Food and drink · County · Minnesota
Coffee shops and cafes in Carlton County, MN
How Carlton County, MN compares with other counties and the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 61 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #570 of 2,063 scored counties
#28 of 62 scored counties in Minnesota
- Listings
- 13
- 1 chain location (8%)
- Official establishments
- 6
- All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
- Household spending a year
- $55.2M
- On food away from home · $3,921 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.2M
- 15% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 9.2
- 16% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 36,711
- +1.4% since 2020
See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in Carlton 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 Carlton 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 13 coffee shops and cafes in Carlton County. One of them (8%) is a chain location, against 39% across the U.S. That is 9.2 per 10,000 households, 16% below the U.S. rate of 11.0.
Households in Carlton County spend about $55.2M a year on food away from home, or $3,921 per household, 4% below the U.S. average. Spread across 13 coffee shops and cafes, that is $4.2M per cafe, 15% above 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 6 businesses with payroll in Carlton County classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars. That is one for every 2,348 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.
Population estimates put the population change in Carlton County from 2020 to 2025 at +1.4%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For coffee shops and cafes, Carlton County has a Groundwork market score of 61 (upper middle): #570 of 2,063 scored counties and #28 of 62 scored counties in Minnesota.
How Carlton County compares
The same measures for Minnesota 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 | Carlton County | Minnesota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 9.2 | 10.2 | 11.0 |
| Spending per listing | $4.2M | $4.2M | $3.7M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars) | 2,348 | 2,108 | 1,518 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +19.7% | +24.3% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.4% | +2.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,921 | $4,330 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $80,573 | $89,062 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 61 | 71 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 6 → 6All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
- Employees, 2023
- 83
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $963K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 131 chain location
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 15The 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 Carlton 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 Carlton County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 36,711+1.4% since 2020
- Households
- 14,090
- Median age
- 41.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 80%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 861 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 42
- Median household income
- $80,573+27.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $99,202
- Median home value
- $245,100
- Jobs located here
- 12,806
- Daytime population
- 32,171Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Carlton 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 Carlton 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 Minnesota
Every Minnesota market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Minnesota for coffee shops and cafes, numbered among those based in Minnesota, with Carlton County marked.
Top counties in Minnesota
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Sherburne County, MN | 92 | 18 | 5.1 | $9.2M | +6.8% | #14 of 2,063 |
| 2Wright County, MN | 88 | 46 | 8.5 | $5.5M | +11.1% | #35 of 2,063 |
| 3Scott County, MN | 84 | 48 | 8.7 | $5.9M | +5.1% | #58 of 2,063 |
| 4Dakota County, MN | 82 | 125 | 7.2 | $6.6M | +3.9% | #78 of 2,063 |
| 5Anoka County, MN | 82 | 95 | 6.9 | $6.6M | +4.7% | #79 of 2,063 |
| 6Chisago County, MN | 81 | 15 | 7.0 | $6.4M | +4.3% | #89 of 2,063 |
| 7Washington County, MN | 81 | 100 | 9.5 | $5.3M | +6.9% | #96 of 2,063 |
| 8Dodge County, MN | 78 | 6 | 7.4 | $5.8M | +2.3% | #140 of 2,063 |
| 9Clay County, MN | 78 | 21 | 7.9 | $5M | +3.6% | #146 of 2,063 |
| 10Mower County, MN | 76 | 7 | 4.5 | $8.5M | +2.3% | #169 of 2,063 |
| 28Carlton County, MN | 61 | 13 | 9.2 | $4.2M | +1.4% | #570 of 2,063 |
Other business types in Carlton County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes78
- Sit-down restaurants74
- Fast food and sandwich shops80
- Pizza67
- Coffee shops and cafes61
- Bakeries and dessert shops
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 Carlton County, MN?
Carlton County has 13 coffee shops and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. One of them (8%) is a chain location. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 6 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.
How much do households in Carlton County, MN spend on food away from home?
About $55.2M a year, or $3,921 per household. That is 4% below the U.S. average (an index of 96, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 13 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $4.2M 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 14,090 households in Carlton County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Carlton County, MN compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?
Carlton County has 9.2 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 16% below the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $4.2M, 15% above the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the national ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, Carlton County would have about 15, against 13 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,348 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S.
How fast is Carlton County, MN growing?
Population estimates put Carlton County at 36,711 people in 2025, up 1.4% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 14,090 households. The median household income in Carlton County is $80,573 a year, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 27.7% 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. Carlton County scores 61 for coffee shops and cafes (upper middle), #570 of 2,063 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Carlton 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 Carlton County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Carlton 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 Carlton 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.