Food and drink · County · North Carolina
Coffee shops and cafes in Watauga County, NC
The coffee shops and cafes in Watauga County, NC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 16 out of 100: Low
Ranked #2,020 of 2,063 scored counties
#85 of 87 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 39
- 8 chain locations (21%)
- Official establishments
- 20
- All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
- Household spending a year
- $70.3M
- On food away from home · $3,317 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.8M
- 51% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 18.4
- 67% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 54,786
- +0.6% since 2020
See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in Watauga 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 Watauga 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
Watauga County scores 16 (low) on the Groundwork market score for coffee shops and cafes, ranking #2,020 of 2,063 scored counties and #85 of 87 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
At $3,317 per household (18% below the U.S. average), households in Watauga County spend about $70.3M a year on food away from home. Spread across 39 coffee shops and cafes, that is $1.8M per cafe, 51% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only coffee shops and cafes.
Watauga County has 39 coffee shops and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 8 of them (21%) are chain locations, against 39% across the U.S. That is 18.4 per 10,000 households, 67% above the U.S. rate of 11.0.
In 2023, official counts showed 20 businesses with payroll in Watauga County classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars. That is one for every 1,060 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. Population estimates put the population change in Watauga County from 2020 to 2025 at +0.6%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Watauga 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 | Watauga County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 18.4 | 9.3 | 11.0 |
| Spending per listing | $1.8M | $4.1M | $3.7M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars) | 1,060 | 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 | $3,317 | $3,776 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $51,693 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 16 | 64 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 18 → 20All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
- Employees, 2023
- 256
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $4.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 398 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 19The 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 Watauga 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 Watauga County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 54,786+0.6% since 2020
- Households
- 21,198
- Median age
- 35.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 62%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 312 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 176
- Median household income
- $51,693+8.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $83,665
- Median home value
- $358,900
- Jobs located here
- 24,062
- Daytime population
- 59,737Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Watauga 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 Watauga 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 Watauga 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 |
| 85Watauga County, NC | 16 | 39 | 18.4 | $1.8M | +0.6% | #2,020 of 2,063 |
Other business types in Watauga County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes16
- Sit-down restaurants16
- Fast food and sandwich shops37
- Pizza49
- Coffee shops and cafes16
- Bakeries and dessert shops15
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 Watauga County, NC?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 39 coffee shops and cafes in Watauga County. 8 of them (21%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 20 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 Watauga County, NC spend on food away from home?
About $70.3M a year, or $3,317 per household. That is 18% below the U.S. average (an index of 82, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 39 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $1.8M 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 21,198 households in Watauga County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Watauga County, NC compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?
Watauga County has 18.4 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 67% above the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $1.8M, 51% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the U.S. ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, Watauga County would have about 19, against 39 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,060 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S.
How fast is Watauga County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Watauga County at 54,786 people in 2025, up 0.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 21,198 households. Median household income in Watauga County is $51,693, 36% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 8.8%, 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. Watauga County scores 16 for coffee shops and cafes (low), #2,020 of 2,063 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Watauga 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 Watauga County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Watauga 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 Watauga 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.