Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Michigan

Coffee shops and cafes in Isabella County, MI

The coffee shops and cafes in Isabella County, MI, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 28 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,811 of 2,063 scored counties
#62 of 66 scored counties in Michigan

Listings
28
17 chain locations (61%)
Official establishments
16
All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
Household spending a year
$82.1M
On food away from home · $3,297 a household
Spending per listing
$2.9M
21% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
11.2
2% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
64,691
+0.3% since 2020

See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in Isabella 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 Isabella 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

Isabella County scores 28 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for coffee shops and cafes, ranking #1,811 of 2,063 scored counties and #62 of 66 scored counties in Michigan. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

Households in Isabella County spend about $82.1M a year on food away from home, or $3,297 per household, 19% below the U.S. average. Spread across 28 coffee shops and cafes, that is $2.9M per cafe, 21% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only coffee shops and cafes.

Isabella County has 28 coffee shops and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 17 of them (61%) are chain locations, against 39% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 11.2, 2% above the U.S. rate of 11.0.

In 2023, official counts showed 16 businesses with payroll in Isabella County classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars. That is one for every 1,557 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. Population estimates show Isabella County grew 0.3% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How Isabella 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 Isabella County, MI compared with Michigan and the U.S.
MeasureIsabella CountyMichiganU.S.
Listings per 10k households11.29.411.0
Spending per listing$2.9M$4.1M$3.7M
Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars)1,5572,3911,518
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+12.2%+24.3%
Population growth, 2020–2025+0.3%+0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,297$3,875$4,070
Median household income$55,237$72,875$80,734
Groundwork market score2861

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
16 → 16All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
Employees, 2023
227
Annual payroll, 2023
$3M
One-person businesses, 2023
0All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
2817 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
22The 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 Isabella 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 Isabella County

Population, 2025 estimate
64,691+0.3% since 2020
Households
24,914
Median age
35.1
Homes lived in by their owners
62%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
573 sq. mi.
People per square mile
113
Median household income
$55,237+22.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$74,389
Median home value
$170,400
Jobs located here
26,182
Daytime population
67,374Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Isabella 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 Isabella 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 Isabella 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
62Isabella County, MI282811.2$2.9M+0.3%#1,811 of 2,063

Other business types in Isabella County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

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

Map listings as of September 2026 show 28 coffee shops and cafes in Isabella County. 17 of them (61%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 16 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in 2023. The official count takes in all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars, not only coffee shops and cafes: bakeries and dessert shops are counted too.

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

About $82.1M a year, or $3,297 per household. That is 19% below the U.S. average (an index of 81, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 28 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $2.9M 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 24,914 households in Isabella County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Isabella County has 11.2 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 2% 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 U.S. ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, Isabella County would have about 22, against 28 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,557 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S.

How fast is Isabella County, MI growing?

Population estimates put Isabella County at 64,691 people in 2025, up 0.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 24,914 households. Median household income in Isabella County is $55,237, 32% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 22.4%, 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. Isabella County scores 28 for coffee shops and cafes (lower middle), #1,811 of 2,063 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Isabella 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 Isabella 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.