Food and drink · County · Massachusetts
Coffee shops and cafes in Worcester County, MA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for coffee shops and cafes in Worcester County, MA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 64 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #463 of 2,063 scored counties
#1 of 14 scored counties in Massachusetts
- Listings
- 303
- 131 chain locations (43%)
- Official establishments
- 248
- All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +11.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.5B
- On food away from home · $4,437 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.9M
- 33% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 9.0
- 18% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 888,502
- +3.7% since 2020
See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in Worcester 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 Worcester 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
Household spending on food away from home in Worcester County comes to about $1.5B a year: $4,437 per household, 9% above the U.S. average. That is about $4.9M of household spending for each cafe on map listings, 33% above the U.S. figure of $3.7M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only coffee shops and cafes.
There are 303 coffee shops and cafes on map listings in Worcester County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 43% of them, against 39% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 9.0, 18% below the U.S. rate of 11.0.
Official counts show 248 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Worcester County in 2023, up 11.7% from 2019. That is one for every 1,354 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 50 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 11 SBA-backed loans worth $2M have gone to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Worcester County.
Population estimates put the population change in Worcester County from 2020 to 2025 at +3.7%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for coffee shops and cafes in Worcester County is 64 (upper middle), #463 of 2,063 scored counties and #1 of 14 scored counties in Massachusetts. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Worcester 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 | Worcester County | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 9.0 | 12.3 | 11.0 |
| Spending per listing | $4.9M | $3.8M | $3.7M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars) | 1,354 | 1,044 | 1,518 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +11.7% | +9.5% | +24.3% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.7% | +2.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,437 | $4,685 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $95,939 | $103,960 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 64 | 52 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 222 → 248All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +11.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,938
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $72.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 50All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 303131 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 402The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 11
- Amount
- $2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Worcester 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 Worcester County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 888,502+3.7% since 2020
- Households
- 335,826
- Median age
- 41.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 1,511 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 574
- Median household income
- $95,939+28.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $124,653
- Median home value
- $423,700
- Jobs located here
- 355,505
- Daytime population
- 797,239Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Worcester 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 Worcester 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 Worcester 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 Worcester County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes69
- Sit-down restaurants69
- Fast food and sandwich shops78
- Pizza60
- Coffee shops and cafes64
- Bakeries and dessert shops51
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 Worcester County, MA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 303 coffee shops and cafes in Worcester County. 131 of them (43%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 248 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in 2023, up 11.7% 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 50 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Worcester County, MA spend on food away from home?
About $1.5B a year, or $4,437 per household. That is 9% above the U.S. average (an index of 109, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 303 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $4.9M 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 335,826 households in Worcester County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Worcester County, MA compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?
Worcester County has 9.0 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 18% below the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $4.9M, 33% above the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the U.S. ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, Worcester County would have about 402, against 303 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,354 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S. The official count rose 11.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.3% for the U.S.
How fast is Worcester County, MA growing?
Population estimates put Worcester County at 888,502 people in 2025, up 3.7% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 335,826 households. Median household income in Worcester County is $95,939, 19% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 28.5%, 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. Worcester County scores 64 for coffee shops and cafes (upper middle), #463 of 2,063 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Worcester 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 Worcester County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Worcester 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 Worcester 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.