Groundwork

Food and drink · Metro area · Michigan

Coffee shops and cafes in the Traverse City, MI metro area

The coffee shops and cafes in the Traverse City, MI metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 34 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #321 of 387 scored metro areas
#15 of 15 scored metro areas based in Michigan

Listings
106
29 chain locations (27%)
Official establishments
43
All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +36.7% since 2019
Household spending a year
$263.4M
On food away from home · $4,026 a household
Spending per listing
$2.5M
33% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
16.2
47% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
156,972
+2.2% since 2020

See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in the Traverse City metro area

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 the Traverse City metro area. 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

The Traverse City metro area scores 34 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for coffee shops and cafes, ranking #321 of 387 scored metro areas and #15 of 15 scored metro areas based in Michigan. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.

As of September 2026, map listings count 106 coffee shops and cafes in the Traverse City metro area. 29 of them (27%) are chain locations, against 39% across the U.S. That comes to 16.2 for every 10,000 households, 47% above the U.S. rate of 11.0.

Households in the Traverse City metro area spend about $263.4M a year on food away from home, or $4,026 per household, in line with the U.S. average. That works out to $2.5M per cafe, 33% 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.

Official counts show 43 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in the Traverse City metro area in 2023, up 36.7% from 2019. That is one for every 1,522 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. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $205K has gone to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in the Traverse City metro area. Population estimates show the Traverse City metro area grew 2.2% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How the Traverse City metro area 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 Traverse City, MI metro area compared with Michigan and the U.S.
MeasureTraverse City metro areaMichiganU.S.
Listings per 10k households16.29.411.0
Spending per listing$2.5M$4.1M$3.7M
Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars)1,5222,3911,518
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+36.7%+12.2%+24.3%
Population growth, 2020–2025+2.2%+0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$4,026$3,875$4,070
Median household income$80,889$72,875$80,734
Groundwork market score3461

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
43All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +36.7% over the period
Employees, 2023
284
Annual payroll, 2023
$7.7M
One-person businesses, 2023
9All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
10629 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
71The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$205K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in the Traverse City metro area, 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 the Traverse City metro area

Population, 2025 estimate
156,972+2.2% since 2020
Households
65,429
Median age
46.4
Homes lived in by their owners
82%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
1,691 sq. mi.
People per square mile
92
Median household income
$80,889+32.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$106,351
Median home value
$324,300
Jobs located here
61,451
Daytime population
155,130Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Traverse City metro area?

These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 the Traverse City metro area. 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 metro areas in Michigan for coffee shops and cafes, numbered among those based in Michigan, with the Traverse City metro area marked.

Top metro areas in Michigan

Metro areas in Michigan ranked for coffee shops and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Monroe, MI78396.2$6.4M+0.7%#16 of 387
2Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI67456.6$5.2M+1.8%#58 of 387
3Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI641,5939.0$4.5M+0.1%#84 of 387
4Bay City, MI62296.4$5.4M−1.6%#94 of 387
5Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI6246310.5$3.9M+2.8%#100 of 387
6Saginaw, MI60536.8$5.1M−1.1%#110 of 387
7Flint, MI581237.4$4.8M−1.1%#125 of 387
8Jackson, MI54508.0$4.6M−0.4%#159 of 387
9Lansing-East Lansing, MI531939.9$3.8M+1.4%#172 of 387
10Midland, MI533710.6$3.8M+0.3%#173 of 387
15Traverse City, MI3410616.2$2.5M+2.2%#321 of 387

Other business types in the Traverse City metro area

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

Questions

How many coffee shops and cafes are in the Traverse City, MI metro area?

The Traverse City metro area has 106 coffee shops and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 29 of them (27%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 43 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in 2023, up 36.7% from 2019. That count covers all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars (bakeries and dessert shops included), not only coffee shops and cafes. Official counts also show 9 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in the Traverse City, MI metro area spend on food away from home?

About $263.4M a year, or $4,026 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 99, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 106 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $2.5M 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 65,429 households in the Traverse City metro area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the Traverse City, MI metro area compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?

The Traverse City metro area has 16.2 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 47% above the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $2.5M, 33% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the national ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, the Traverse City metro area would have about 71, against 106 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,522 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S. The official count rose 36.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.3% for the U.S.

How fast is the Traverse City, MI metro area growing?

Population estimates put the Traverse City metro area at 156,972 people in 2025, up 2.2% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 65,429 households. The median household income in the Traverse City metro area is $80,889 a year, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 32.6% 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. The Traverse City metro area scores 34 for coffee shops and cafes (lower middle), #321 of 387 scored metro areas.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Traverse City metro area. 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 the Traverse City metro area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Traverse City metro area?

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 the Traverse City metro area. 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.