Food and drink · County · North Carolina
Coffee shops and cafes in Cherokee County, NC
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for coffee shops and cafes in Cherokee County, NC, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 47 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,139 of 2,063 scored counties
#64 of 87 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 12
- 2 chain locations (17%)
- Official establishments
- 6
- All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
- Household spending a year
- $41M
- On food away from home · $3,096 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.4M
- 8% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 9.1
- 17% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 30,830
- +6.8% since 2020
See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in Cherokee 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 Cherokee 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 Cherokee County comes to about $41M a year: $3,096 per household, 24% below 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.
Cherokee County has 12 coffee shops and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 2 of them (17%) are chain locations, against 39% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 9.1, 17% below the U.S. rate of 11.0.
Official counts show 6 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Cherokee County in 2023. That is one for every 2,207 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.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Cherokee County grew 6.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for coffee shops and cafes in Cherokee County is 47 (lower middle), #1,139 of 2,063 scored counties and #64 of 87 scored counties in North Carolina.
How Cherokee County 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 | Cherokee County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 9.1 | 9.3 | 11.0 |
| Spending per listing | $3.4M | $4.1M | $3.7M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars) | 2,207 | 1,926 | 1,518 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +41.8% | +24.3% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +6.8% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,096 | $3,776 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $53,628 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 47 | 64 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 3 → 6All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
- Employees, 2023
- 76
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $983K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 122 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 11The 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 Cherokee 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 Cherokee County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 30,830+6.8% since 2020
- Households
- 13,241
- Median age
- 53.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 84%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 456 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 65
- Median household income
- $53,628+29.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $68,893
- Median home value
- $232,300
- Jobs located here
- 7,860
- Daytime population
- 26,424Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Cherokee 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 Cherokee 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 North Carolina
Every North Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in North Carolina for coffee shops and cafes, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with Cherokee County marked.
Top counties in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Chatham County, NC | 93 | 24 | 7.3 | $6.2M | +11.0% | #11 of 2,063 |
| 2Franklin County, NC | 89 | 14 | 4.9 | $7.5M | +18.8% | #24 of 2,063 |
| 3Davie County, NC | 88 | 9 | 5.2 | $7.4M | +6.9% | #29 of 2,063 |
| 4Hoke County, NC | 82 | 10 | 5.2 | $6.7M | +9.0% | #77 of 2,063 |
| 5Johnston County, NC | 82 | 59 | 6.9 | $5.7M | +17.9% | #84 of 2,063 |
| 6Harnett County, NC | 80 | 36 | 7.2 | $5M | +12.3% | #111 of 2,063 |
| 7Davidson County, NC | 79 | 38 | 5.4 | $6.3M | +6.6% | #117 of 2,063 |
| 8Gaston County, NC | 79 | 61 | 6.5 | $5.5M | +7.8% | #120 of 2,063 |
| 9Granville County, NC | 78 | 8 | 3.6 | $10.3M | +2.1% | #127 of 2,063 |
| 10Union County, NC | 78 | 59 | 7.0 | $6.6M | +11.7% | #133 of 2,063 |
| 64Cherokee County, NC | 47 | 12 | 9.1 | $3.4M | +6.8% | #1,139 of 2,063 |
Other business types in Cherokee County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes33
- Sit-down restaurants29
- Fast food and sandwich shops44
- Pizza58
- Coffee shops and cafes47
- Bakeries and dessert shops46
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 Cherokee County, NC?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 12 coffee shops and cafes in Cherokee County. 2 of them (17%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 6 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.
How much do households in Cherokee County, NC spend on food away from home?
About $41M a year, or $3,096 per household. That is 24% below the U.S. average (an index of 76, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 12 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 13,241 households in Cherokee County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Cherokee County, NC compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?
Cherokee County has 9.1 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 17% below 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, Cherokee County would have about 11, against 12 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,207 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S.
How fast is Cherokee County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Cherokee County at 30,830 people in 2025, up 6.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 13,241 households. Median household income in Cherokee County is $53,628, 34% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.4%, 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. 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. Cherokee County scores 47 for coffee shops and cafes (lower middle), #1,139 of 2,063 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Cherokee 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 Cherokee County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Cherokee 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 Cherokee 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.