Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Missouri

Coffee shops and cafes in St. Louis city, MO

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for coffee shops and cafes in St. Louis city, MO, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 24 out of 100: Low

Ranked #1,907 of 2,063 scored counties
#68 of 72 scored counties in Missouri

Listings
196
62 chain locations (32%)
Official establishments
81
All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +15.7% since 2019
Household spending a year
$499.1M
On food away from home · $3,445 a household
Spending per listing
$2.5M
31% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
13.5
23% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
278,144
−7.4% since 2020

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

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. Louis city. 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

St. Louis city scores 24 (low) on the Groundwork market score for coffee shops and cafes, ranking #1,907 of 2,063 scored counties and #68 of 72 scored counties in Missouri. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

As of September 2026, map listings count 196 coffee shops and cafes in St. Louis city. Chain locations make up 32% of them, against 39% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 13.5, 23% above the U.S. rate of 11.0.

At $3,445 per household (15% below the U.S. average), households in St. Louis city spend about $499.1M a year on food away from home. That works out to $2.5M per cafe, 31% 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.

In 2023, official counts showed 81 businesses with payroll in St. Louis city classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars, up 15.7% from 2019. That is one for every 1,789 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, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $2.4M have gone to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in St. Louis city. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of St. Louis city declined 7.4%, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How St. Louis city compares

The same measures for Missouri 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. Louis city, MO compared with Missouri and the U.S.
MeasureSt. Louis cityMissouriU.S.
Listings per 10k households13.59.811.0
Spending per listing$2.5M$3.9M$3.7M
Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars)1,7892,0801,518
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+15.7%+45.0%+24.3%
Population growth, 2020–2025−7.4%+1.9%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,445$3,799$4,070
Median household income$56,160$70,702$80,734
Groundwork market score2455

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
70 → 81All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +15.7% over the period
Employees, 2023
925
Annual payroll, 2023
$22.3M
One-person businesses, 2023
10All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
19662 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
135The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
3
Amount
$2.4M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in St. Louis city, 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. Louis city

Population, 2025 estimate
278,144−7.4% since 2020
Households
144,891
Median age
38.2
Homes lived in by their owners
45%
Vehicles per household
1.3
Land area
62 sq. mi.
People per square mile
4,675
Median household income
$56,160+27.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$81,764
Median home value
$197,500
Jobs located here
229,379
Daytime population
378,059Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in St. Louis city?

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. Louis city. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Coffee shops and cafes across Missouri

Every Missouri market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Missouri for coffee shops and cafes, numbered among those based in Missouri, with St. Louis city marked.

Top counties in Missouri

Counties in Missouri ranked for coffee shops and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Warren County, MO9253.6$11.1M+9.2%#12 of 2,063
2Lincoln County, MO88167.0$5.8M+11.4%#33 of 2,063
3Jefferson County, MO85414.6$8.6M+2.7%#47 of 2,063
4Newton County, MO82115.0$7.2M+6.1%#75 of 2,063
5Christian County, MO81298.3$4.9M+8.3%#97 of 2,063
6St. Charles County, MO751187.3$6.4M+4.9%#185 of 2,063
7Cass County, MO75347.9$5.3M+7.1%#192 of 2,063
8Callaway County, MO73116.7$5.5M+3.2%#236 of 2,063
9Barry County, MO7086.0$5.7M+4.8%#296 of 2,063
10Pettis County, MO65127.1$4.8M+2.9%#434 of 2,063
68St. Louis city, MO2419613.5$2.5M−7.4%#1,907 of 2,063

Other business types in St. Louis city

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

Questions

How many coffee shops and cafes are in St. Louis city, MO?

St. Louis city has 196 coffee shops and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 62 of them (32%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 81 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in 2023, up 15.7% from 2019. That count covers all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars (bakeries and dessert shops included), not only coffee shops and cafes. Another 10 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in St. Louis city, MO spend on food away from home?

About $499.1M a year, or $3,445 per household. That is 15% below the U.S. average (an index of 85, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 196 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 144,891 households in St. Louis city and national spending patterns by income.

How does St. Louis city, MO compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?

St. Louis city has 13.5 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 23% above the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $2.5M, 31% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the national ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, St. Louis city would have about 135, against 196 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,789 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S. The official count rose 15.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.3% for the U.S.

How fast is St. Louis city, MO growing?

Population estimates put St. Louis city at 278,144 people in 2025, down 7.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 144,891 households. The median household income in St. Louis city is $56,160 a year, 30% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 27.9% 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. St. Louis city scores 24 for coffee shops and cafes (low), #1,907 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. Louis city. 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. Louis city

Screening a site or an acquisition in St. Louis city?

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. Louis city. 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.