Food and drink · County · North Carolina
Coffee shops and cafes in Wake County, NC
How Wake 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 65 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #446 of 2,063 scored counties
#24 of 87 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 523
- 226 chain locations (43%)
- Official establishments
- 303
- All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +44.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $2.1B
- On food away from home · $4,659 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.1M
- 11% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.4
- 4% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,257,235
- +11.2% since 2020
See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in Wake 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 Wake 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 Wake County comes to about $2.1B a year: $4,659 per household, 14% above the U.S. average. That works out to $4.1M per cafe, 11% above the U.S. figure of $3.7M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only coffee shops and cafes.
There are 523 coffee shops and cafes on map listings in Wake County as of September 2026. Of those, 226 are chain locations, or 43%, against 39% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 11.4, 4% above the U.S. rate of 11.0.
Official counts show 303 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Wake County in 2023, up 44.3% from 2019. That is one for every 1,519 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. Official counts list 51 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 22 SBA-backed loans worth $9.6M have gone to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Wake County.
Population estimates show Wake County grew 11.2% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For coffee shops and cafes, Wake County has a Groundwork market score of 65 (upper middle): #446 of 2,063 scored counties and #24 of 87 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Wake 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 | Wake County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 11.4 | 9.3 | 11.0 |
| Spending per listing | $4.1M | $4.1M | $3.7M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars) | 1,519 | 1,926 | 1,518 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +44.3% | +41.8% | +24.3% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +11.2% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,659 | $3,776 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $105,768 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 65 | 64 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 210 → 303All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +44.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 4,282
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $78.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 51All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 523226 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 579The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 22
- Amount
- $9.6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Wake 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 Wake County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,257,235+11.2% since 2020
- Households
- 460,175
- Median age
- 38.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 64%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 835 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,412
- Median household income
- $105,768+31.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $139,587
- Median home value
- $461,300
- Jobs located here
- 687,531
- Daytime population
- 1,293,967Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Wake 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 Wake 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 Wake 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 |
| 24Wake County, NC | 65 | 523 | 11.4 | $4.1M | +11.2% | #446 of 2,063 |
Other business types in Wake County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes64
- Sit-down restaurants63
- Fast food and sandwich shops71
- Pizza72
- Coffee shops and cafes65
- Bakeries and dessert shops63
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 Wake County, NC?
As of September 2026, map listings count 523 coffee shops and cafes in Wake County. 226 of them (43%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 303 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in 2023, up 44.3% from 2019. The official count takes in all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars, not only coffee shops and cafes: bakeries and dessert shops are counted too. Official counts also show 51 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Wake County, NC spend on food away from home?
About $2.1B a year, or $4,659 per household. That is 14% above the U.S. average (an index of 114, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 523 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $4.1M 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 460,175 households in Wake County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Wake County, NC compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?
Wake County has 11.4 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 4% above the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $4.1M, 11% above the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the U.S. ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, Wake County would have about 579, against 523 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,519 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S. The official count rose 44.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.3% for the U.S.
How fast is Wake County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Wake County at 1,257,235 people in 2025, up 11.2% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 460,175 households. Median household income in Wake County is $105,768, 31% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 31.2%, 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. Wake County scores 65 for coffee shops and cafes (upper middle), #446 of 2,063 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Wake 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 Wake County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Wake 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 Wake 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.