Food and drink · County · New Jersey
Coffee shops and cafes in Essex County, NJ
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for coffee shops and cafes in Essex County, NJ, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 62 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #540 of 2,063 scored counties
#14 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey
- Listings
- 309
- 101 chain locations (33%)
- Official establishments
- 204
- All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +20.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.4B
- On food away from home · $4,245 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.4M
- 19% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 9.7
- 12% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 896,379
- +4.2% since 2020
See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in Essex 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 Essex 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 309 coffee shops and cafes in Essex County. 101 of them (33%) are chain locations, against 39% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 9.7, 12% below the U.S. rate of 11.0.
At $4,245 per household (4% above the U.S. average), households in Essex County spend about $1.4B a year on food away from home. That is about $4.4M of household spending for each cafe on map listings, 19% 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.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Essex County was 204 in 2023, up 20.0% from 2019. That is one for every 1,568 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. Another 53 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 11 SBA-backed loans worth $4.3M have gone to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Essex County.
Population estimates put the population change in Essex County from 2020 to 2025 at +4.2%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for coffee shops and cafes in Essex County is 62 (upper middle), #540 of 2,063 scored counties and #14 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey.
How Essex County compares
The same measures for New Jersey 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 | Essex County | New Jersey | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 9.7 | 9.9 | 11.0 |
| Spending per listing | $4.4M | $4.7M | $3.7M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars) | 1,568 | 1,224 | 1,518 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +20.0% | +14.8% | +24.3% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.2% | +3.0% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,245 | $4,680 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $80,789 | $103,556 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 62 | 69 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 170 → 204All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +20.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,733
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $37.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 53All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 309101 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 367The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 11
- Amount
- $4.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Essex 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 Essex County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 896,379+4.2% since 2020
- Households
- 319,788
- Median age
- 38.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 45%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.3
- Land area
- 126 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 6,845
- Median household income
- $80,789+31.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $131,554
- Median home value
- $524,100
- Jobs located here
- 362,597
- Daytime population
- 843,719Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Essex 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 Essex 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 Jersey
Every New Jersey market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in New Jersey for coffee shops and cafes, numbered among those based in New Jersey, with Essex County marked.
Top counties in New Jersey
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Burlington County, NJ | 74 | 131 | 7.4 | $6.4M | +4.3% | #202 of 2,063 |
| 2Warren County, NJ | 74 | 37 | 8.2 | $5.4M | +3.2% | #207 of 2,063 |
| 3Cumberland County, NJ | 73 | 25 | 4.6 | $7.8M | +2.2% | #223 of 2,063 |
| 4Somerset County, NJ | 73 | 120 | 9.2 | $6M | +3.5% | #232 of 2,063 |
| 5Sussex County, NJ | 72 | 45 | 7.8 | $6.3M | +2.9% | #246 of 2,063 |
| 6Gloucester County, NJ | 71 | 81 | 7.2 | $6.4M | +3.3% | #266 of 2,063 |
| 7Salem County, NJ | 71 | 16 | 6.4 | $6.1M | +2.3% | #269 of 2,063 |
| 8Middlesex County, NJ | 67 | 264 | 8.6 | $5.6M | +2.6% | #377 of 2,063 |
| 9Ocean County, NJ | 67 | 193 | 7.9 | $5.4M | +5.6% | #380 of 2,063 |
| 10Camden County, NJ | 66 | 154 | 7.6 | $5.6M | +2.4% | #398 of 2,063 |
| 14Essex County, NJ | 62 | 309 | 9.7 | $4.4M | +4.2% | #540 of 2,063 |
Other business types in Essex County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes53
- Sit-down restaurants47
- Fast food and sandwich shops67
- Pizza69
- Coffee shops and cafes62
- Bakeries and dessert shops51
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 Essex County, NJ?
Essex County has 309 coffee shops and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 101 of them (33%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 204 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in 2023, up 20.0% from 2019. That count covers all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars (bakeries and dessert shops included), not only coffee shops and cafes. Official counts list 53 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Essex County, NJ spend on food away from home?
About $1.4B a year, or $4,245 per household. That is 4% above the U.S. average (an index of 104, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 309 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $4.4M 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 319,788 households in Essex County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Essex County, NJ compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?
Essex County has 9.7 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 12% below the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $4.4M, 19% above the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the national ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, Essex County would have about 367, against 309 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,568 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S. The official count rose 20.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.3% for the U.S.
How fast is Essex County, NJ growing?
Population estimates put Essex County at 896,379 people in 2025, up 4.2% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 319,788 households. The median household income in Essex County is $80,789 a year, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.3% 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. Essex County scores 62 for coffee shops and cafes (upper middle), #540 of 2,063 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Essex 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 Essex County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Essex 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 Essex 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.