Food and drink · County · North Carolina
Coffee shops and cafes in Union County, NC
How Union 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 78 out of 100: High
Ranked #133 of 2,063 scored counties
#10 of 87 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 59
- 22 chain locations (37%)
- Official establishments
- 53
- All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +55.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $386.9M
- On food away from home · $4,592 a household
- Spending per listing
- $6.6M
- 77% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.0
- 36% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 267,674
- +11.7% since 2020
See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in Union 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 Union 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
The Groundwork market score for coffee shops and cafes in Union County is 78 (high), #133 of 2,063 scored counties and #10 of 87 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for coffee shops and cafes.
As of September 2026, map listings count 59 coffee shops and cafes in Union County. 22 of them (37%) are chain locations, against 39% across the U.S. That is 7.0 per 10,000 households, 36% below the U.S. rate of 11.0.
At $4,592 per household (13% above the U.S. average), households in Union County spend about $386.9M a year on food away from home. Spread across 59 coffee shops and cafes, that is $6.6M per cafe, 77% 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.
In 2023, official counts showed 53 businesses with payroll in Union County classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars, up 55.9% from 2019. That is one for every 1,589 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, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $837K have gone to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Union County. Population estimates put the population change in Union County from 2020 to 2025 at +11.7%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Union 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 | Union County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.0 | 9.3 | 11.0 |
| Spending per listing | $6.6M | $4.1M | $3.7M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars) | 1,589 | 1,926 | 1,518 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +55.9% | +41.8% | +24.3% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +11.7% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,592 | $3,776 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $102,900 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 78 | 64 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 34 → 53All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +55.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 635
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $9.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 12All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 5922 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 105The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $837K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Union 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 Union County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 267,674+11.7% since 2020
- Households
- 84,237
- Median age
- 39.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 82%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.2
- Land area
- 633 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 397
- Median household income
- $102,900+28.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $137,492
- Median home value
- $417,300
- Jobs located here
- 76,151
- Daytime population
- 210,985Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Union 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 Union 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 Union 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 |
Other business types in Union County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes84
- Sit-down restaurants84
- Fast food and sandwich shops83
- Pizza85
- Coffee shops and cafes78
- Bakeries and dessert shops73
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 Union County, NC?
Union County has 59 coffee shops and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 22 of them (37%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 53 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in 2023, up 55.9% from 2019. That count covers all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars (bakeries and dessert shops included), not only coffee shops and cafes. Official counts also show 12 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Union County, NC spend on food away from home?
About $386.9M a year, or $4,592 per household. That is 13% above the U.S. average (an index of 113, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 59 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $6.6M 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 84,237 households in Union County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Union County, NC compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?
Union County has 7.0 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 36% below the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $6.6M, 77% above the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the national ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, Union County would have about 105, against 59 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,589 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S. The official count rose 55.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.3% for the U.S.
How fast is Union County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Union County at 267,674 people in 2025, up 11.7% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 84,237 households. The median household income in Union County is $102,900 a year, 27% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 28.6% 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. Union County scores 78 for coffee shops and cafes (high), #133 of 2,063 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Union 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 Union County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Union 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 Union 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.