Food and drink · County · Maryland
Coffee shops and cafes in Charles County, MD
How Charles 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 92 out of 100: Very high
Ranked #13 of 2,063 scored counties
#1 of 24 scored counties in Maryland
- Listings
- 31
- 21 chain locations (68%)
- Official establishments
- 19
- All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · −17.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $303M
- On food away from home · $4,977 a household
- Spending per listing
- $9.8M
- 2.6 times the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.1
- 54% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 176,593
- +5.9% since 2020
See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in Charles 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 Charles 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
For coffee shops and cafes, Charles County has a Groundwork market score of 92 (very high): #13 of 2,063 scored counties and #1 of 24 scored counties in Maryland. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for coffee shops and cafes.
At $4,977 per household (22% above the U.S. average), households in Charles County spend about $303M a year on food away from home. Spread across 31 coffee shops and cafes, that is $9.8M per cafe, 2.6 times the U.S. figure of $3.7M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only coffee shops and cafes.
Charles County has 31 coffee shops and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 21 of them (68%) are chain locations, against 39% across the U.S. That is 5.1 per 10,000 households, 54% below the U.S. rate of 11.0.
In 2023, official counts showed 19 businesses with payroll in Charles County classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars, down 17.4% from 2019. That is one for every 3,204 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 Charles County grew 5.9%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Charles 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 | Charles County | Maryland | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.1 | 7.6 | 11.0 |
| Spending per listing | $9.8M | $6.1M | $3.7M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars) | 3,204 | 2,192 | 1,518 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −17.4% | +5.7% | +24.3% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +5.9% | +1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,977 | $4,604 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $122,816 | $103,678 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 92 | 82 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 23 → 19All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · −17.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 221
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $4.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 6All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 3121 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 82The 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 Charles 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 Charles County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 176,593+5.9% since 2020
- Households
- 60,875
- Median age
- 39.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 82%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 458 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 372
- Median household income
- $122,816+22.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $141,768
- Median home value
- $428,500
- Jobs located here
- 37,884
- Daytime population
- 129,984Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Charles 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 Charles 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 Charles 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 |
Other business types in Charles County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes82
- Sit-down restaurants87
- Fast food and sandwich shops70
- Pizza75
- Coffee shops and cafes92
- Bakeries and dessert shops85
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 Charles County, MD?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 31 coffee shops and cafes in Charles County. 21 of them (68%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 19 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in 2023, down 17.4% from 2019. 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 6 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Charles County, MD spend on food away from home?
About $303M a year, or $4,977 per household. That is 22% above the U.S. average (an index of 122, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 31 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $9.8M 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 60,875 households in Charles County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Charles County, MD compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?
Charles County has 5.1 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 54% below the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $9.8M, 2.6 times the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the U.S. ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, Charles County would have about 82, against 31 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,204 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S. The official count fell 17.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.3% for the U.S.
How fast is Charles County, MD growing?
Population estimates put Charles County at 176,593 people in 2025, up 5.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 60,875 households. Median household income in Charles County is $122,816, 52% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 22.8%, 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. Charles County scores 92 for coffee shops and cafes (very high), #13 of 2,063 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Charles 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 Charles County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Charles 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 Charles 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.