Food and drink · Small-town market · North Carolina
Coffee shops and cafes in the Albemarle, NC area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for coffee shops and cafes in the Albemarle, NC area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 59 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #175 of 529 scored small-town markets
#11 of 23 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina
- Listings
- 27
- 5 chain locations (19%)
- Official establishments
- 9
- All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
- Household spending a year
- $85.2M
- On food away from home · $3,376 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.2M
- 15% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 10.7
- 3% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 68,830
- +9.8% since 2020
See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in the Albemarle area
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 the Albemarle area. 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
Households in the Albemarle area spend about $85.2M a year on food away from home, or $3,376 per household, 17% below the U.S. average. Spread across 27 coffee shops and cafes, that is $3.2M per cafe, 15% 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 27 coffee shops and cafes on map listings in the Albemarle area as of September 2026. 5 of them (19%) are chain locations, against 39% across the U.S. That is 10.7 per 10,000 households, 3% below the U.S. rate of 11.0.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in the Albemarle area was 9 in 2023. That is one for every 2,804 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 5 one-person businesses without payroll.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Albemarle area grew 9.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Albemarle area scores 59 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for coffee shops and cafes, ranking #175 of 529 scored small-town markets and #11 of 23 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina.
How the Albemarle area compares
The same measures for North Carolina 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 | Albemarle area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 10.7 | 9.3 | 11.0 |
| Spending per listing | $3.2M | $4.1M | $3.7M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars) | 2,804 | 1,926 | 1,518 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +41.8% | +24.3% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +9.8% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,376 | $3,776 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $60,704 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 59 | 64 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 9All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
- Employees, 2023
- 104
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 5All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 275 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 23The 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 the Albemarle area, 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 the Albemarle area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 68,830+9.8% since 2020
- Households
- 25,240
- Median age
- 41.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 74%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.2
- Land area
- 395 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 164
- Median household income
- $60,704+15.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $78,208
- Median home value
- $242,400
- Jobs located here
- 23,648
- Daytime population
- 57,304Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Albemarle area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 the Albemarle area. 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 North Carolina
Every North Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in North Carolina for coffee shops and cafes, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with the Albemarle area marked.
Top small-town markets in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Anderson Creek, NC | 85 | 36 | 7.2 | $5M | +12.3% | #4 of 529 |
| 2Lumberton, NC | 72 | 19 | 4.4 | $6.4M | +3.4% | #41 of 529 |
| 3Sanford, NC | 70 | 17 | 6.8 | $5.1M | +10.8% | #59 of 529 |
| 4Shelby-Kings Mountain, NC | 69 | 28 | 7.2 | $4.5M | +3.4% | #64 of 529 |
| 5Marion, NC | 65 | 8 | 4.3 | $7.5M | +1.5% | #98 of 529 |
| 6Wilson, NC | 64 | 24 | 7.3 | $4.4M | +1.7% | #112 of 529 |
| 7New Bern, NC | 64 | 45 | 8.6 | $4M | +3.6% | #113 of 529 |
| 8Henderson, NC | 63 | 6 | 3.7 | $8.3M | +0.2% | #117 of 529 |
| 9North Wilkesboro, NC | 61 | 14 | 5.2 | $5.8M | +0.6% | #143 of 529 |
| 10Waynesville, NC | 59 | 24 | 8.8 | $3.8M | +1.9% | #172 of 529 |
| 11Albemarle, NC | 59 | 27 | 10.7 | $3.2M | +9.8% | #175 of 529 |
Other business types in the Albemarle area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes55
- Sit-down restaurants50
- Fast food and sandwich shops52
- Pizza52
- Coffee shops and cafes59
- Bakeries and dessert shops57
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 the Albemarle, NC area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 27 coffee shops and cafes in the Albemarle area. 5 of them (19%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 9 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. Official counts also show 5 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Albemarle, NC area spend on food away from home?
About $85.2M a year, or $3,376 per household. That is 17% below the U.S. average (an index of 83, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 27 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $3.2M 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 25,240 households in the Albemarle area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Albemarle, NC area compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?
The Albemarle area has 10.7 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 3% below the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $3.2M, 15% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the U.S. ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, the Albemarle area would have about 23, against 27 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,804 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S.
How fast is the Albemarle, NC area growing?
Population estimates put the Albemarle area at 68,830 people in 2025, up 9.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 25,240 households. Median household income in the Albemarle area is $60,704, 25% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 15.4%, 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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. The Albemarle area scores 59 for coffee shops and cafes (upper middle), #175 of 529 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Albemarle area. 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 the Albemarle area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Albemarle area?
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 the Albemarle area. 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.