Food and drink · County · New York
Coffee shops and cafes in Albany County, NY
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for coffee shops and cafes in Albany County, NY, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 45 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,209 of 2,063 scored counties
#36 of 61 scored counties in New York
- Listings
- 163
- 67 chain locations (41%)
- Official establishments
- 111
- All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · 0.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $558M
- On food away from home · $4,142 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.4M
- 8% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 12.1
- 10% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 321,225
- +2.2% since 2020
See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in Albany 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 Albany 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 Albany County comes to about $558M a year: $4,142 per household, 2% above the U.S. average. That works out to $3.4M per cafe, 8% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only coffee shops and cafes.
There are 163 coffee shops and cafes on map listings in Albany County as of September 2026. Of those, 67 are chain locations, or 41%, against 39% across the U.S. That comes to 12.1 for every 10,000 households, 10% above the U.S. rate of 11.0.
In 2023, official counts showed 111 businesses with payroll in Albany County classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars, unchanged from 2019. That is one for every 1,214 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. Official counts list 7 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $758K have gone to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Albany County.
Population estimates put the population change in Albany County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.2%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for coffee shops and cafes in Albany County is 45 (lower middle), #1,209 of 2,063 scored counties and #36 of 61 scored counties in New York.
How Albany County compares
The same measures for New York 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 | Albany County | New York | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 12.1 | 12.2 | 11.0 |
| Spending per listing | $3.4M | $3.5M | $3.7M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars) | 1,214 | 1,075 | 1,518 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | 0.0% | +17.3% | +24.3% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.2% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,142 | $4,270 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $85,333 | $85,974 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 45 | 36 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 111 → 111All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · 0.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,332
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $28.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 7All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 16367 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 151The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $758K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Albany 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 Albany County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 321,225+2.2% since 2020
- Households
- 134,703
- Median age
- 40.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 57%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.5
- Land area
- 523 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 606
- Median household income
- $85,333+28.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $111,519
- Median home value
- $294,600
- Jobs located here
- 249,261
- Daytime population
- 417,371Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Albany 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 Albany 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 York
Every New York market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in New York for coffee shops and cafes, numbered among those based in New York, with Albany County marked.
Top counties in New York
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Wyoming County, NY | 70 | 7 | 4.3 | $8.3M | −1.3% | #286 of 2,063 |
| 2Wayne County, NY | 70 | 21 | 5.5 | $6.8M | +0.1% | #291 of 2,063 |
| 3Putnam County, NY | 69 | 34 | 9.6 | $5.3M | +1.4% | #324 of 2,063 |
| 4Rockland County, NY | 67 | 90 | 8.7 | $5.6M | +5.9% | #378 of 2,063 |
| 5Washington County, NY | 66 | 10 | 4.1 | $8.9M | −2.9% | #393 of 2,063 |
| 6Saratoga County, NY | 66 | 90 | 8.8 | $5.2M | +2.3% | #401 of 2,063 |
| 7Schenectady County, NY | 61 | 58 | 8.7 | $4.6M | +3.0% | #565 of 2,063 |
| 8Richmond County, NY | 60 | 140 | 8.2 | $5.5M | +1.3% | #594 of 2,063 |
| 9Rensselaer County, NY | 59 | 49 | 7.3 | $5.6M | −0.2% | #637 of 2,063 |
| 10Westchester County, NY | 59 | 360 | 9.7 | $5.3M | +1.4% | #639 of 2,063 |
| 36Albany County, NY | 45 | 163 | 12.1 | $3.4M | +2.2% | #1,209 of 2,063 |
Other business types in Albany County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes42
- Sit-down restaurants41
- Fast food and sandwich shops50
- Pizza44
- Coffee shops and cafes45
- 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 Albany County, NY?
As of September 2026, map listings count 163 coffee shops and cafes in Albany County. 67 of them (41%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 111 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in 2023, unchanged 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 also show 7 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Albany County, NY spend on food away from home?
About $558M a year, or $4,142 per household. That is 2% above the U.S. average (an index of 102, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 163 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $3.4M 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 134,703 households in Albany County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Albany County, NY compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?
Albany County has 12.1 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 10% above the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $3.4M, 8% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the U.S. ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, Albany County would have about 151, against 163 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,214 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S. The official count held level from 2019 to 2023, against +24.3% for the U.S.
How fast is Albany County, NY growing?
Population estimates put Albany County at 321,225 people in 2025, up 2.2% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 134,703 households. Median household income in Albany County is $85,333, 6% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 28.8%, 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. Albany County scores 45 for coffee shops and cafes (lower middle), #1,209 of 2,063 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Albany 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 Albany County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Albany 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 Albany 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.