Food and drink · County · North Carolina
Coffee shops and cafes in Macon County, NC
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for coffee shops and cafes in Macon County, NC, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 49 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,054 of 2,063 scored counties
#60 of 87 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 17
- 3 chain locations (18%)
- Official establishments
- 10
- All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
- Household spending a year
- $61.9M
- On food away from home · $3,365 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.6M
- 2% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 9.2
- 16% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 39,232
- +5.8% since 2020
See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in Macon 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 Macon 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 17 coffee shops and cafes in Macon County. 3 of them (18%) are chain locations, against 39% across the U.S. That is 9.2 per 10,000 households, 16% below the U.S. rate of 11.0.
Household spending on food away from home in Macon County comes to about $61.9M a year: $3,365 per household, 17% below the U.S. average. That works out to $3.6M per cafe, 2% below 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 Macon County was 10 in 2023. That is one for every 1,841 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.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Macon County grew 5.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Macon County scores 49 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for coffee shops and cafes, ranking #1,054 of 2,063 scored counties and #60 of 87 scored counties in North Carolina.
How Macon 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 | Macon County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 9.2 | 9.3 | 11.0 |
| Spending per listing | $3.6M | $4.1M | $3.7M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars) | 1,841 | 1,926 | 1,518 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +41.8% | +24.3% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +5.8% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,365 | $3,776 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $59,061 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 49 | 64 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 7 → 10All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
- Employees, 2023
- 43
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 173 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 17The 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 Macon 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 Macon County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 39,232+5.8% since 2020
- Households
- 18,406
- Median age
- 49.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 78%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 516 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 74
- Median household income
- $59,061+29.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $82,980
- Median home value
- $251,900
- Jobs located here
- 12,682
- Daytime population
- 35,660Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Macon 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 Macon 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 Macon 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 |
| 60Macon County, NC | 49 | 17 | 9.2 | $3.6M | +5.8% | #1,054 of 2,063 |
Other business types in Macon County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes31
- Sit-down restaurants29
- Fast food and sandwich shops49
- Pizza54
- Coffee shops and cafes49
- Bakeries and dessert shops36
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 Macon County, NC?
Macon County has 17 coffee shops and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 3 of them (18%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 10 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in 2023. That count covers all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars (bakeries and dessert shops included), not only coffee shops and cafes.
How much do households in Macon County, NC spend on food away from home?
About $61.9M a year, or $3,365 per household. That is 17% below the U.S. average (an index of 83, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 17 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $3.6M 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 18,406 households in Macon County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Macon County, NC compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?
Macon County has 9.2 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 16% below the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $3.6M, 2% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,841 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S.
How fast is Macon County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Macon County at 39,232 people in 2025, up 5.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 18,406 households. The median household income in Macon County is $59,061 a year, 27% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 29.8% 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. Macon County scores 49 for coffee shops and cafes (lower middle), #1,054 of 2,063 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Macon 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 Macon County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Macon 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 Macon 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.