Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Michigan

Coffee shops and cafes in St. Joseph County, MI

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 46 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,169 of 2,063 scored counties
#44 of 66 scored counties in Michigan

Listings
21
9 chain locations (43%)
Official establishments
12
All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
Household spending a year
$82.6M
On food away from home · $3,495 a household
Spending per listing
$3.9M
6% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
8.9
19% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
60,968
+0.1% since 2020

See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in St. Joseph 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 St. Joseph 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

Households in St. Joseph County spend about $82.6M a year on food away from home, or $3,495 per household, 14% below the U.S. average. That works out to $3.9M per cafe, 6% 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 21 coffee shops and cafes on map listings in St. Joseph County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 43% of them, against 39% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 8.9, 19% below the U.S. rate of 11.0.

Official counts show 12 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in St. Joseph County in 2023. That is one for every 1,968 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 St. Joseph County grew 0.1% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For coffee shops and cafes, St. Joseph County has a Groundwork market score of 46 (lower middle): #1,169 of 2,063 scored counties and #44 of 66 scored counties in Michigan.

How St. Joseph 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 St. Joseph County, MI compared with Michigan and the U.S.
MeasureSt. Joseph CountyMichiganU.S.
Listings per 10k households8.99.411.0
Spending per listing$3.9M$4.1M$3.7M
Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars)1,9682,3911,518
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+12.2%+24.3%
Population growth, 2020–2025+0.1%+0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,495$3,875$4,070
Median household income$66,425$72,875$80,734
Groundwork market score4661

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
7 → 12All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
Employees, 2023
140
Annual payroll, 2023
$3.1M
One-person businesses, 2023
0All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
219 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 St. Joseph 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 St. Joseph County

Population, 2025 estimate
60,968+0.1% since 2020
Households
23,620
Median age
40.0
Homes lived in by their owners
76%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
501 sq. mi.
People per square mile
122
Median household income
$66,425+27.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$81,433
Median home value
$178,300
Jobs located here
19,267
Daytime population
52,362Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in St. Joseph 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 St. Joseph 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 St. Joseph 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
44St. Joseph County, MI46218.9$3.9M+0.1%#1,169 of 2,063

Other business types in St. Joseph County

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

Questions

How many coffee shops and cafes are in St. Joseph County, MI?

As of September 2026, map listings count 21 coffee shops and cafes in St. Joseph County. 9 of them (43%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 12 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 St. Joseph County, MI spend on food away from home?

About $82.6M a year, or $3,495 per household. That is 14% below the U.S. average (an index of 86, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 21 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $3.9M 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 23,620 households in St. Joseph County and national spending patterns by income.

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

St. Joseph County has 8.9 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 19% below the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $3.9M, 6% above the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the U.S. ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, St. Joseph County would have about 22, against 21 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,968 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S.

How fast is St. Joseph County, MI growing?

Population estimates put St. Joseph County at 60,968 people in 2025, up 0.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 23,620 households. Median household income in St. Joseph County is $66,425, 18% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 27.5%, 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. St. Joseph County scores 46 for coffee shops and cafes (lower middle), #1,169 of 2,063 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in St. Joseph 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 St. Joseph County

Screening a site or an acquisition in St. Joseph 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 St. Joseph 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.