Food and drink · County · New Hampshire
Coffee shops and cafes in Merrimack County, NH
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for coffee shops and cafes in Merrimack County, NH, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 46 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,176 of 2,063 scored counties
#6 of 10 scored counties in New Hampshire
- Listings
- 77
- 33 chain locations (43%)
- Official establishments
- 58
- All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +28.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $266M
- On food away from home · $4,368 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.5M
- 7% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 12.6
- 15% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 158,078
- +2.6% since 2020
See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in Merrimack 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 Merrimack 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
Household spending on food away from home in Merrimack County comes to about $266M a year: $4,368 per household, 7% above the U.S. average. Spread across 77 coffee shops and cafes, that is $3.5M per cafe, 7% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only coffee shops and cafes.
Merrimack County has 77 coffee shops and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 33 of them (43%) are chain locations, against 39% across the U.S. That is 12.6 per 10,000 households, 15% above the U.S. rate of 11.0.
In 2023, official counts showed 58 businesses with payroll in Merrimack County classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars, up 28.9% from 2019. That is one for every 1,050 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. Another 4 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $518K has gone to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Merrimack County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Merrimack County grew 2.6%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for coffee shops and cafes in Merrimack County is 46 (lower middle), #1,176 of 2,063 scored counties and #6 of 10 scored counties in New Hampshire.
How Merrimack County compares
The same measures for New Hampshire 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 | Merrimack County | New Hampshire | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 12.6 | 12.5 | 11.0 |
| Spending per listing | $3.5M | $3.6M | $3.7M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars) | 1,050 | 1,031 | 1,518 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +28.9% | +14.0% | +24.3% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.6% | +2.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,368 | $4,493 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $97,004 | $99,031 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 46 | 46 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 45 → 58All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +28.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 783
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $14M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 4All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 7733 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 72The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $518K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Merrimack 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 Merrimack County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 158,078+2.6% since 2020
- Households
- 60,901
- Median age
- 43.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 933 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 167
- Median household income
- $97,004+28.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $123,673
- Median home value
- $367,600
- Jobs located here
- 83,058
- Daytime population
- 159,180Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Merrimack 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 Merrimack 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 New Hampshire
Every New Hampshire market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in New Hampshire for coffee shops and cafes, numbered among those based in New Hampshire, with Merrimack County marked.
Top counties in New Hampshire
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Sullivan County, NH | 64 | 14 | 8.4 | $4.7M | +2.1% | #469 of 2,063 |
| 2Coos County, NH | 58 | 10 | 7.1 | $4.6M | +0.4% | #689 of 2,063 |
| 3Hillsborough County, NH | 56 | 178 | 10.5 | $4.4M | +2.5% | #768 of 2,063 |
| 4Cheshire County, NH | 52 | 31 | 10.1 | $4M | +2.3% | #941 of 2,063 |
| 5Rockingham County, NH | 50 | 167 | 13.1 | $3.8M | +3.0% | #1,002 of 2,063 |
| 6Merrimack County, NH | 46 | 77 | 12.6 | $3.5M | +2.6% | #1,176 of 2,063 |
| 7Strafford County, NH | 46 | 66 | 12.7 | $3.4M | +3.0% | #1,180 of 2,063 |
| 8Carroll County, NH | 39 | 34 | 15.6 | $2.7M | +5.0% | #1,450 of 2,063 |
| 9Belknap County, NH | 38 | 39 | 14.8 | $2.9M | +2.1% | #1,483 of 2,063 |
| 10Grafton County, NH | 31 | 78 | 21.0 | $2M | +2.2% | #1,726 of 2,063 |
Other business types in Merrimack County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes64
- Sit-down restaurants67
- Fast food and sandwich shops76
- Pizza64
- Coffee shops and cafes46
- Bakeries and dessert shops50
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 Merrimack County, NH?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 77 coffee shops and cafes in Merrimack County. 33 of them (43%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 58 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in 2023, up 28.9% from 2019. The official count takes in all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars, not only coffee shops and cafes: bakeries and dessert shops are counted too. Official counts list 4 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Merrimack County, NH spend on food away from home?
About $266M a year, or $4,368 per household. That is 7% above the U.S. average (an index of 107, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 77 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $3.5M 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 60,901 households in Merrimack County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Merrimack County, NH compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?
Merrimack County has 12.6 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 15% above the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $3.5M, 7% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the U.S. ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, Merrimack County would have about 72, against 77 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,050 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S. The official count rose 28.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.3% for the U.S.
How fast is Merrimack County, NH growing?
Population estimates put Merrimack County at 158,078 people in 2025, up 2.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 60,901 households. Median household income in Merrimack County is $97,004, 20% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 28.1%, 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. Merrimack County scores 46 for coffee shops and cafes (lower middle), #1,176 of 2,063 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Merrimack 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 Merrimack County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Merrimack 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 Merrimack 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.