Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Michigan

Coffee shops and cafes in Alger County, MI

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for coffee shops and cafes in Alger County, MI, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score

Not scored

Counties under 10,000 people aren’t scored, since a few businesses can swing their figures.

Listings
4
0 chain locations (0%)
Official establishments
3
All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
Household spending a year
$11.7M
On food away from home · $3,306 a household
Spending per listing
$2.9M
21% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
11.3
3% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
8,641
−2.3% since 2020

See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in Alger 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 Alger County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

As of September 2026, map listings count 4 coffee shops and cafes in Alger County. Per 10,000 households, that is 11.3, 3% above the U.S. rate of 11.0.

At $3,306 per household (19% below the U.S. average), households in Alger County spend about $11.7M a year on food away from home. That is about $2.9M of household spending for each cafe on map listings, 21% below 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.

In 2023, official counts showed 3 businesses with payroll in Alger County classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars. That is one for every 1,177 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. Official counts list 3 one-person businesses without payroll.

Population estimates show Alger County declined 2.3% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. Counties under 10,000 people aren’t given a market score, since a few businesses can swing their figures.

How Alger County compares

The same measures for Michigan 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.

Coffee shops and cafes in Alger County, MI compared with Michigan and the U.S.
MeasureAlger CountyMichiganU.S.
Listings per 10k households11.39.411.0
Spending per listing$2.9M$4.1M$3.7M
Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars)1,1772,3911,518
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+12.2%+24.3%
Population growth, 2020–2025−2.3%+0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,306$3,875$4,070
Median household income$61,286$72,875$80,734
Groundwork market scoreNot scored61

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
5 → 3All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
Employees, 2023
13
Annual payroll, 2023
$483K
One-person businesses, 2023
3All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
40 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
3The 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 Alger 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 Alger County

Population, 2025 estimate
8,641−2.3% since 2020
Households
3,531
Median age
49.8
Homes lived in by their owners
86%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
915 sq. mi.
People per square mile
10
Median household income
$61,286
Average household income
$73,201
Median home value
$176,200
Jobs located here
2,254
Daytime population
8,368Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Alger 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 Alger County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Coffee shops and cafes across Michigan

Every Michigan market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Michigan for coffee shops and cafes, numbered among those based in Michigan, with Alger County marked.

Top counties in Michigan

Counties in Michigan ranked for coffee shops and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Barry County, MI82135.3$7.4M+2.2%#73 of 2,063
2Lapeer County, MI80164.6$8.5M+1.0%#99 of 2,063
3Monroe County, MI78396.2$6.4M+0.7%#135 of 2,063
4St. Clair County, MI77355.2$7.3M+0.1%#151 of 2,063
5Clinton County, MI76196.0$7.1M+1.6%#172 of 2,063
6Montcalm County, MI74166.5$5.3M+4.1%#210 of 2,063
7Macomb County, MI712577.2$5.5M+0.7%#273 of 2,063
8Ottawa County, MI711069.5$4.5M+3.9%#282 of 2,063
9Tuscola County, MI7073.3$10.4M−1.2%#285 of 2,063
10Cass County, MI70157.1$5.4M+0.2%#301 of 2,063
Alger County, MINot scored411.3$2.9M−2.3%

Other business types in Alger County

None has a Groundwork market score here. Counties under 10,000 people aren’t scored, since a few businesses can swing their figures.

Questions

How many coffee shops and cafes are in Alger County, MI?

Alger County has 4 coffee shops and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 3 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in 2023. That count covers all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars (bakeries and dessert shops included), not only coffee shops and cafes. Official counts also show 3 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Alger County, MI spend on food away from home?

About $11.7M a year, or $3,306 per household. That is 19% below the U.S. average (an index of 81, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 4 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $2.9M 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 3,531 households in Alger County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Alger County, MI compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?

Alger County has 11.3 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 3% above the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $2.9M, 21% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the national ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, Alger County would have about 3, against 4 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,177 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S.

How fast is Alger County, MI growing?

Population estimates put Alger County at 8,641 people in 2025, down 2.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 3,531 households. The median household income in Alger County is $61,286 a year, 24% below the U.S. median of $80,734.

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. The score leaves out counties under 10,000 people, where a handful of businesses would swing it.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Alger 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 Alger County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Alger 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 Alger 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.