Caroline County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 34,116+2.5% since 2020
- Households
- 12,495
- Median age
- 40.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 319 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 105
- Median household income
- $68,457+16.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $87,383
- Median home value
- $290,100
- Jobs located here
- 8,855
- Daytime population
- 25,447Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Caroline 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 Caroline 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 Maryland
Every Maryland market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Maryland for coffee shops and cafes, numbered among those based in Maryland, with Caroline County marked.
Top counties in Maryland
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Charles County, MD | 92 | 31 | 5.1 | $9.8M | +5.9% | #13 of 2,063 |
| 2Frederick County, MD | 87 | 71 | 6.8 | $7.4M | +11.0% | #40 of 2,063 |
| 3Calvert County, MD | 85 | 23 | 6.9 | $7.6M | +1.7% | #48 of 2,063 |
| 4Prince George’s County, MD | 83 | 180 | 5.2 | $8.7M | +0.5% | #61 of 2,063 |
| 5St. Mary’s County, MD | 81 | 21 | 4.9 | $10M | +2.4% | #85 of 2,063 |
| 6Harford County, MD | 79 | 47 | 4.6 | $10.2M | +2.0% | #113 of 2,063 |
| 7Carroll County, MD | 79 | 41 | 6.4 | $7.7M | +2.2% | #114 of 2,063 |
| 8Cecil County, MD | 78 | 34 | 8.4 | $5M | +3.2% | #145 of 2,063 |
| 9Howard County, MD | 74 | 98 | 8.1 | $6.9M | +1.9% | #198 of 2,063 |
| 10Queen Anne’s County, MD | 74 | 21 | 10.5 | $4.5M | +8.8% | #217 of 2,063 |
| 11Caroline County, MD | 73 | 5 | 4.0 | $8.9M | +2.5% | #220 of 2,063 |
Other business types in Caroline County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes76
- Sit-down restaurants78
- Fast food and sandwich shops54
- Pizza52
- Coffee shops and cafes73
- Bakeries and dessert shops58
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 Caroline County, MD?
As of September 2026, map listings count 5 coffee shops and cafes in Caroline County. One of them (20%) is a chain location. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. No official count is published for snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Caroline County: counts under 3 are left out.
How much do households in Caroline County, MD spend on food away from home?
About $44.3M a year, or $3,549 per household. That is 13% below the U.S. average (an index of 87, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 5 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $8.9M 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 12,495 households in Caroline County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Caroline County, MD compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?
Caroline County has 4.0 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 64% below the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $8.9M, 2.4 times the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the U.S. ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, Caroline County would have about 12, against 5 on map listings.
How fast is Caroline County, MD growing?
Population estimates put Caroline County at 34,116 people in 2025, up 2.5% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 12,495 households. Median household income in Caroline County is $68,457, 15% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 16.8%, 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. Caroline County scores 73 for coffee shops and cafes (upper middle), #220 of 2,063 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Caroline 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 Caroline County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Caroline 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 Caroline 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.