Food and drink · Small-town market · Ohio
Coffee shops and cafes in the Athens, OH area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for coffee shops and cafes in the Athens, OH area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 43 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #344 of 529 scored small-town markets
#29 of 29 scored small-town markets based in Ohio
- Listings
- 30
- 6 chain locations (20%)
- Official establishments
- 9
- All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
- Household spending a year
- $77.2M
- On food away from home · $3,353 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.6M
- 31% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 13.0
- 18% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 63,197
- +1.3% since 2020
See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in the Athens area
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 the Athens area. 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
Households in the Athens area spend about $77.2M a year on food away from home, or $3,353 per household, 18% below the U.S. average. Spread across 30 coffee shops and cafes, that is $2.6M per cafe, 31% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only coffee shops and cafes.
The Athens area has 30 coffee shops and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 6 of them (20%) are chain locations, against 39% across the U.S. That comes to 13.0 for every 10,000 households, 18% above the U.S. rate of 11.0.
Official counts show 9 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in the Athens area in 2023. That is one for every 2,557 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 show the Athens area grew 1.3% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For coffee shops and cafes, the Athens area has a Groundwork market score of 43 (lower middle): #344 of 529 scored small-town markets and #29 of 29 scored small-town markets based in Ohio.
How the Athens area compares
The same measures for Ohio 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 | Athens area | Ohio | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 13.0 | 8.0 | 11.0 |
| Spending per listing | $2.6M | $4.8M | $3.7M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars) | 2,557 | 1,996 | 1,518 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +27.9% | +24.3% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.3% | +0.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,353 | $3,829 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $56,001 | $71,389 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 43 | 64 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 9All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
- Employees, 2023
- 123
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 306 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 21The 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 the Athens area, 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 the Athens area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 63,197+1.3% since 2020
- Households
- 23,014
- Median age
- 37.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 60%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 504 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 122
- Median household income
- $56,001+36.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $77,858
- Median home value
- $185,000
- Jobs located here
- 18,702
- Daytime population
- 59,780Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Athens area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 the Athens area. 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 Ohio
Every Ohio market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Ohio for coffee shops and cafes, numbered among those based in Ohio, with the Athens area marked.
Top small-town markets in Ohio
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Wilmington, OH | 81 | 6 | 3.6 | $10.3M | +0.6% | #7 of 529 |
| 2Coshocton, OH | 70 | 7 | 4.7 | $6.9M | +1.6% | #57 of 529 |
| 3Mount Vernon, OH | 70 | 20 | 8.5 | $4.5M | +1.9% | #61 of 529 |
| 4Norwalk, OH | 69 | 15 | 6.4 | $5.6M | −0.4% | #63 of 529 |
| 5Sidney, OH | 66 | 9 | 4.8 | $8M | −0.2% | #86 of 529 |
| 6Van Wert, OH | 66 | 6 | 5.2 | $6.8M | +0.3% | #89 of 529 |
| 7Celina, OH | 66 | 11 | 6.7 | $5.6M | +0.5% | #90 of 529 |
| 8Marion, OH | 65 | 16 | 6.5 | $5.2M | −0.4% | #101 of 529 |
| 9Marietta, OH | 62 | 12 | 4.8 | $7.2M | −2.1% | #127 of 529 |
| 10Bellefontaine, OH | 62 | 11 | 5.6 | $6.6M | +0.4% | #129 of 529 |
| 29Athens, OH | 43 | 30 | 13.0 | $2.6M | +1.3% | #344 of 529 |
Other business types in the Athens area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes30
- Sit-down restaurants39
- Fast food and sandwich shops36
- Pizza21
- Coffee shops and cafes43
- 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 the Athens, OH area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 30 coffee shops and cafes in the Athens area. 6 of them (20%) 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. 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 the Athens, OH area spend on food away from home?
About $77.2M a year, or $3,353 per household. That is 18% below the U.S. average (an index of 82, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 30 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $2.6M 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 23,014 households in the Athens area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Athens, OH area compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?
The Athens area has 13.0 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 18% above the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $2.6M, 31% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the U.S. ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, the Athens area would have about 21, against 30 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,557 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S.
How fast is the Athens, OH area growing?
Population estimates put the Athens area at 63,197 people in 2025, up 1.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 23,014 households. Median household income in the Athens area is $56,001, 31% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 36.9%, 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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. The Athens area scores 43 for coffee shops and cafes (lower middle), #344 of 529 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Athens area. 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 the Athens area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Athens area?
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 the Athens area. 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.