Food and drink · County · Maryland
Coffee shops and cafes in Howard County, MD
How Howard 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 74 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #198 of 2,063 scored counties
#9 of 24 scored counties in Maryland
- Listings
- 98
- 50 chain locations (51%)
- Official establishments
- 66
- All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +20.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $673.6M
- On food away from home · $5,564 a household
- Spending per listing
- $6.9M
- 86% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 8.1
- 26% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 339,183
- +1.9% since 2020
See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in Howard 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 Howard 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
The Groundwork market score for coffee shops and cafes in Howard County is 74 (upper middle), #198 of 2,063 scored counties and #9 of 24 scored counties in Maryland. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for coffee shops and cafes.
As of September 2026, map listings count 98 coffee shops and cafes in Howard County. Chain locations make up 51% of them, against 39% across the U.S. That comes to 8.1 for every 10,000 households, 26% below the U.S. rate of 11.0.
Households in Howard County spend about $673.6M a year on food away from home, or $5,564 per household, 37% above the U.S. average. That is about $6.9M of household spending for each cafe on map listings, 86% 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 66 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Howard County in 2023, up 20.0% from 2019. That is one for every 1,834 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. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $1.1M have gone to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Howard County. Population estimates put the population change in Howard County from 2020 to 2025 at +1.9%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Howard 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 | Howard County | Maryland | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 8.1 | 7.6 | 11.0 |
| Spending per listing | $6.9M | $6.1M | $3.7M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars) | 1,834 | 2,192 | 1,518 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +20.0% | +5.7% | +24.3% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.9% | +1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $5,564 | $4,604 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $149,763 | $103,678 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 74 | 82 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 55 → 66All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +20.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 816
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $15.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 14All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 9850 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 182The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $1.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Howard 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 Howard County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 339,183+1.9% since 2020
- Households
- 121,065
- Median age
- 40.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 251 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,340
- Median household income
- $149,763+23.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $184,243
- Median home value
- $597,900
- Jobs located here
- 185,575
- Daytime population
- 363,145Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Howard 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 Howard 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 Howard 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 Howard County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes67
- Sit-down restaurants70
- Fast food and sandwich shops66
- Pizza67
- Coffee shops and cafes74
- Bakeries and dessert shops67
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 Howard County, MD?
Howard County has 98 coffee shops and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 50 of them (51%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 66 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in 2023, up 20.0% 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 14 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Howard County, MD spend on food away from home?
About $673.6M a year, or $5,564 per household. That is 37% above the U.S. average (an index of 137, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 98 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $6.9M 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 121,065 households in Howard County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Howard County, MD compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?
Howard County has 8.1 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 26% below the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $6.9M, 86% above the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the national ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, Howard County would have about 182, against 98 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,834 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S. The official count rose 20.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.3% for the U.S.
How fast is Howard County, MD growing?
Population estimates put Howard County at 339,183 people in 2025, up 1.9% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 121,065 households. The median household income in Howard County is $149,763 a year, 86% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.6% 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. Howard County scores 74 for coffee shops and cafes (upper middle), #198 of 2,063 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Howard 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 Howard County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Howard 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 Howard 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.