Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Minnesota

Coffee shops and cafes in Clay County, MN

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 78 out of 100: High

Ranked #146 of 2,063 scored counties
#9 of 62 scored counties in Minnesota

Listings
21
9 chain locations (43%)
Official establishments
7
All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
Household spending a year
$105.1M
On food away from home · $3,974 a household
Spending per listing
$5M
35% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
7.9
28% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
67,734
+3.6% since 2020

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

Clay County scores 78 (high) on the Groundwork market score for coffee shops and cafes, ranking #146 of 2,063 scored counties and #9 of 62 scored counties in Minnesota. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for coffee shops and cafes.

Household spending on food away from home in Clay County comes to about $105.1M a year: $3,974 per household, 2% below the U.S. average. That works out to $5M per cafe, 35% above the U.S. figure of $3.7M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only coffee shops and cafes.

Clay County has 21 coffee shops and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 9 are chain locations, or 43%, against 39% across the U.S. That is 7.9 per 10,000 households, 28% below the U.S. rate of 11.0.

Official counts show 7 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Clay County in 2023. That is one for every 3,777 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. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Clay County grew 3.6%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How Clay 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.

Coffee shops and cafes in Clay County, MN compared with Minnesota and the U.S.
MeasureClay CountyMinnesotaU.S.
Listings per 10k households7.910.211.0
Spending per listing$5M$4.2M$3.7M
Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars)3,7772,1081,518
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+19.7%+24.3%
Population growth, 2020–2025+3.6%+2.1%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,974$4,330$4,070
Median household income$81,172$89,062$80,734
Groundwork market score7871

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
5 → 7All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
Employees, 2023
129
Annual payroll, 2023
$2M
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
28The 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 Clay 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 Clay County

Population, 2025 estimate
67,734+3.6% since 2020
Households
26,442
Median age
34.9
Homes lived in by their owners
66%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
1,045 sq. mi.
People per square mile
63
Median household income
$81,172+24.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$99,798
Median home value
$265,500
Jobs located here
20,888
Daytime population
54,566Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Clay 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 Clay 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 Minnesota

Every Minnesota market ranked →

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

Top counties in Minnesota

Counties in Minnesota ranked for coffee shops and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Sherburne County, MN92185.1$9.2M+6.8%#14 of 2,063
2Wright County, MN88468.5$5.5M+11.1%#35 of 2,063
3Scott County, MN84488.7$5.9M+5.1%#58 of 2,063
4Dakota County, MN821257.2$6.6M+3.9%#78 of 2,063
5Anoka County, MN82956.9$6.6M+4.7%#79 of 2,063
6Chisago County, MN81157.0$6.4M+4.3%#89 of 2,063
7Washington County, MN811009.5$5.3M+6.9%#96 of 2,063
8Dodge County, MN7867.4$5.8M+2.3%#140 of 2,063
9Clay County, MN78217.9$5M+3.6%#146 of 2,063
10Mower County, MN7674.5$8.5M+2.3%#169 of 2,063

Other business types in Clay County

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

Questions

How many coffee shops and cafes are in Clay County, MN?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 21 coffee shops and cafes in Clay County. 9 of them (43%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 7 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 Clay County, MN spend on food away from home?

About $105.1M a year, or $3,974 per household. That is 2% below the U.S. average (an index of 98, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 21 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $5M 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 26,442 households in Clay County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Clay County has 7.9 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 28% below the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $5M, 35% above the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the U.S. ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, Clay County would have about 28, against 21 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,777 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S.

How fast is Clay County, MN growing?

Population estimates put Clay County at 67,734 people in 2025, up 3.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 26,442 households. Median household income in Clay County is $81,172, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 24.4%, 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. Clay County scores 78 for coffee shops and cafes (high), #146 of 2,063 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Clay 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 Clay 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.