Food and drink · County · North Carolina
Coffee shops and cafes in Mecklenburg County, NC
How Mecklenburg County, NC compares with other counties and the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 62 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #545 of 2,063 scored counties
#30 of 87 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 493
- 279 chain locations (57%)
- Official establishments
- 319
- All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +27.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $2B
- On food away from home · $4,258 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4M
- 9% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 10.6
- 4% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,233,383
- +10.5% since 2020
See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in Mecklenburg 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 Mecklenburg 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 493 coffee shops and cafes in Mecklenburg County. Chain locations make up 57% of them, against 39% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 10.6, 4% below the U.S. rate of 11.0.
At $4,258 per household (5% above the U.S. average), households in Mecklenburg County spend about $2B a year on food away from home. Spread across 493 coffee shops and cafes, that is $4M per cafe, 9% 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.
Official counts show 319 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Mecklenburg County in 2023, up 27.6% from 2019. That is one for every 1,462 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 55 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 21 SBA-backed loans worth $10.2M have gone to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Mecklenburg County.
Population estimates put the population change in Mecklenburg County from 2020 to 2025 at +10.5%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For coffee shops and cafes, Mecklenburg County has a Groundwork market score of 62 (upper middle): #545 of 2,063 scored counties and #30 of 87 scored counties in North Carolina.
How Mecklenburg 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 | Mecklenburg County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 10.6 | 9.3 | 11.0 |
| Spending per listing | $4M | $4.1M | $3.7M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars) | 1,462 | 1,926 | 1,518 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +27.6% | +41.8% | +24.3% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +10.5% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,258 | $3,776 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $87,005 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 62 | 64 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 250 → 319All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +27.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 4,280
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $75M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 55All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 493279 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 536The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 21
- Amount
- $10.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Mecklenburg 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 Mecklenburg County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,233,383+10.5% since 2020
- Households
- 466,527
- Median age
- 36.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 55%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 524 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 2,205
- Median household income
- $87,005+30.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $128,768
- Median home value
- $406,800
- Jobs located here
- 829,972
- Daytime population
- 1,424,612Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Mecklenburg 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 Mecklenburg 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 Mecklenburg 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 |
| 30Mecklenburg County, NC | 62 | 493 | 10.6 | $4M | +10.5% | #545 of 2,063 |
Other business types in Mecklenburg County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes52
- Sit-down restaurants50
- Fast food and sandwich shops62
- Pizza71
- Coffee shops and cafes62
- Bakeries and dessert shops55
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 Mecklenburg County, NC?
There are 493 coffee shops and cafes on map listings in Mecklenburg County as of September 2026. 279 of them (57%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 319 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in 2023, up 27.6% 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 55 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Mecklenburg County, NC spend on food away from home?
About $2B a year, or $4,258 per household. That is 5% above the U.S. average (an index of 105, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 493 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $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 466,527 households in Mecklenburg County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Mecklenburg County, NC compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?
Mecklenburg County has 10.6 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 4% below the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $4M, 9% above the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the national ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, Mecklenburg County would have about 536, against 493 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,462 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S. The official count rose 27.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.3% for the U.S.
How fast is Mecklenburg County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Mecklenburg County at 1,233,383 people in 2025, up 10.5% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 466,527 households. The median household income in Mecklenburg County is $87,005 a year, 8% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 30.6% 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. Mecklenburg County scores 62 for coffee shops and cafes (upper middle), #545 of 2,063 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Mecklenburg 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 Mecklenburg County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Mecklenburg 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 Mecklenburg 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.