Food and drink · County · North Carolina
Coffee shops and cafes in Rutherford County, NC
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for coffee shops and cafes in Rutherford County, NC, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 45 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,218 of 2,063 scored counties
#67 of 87 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 27
- 7 chain locations (26%)
- Official establishments
- 7
- All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
- Household spending a year
- $82.3M
- On food away from home · $3,088 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3M
- 18% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 10.1
- 8% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 65,745
- +2.1% since 2020
See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in Rutherford 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 Rutherford 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 Rutherford County comes to about $82.3M a year: $3,088 per household, 24% below the U.S. average. Spread across 27 coffee shops and cafes, that is $3M per cafe, 18% 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 Rutherford County as of September 2026. 7 of them (26%) are chain locations, against 39% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 10.1, 8% below the U.S. rate of 11.0.
In 2023, official counts showed 7 businesses with payroll in Rutherford County classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars. That is one for every 3,806 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 Rutherford County grew 2.1%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For coffee shops and cafes, Rutherford County has a Groundwork market score of 45 (lower middle): #1,218 of 2,063 scored counties and #67 of 87 scored counties in North Carolina.
How Rutherford 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 | Rutherford County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 10.1 | 9.3 | 11.0 |
| Spending per listing | $3M | $4.1M | $3.7M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars) | 3,806 | 1,926 | 1,518 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +41.8% | +24.3% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.1% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,088 | $3,776 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $51,410 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 45 | 64 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 7 → 7All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
- Employees, 2023
- 65
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 277 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 22The 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 Rutherford 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 Rutherford County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 65,745+2.1% since 2020
- Households
- 26,642
- Median age
- 44.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 74%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 565 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 115
- Median household income
- $51,410+20.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $72,230
- Median home value
- $201,800
- Jobs located here
- 19,241
- Daytime population
- 55,091Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Rutherford 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 Rutherford 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 Rutherford 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 |
| 67Rutherford County, NC | 45 | 27 | 10.1 | $3M | +2.1% | #1,218 of 2,063 |
Other business types in Rutherford County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes44
- Sit-down restaurants40
- Fast food and sandwich shops49
- Pizza40
- Coffee shops and cafes45
- Bakeries and dessert shops49
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 Rutherford County, NC?
As of September 2026, map listings count 27 coffee shops and cafes in Rutherford County. 7 of them (26%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 7 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 Rutherford County, NC spend on food away from home?
About $82.3M a year, or $3,088 per household. That is 24% below the U.S. average (an index of 76, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 27 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $3M 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 26,642 households in Rutherford County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Rutherford County, NC compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?
Rutherford County has 10.1 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $3M, 18% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the U.S. ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, Rutherford County would have about 22, against 27 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,806 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S.
How fast is Rutherford County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Rutherford County at 65,745 people in 2025, up 2.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 26,642 households. Median household income in Rutherford County is $51,410, 36% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 20.7%, 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. Rutherford County scores 45 for coffee shops and cafes (lower middle), #1,218 of 2,063 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Rutherford 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 Rutherford County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Rutherford 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 Rutherford 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.