Food and drink · County · Massachusetts
Coffee shops and cafes in Middlesex County, MA
The coffee shops and cafes in Middlesex County, MA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 55 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #812 of 2,063 scored counties
#3 of 14 scored counties in Massachusetts
- Listings
- 787
- 391 chain locations (50%)
- Official establishments
- 623
- All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +17.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $3.3B
- On food away from home · $5,261 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.2M
- 14% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 12.4
- 13% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,669,979
- +2.8% since 2020
See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in Middlesex 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 Middlesex 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 787 coffee shops and cafes in Middlesex County. 391 of them (50%) are chain locations, against 39% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 12.4, 13% above the U.S. rate of 11.0.
Household spending on food away from home in Middlesex County comes to about $3.3B a year: $5,261 per household, 29% above the U.S. average. That is about $4.2M of household spending for each cafe on map listings, 14% 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 623 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Middlesex County in 2023, up 17.1% from 2019. That is one for every 1,018 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. Another 37 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 11 SBA-backed loans worth $1.7M have gone to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Middlesex County.
Population estimates put the population change in Middlesex County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.8%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for coffee shops and cafes in Middlesex County is 55 (upper middle), #812 of 2,063 scored counties and #3 of 14 scored counties in Massachusetts.
How Middlesex County compares
The same measures for Massachusetts 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 | Middlesex County | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 12.4 | 12.3 | 11.0 |
| Spending per listing | $4.2M | $3.8M | $3.7M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars) | 1,018 | 1,044 | 1,518 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +17.1% | +9.5% | +24.3% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.8% | +2.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $5,261 | $4,685 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $130,847 | $103,960 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 55 | 52 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 532 → 623All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +17.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 8,547
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $206.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 37All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 787391 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 901The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 11
- Amount
- $1.7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Middlesex 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 Middlesex County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,669,979+2.8% since 2020
- Households
- 634,215
- Median age
- 40.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 61%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 818 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 2,003
- Median household income
- $130,847+27.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $178,065
- Median home value
- $727,800
- Jobs located here
- 949,767
- Daytime population
- 1,753,217Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Middlesex 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 Middlesex 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 Massachusetts
Every Massachusetts market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Massachusetts for coffee shops and cafes, numbered among those based in Massachusetts, with Middlesex County marked.
Top counties in Massachusetts
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Worcester County, MA | 64 | 303 | 9.0 | $4.9M | +3.7% | #463 of 2,063 |
| 2Plymouth County, MA | 56 | 226 | 11.1 | $4.4M | +3.5% | #769 of 2,063 |
| 3Middlesex County, MA | 55 | 787 | 12.4 | $4.2M | +2.8% | #812 of 2,063 |
| 4Essex County, MA | 54 | 345 | 11.0 | $4.2M | +2.3% | #851 of 2,063 |
| 5Norfolk County, MA | 53 | 356 | 12.6 | $4.2M | +2.2% | #888 of 2,063 |
| 6Hampden County, MA | 52 | 152 | 8.2 | $4.6M | +0.2% | #927 of 2,063 |
| 7Bristol County, MA | 51 | 236 | 10.1 | $4.1M | +2.9% | #975 of 2,063 |
| 8Hampshire County, MA | 45 | 92 | 14.8 | $2.8M | +10.4% | #1,223 of 2,063 |
| 9Franklin County, MA | 39 | 36 | 11.4 | $3.3M | −0.3% | #1,431 of 2,063 |
| 10Barnstable County, MA | 37 | 172 | 16.3 | $2.8M | +2.4% | #1,526 of 2,063 |
Other business types in Middlesex County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes65
- Sit-down restaurants62
- Fast food and sandwich shops77
- Pizza66
- Coffee shops and cafes55
- Bakeries and dessert shops57
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 Middlesex County, MA?
There are 787 coffee shops and cafes on map listings in Middlesex County as of September 2026. 391 of them (50%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 623 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in 2023, up 17.1% from 2019. That count covers all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars (bakeries and dessert shops included), not only coffee shops and cafes. Official counts list 37 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Middlesex County, MA spend on food away from home?
About $3.3B a year, or $5,261 per household. That is 29% above the U.S. average (an index of 129, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 787 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $4.2M 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 634,215 households in Middlesex County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Middlesex County, MA compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?
Middlesex County has 12.4 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 13% above the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $4.2M, 14% above the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the national ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, Middlesex County would have about 901, against 787 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,018 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S. The official count rose 17.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.3% for the U.S.
How fast is Middlesex County, MA growing?
Population estimates put Middlesex County at 1,669,979 people in 2025, up 2.8% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 634,215 households. The median household income in Middlesex County is $130,847 a year, 62% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 27.5% 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. Middlesex County scores 55 for coffee shops and cafes (upper middle), #812 of 2,063 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Middlesex 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 Middlesex County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Middlesex 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 Middlesex 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.