Food and drink · County · North Carolina
Coffee shops and cafes in Swain County, NC
How Swain 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 13 out of 100: Low
Ranked #2,040 of 2,063 scored counties
#86 of 87 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 9
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- 9
- All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
- Household spending a year
- $19.8M
- On food away from home · $3,299 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.2M
- 40% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 15.0
- 36% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 14,024
- −0.6% since 2020
See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in Swain 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 Swain 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
For coffee shops and cafes, Swain County has a Groundwork market score of 13 (low): #2,040 of 2,063 scored counties and #86 of 87 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 9 coffee shops and cafes in Swain County. None of them are chain locations, against 39% across the U.S. That comes to 15.0 for every 10,000 households, 36% above the U.S. rate of 11.0.
At $3,299 per household (19% below the U.S. average), households in Swain County spend about $19.8M a year on food away from home. Spread across 9 coffee shops and cafes, that is $2.2M per cafe, 40% 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 Swain County was 9 in 2023. That is one for every 668 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. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $50K has gone to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Swain County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Swain County declined 0.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Swain 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 | Swain County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 15.0 | 9.3 | 11.0 |
| Spending per listing | $2.2M | $4.1M | $3.7M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars) | 668 | 1,926 | 1,518 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +41.8% | +24.3% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.6% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,299 | $3,776 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $52,349 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 13 | 64 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 7 → 9All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
- Employees, 2023
- 39
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $596K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 90 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 5The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $50K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Swain 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 Swain County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 14,024−0.6% since 2020
- Households
- 6,013
- Median age
- 41.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 528 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 27
- Median household income
- $52,349+33.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $74,062
- Median home value
- $207,000
- Jobs located here
- 6,242
- Daytime population
- 14,755Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Swain 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 Swain 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 Swain 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 |
| 86Swain County, NC | 13 | 9 | 15.0 | $2.2M | −0.6% | #2,040 of 2,063 |
Other business types in Swain County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes19
- Sit-down restaurants30
- Fast food and sandwich shops41
- Pizza
- Coffee shops and cafes13
- Bakeries and dessert shops11
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 Swain County, NC?
There are 9 coffee shops and cafes on map listings in Swain County as of September 2026. None of them 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. 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 Swain County, NC spend on food away from home?
About $19.8M a year, or $3,299 per household. That is 19% below the U.S. average (an index of 81, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 9 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $2.2M 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 6,013 households in Swain County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Swain County, NC compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?
Swain County has 15.0 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 36% above the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $2.2M, 40% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the national ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, Swain County would have about 5, against 9 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 668 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S.
How fast is Swain County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Swain County at 14,024 people in 2025, down 0.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 6,013 households. The median household income in Swain County is $52,349 a year, 35% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 33.2% 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. Swain County scores 13 for coffee shops and cafes (low), #2,040 of 2,063 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Swain 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 Swain County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Swain 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 Swain 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.