Market rankings · Rhode Island
Coffee shops and cafes in Rhode Island
Every metro area, small-town market and county in Rhode Island, ranked by the Groundwork market score for coffee shops and cafes, with competitor counts and household spending for each.
- Listings
- 584
- 203 chain locations (35%)
- Official establishments
- 487
- All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +13.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.9B
- On food away from home
- Listings per 10k households
- 13.2
- 20% above the U.S.
- Spending per listing
- $3.2M
- 14% below the U.S.
- Rank among states
- #42 of 51
- Market score 33 · Lower middle
A site report maps the coffee shops and cafes on map listings around any address in Rhode Island by name and distance, and the spending within reach.
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
Rhode Island has 584 coffee shops and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 203 of them (35%) are chain locations, against 39% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 13.2, 20% above the U.S. rate of 11.0.
Household spending on food away from home in Rhode Island comes to about $1.9B a year: $4,196 per household, 3% above the U.S. average. Spread across 584 coffee shops and cafes, that is $3.2M per cafe, 14% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only coffee shops and cafes.
In 2023, official counts showed 487 businesses with payroll in Rhode Island classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars, up 13.8% from 2019. That is one for every 907 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 24.3% over the same years. That count covers all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars (bakeries and dessert shops included), not only coffee shops and cafes. Since fiscal 2022, 7 SBA-backed loans worth $1.4M have gone to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Rhode Island.
Among the 50 states and DC, Rhode Island ranks #42 for coffee shops and cafes, with a Groundwork market score of 33 (lower middle). The one scored metro area in or partly in Rhode Island, the Providence-Warwick metro area, scores 37. Among 5 scored counties, Kent County scores highest (47).
Every market in Rhode Island for coffee shops and cafes
Download the ranking (CSV)Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in Rhode Island, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.
Metro areas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Providence-Warwick, RI-MA | 37 | 820 | 12.1 | $3.4M | +2.1% | #302 of 387 |
Counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Kent County, RI | 47 | 82 | 11.3 | $3.9M | +1.8% | #1,133 of 2,063 |
| 2Providence County, RI | 41 | 310 | 12.0 | $3.3M | +2.8% | #1,346 of 2,063 |
| 3Bristol County, RI | 36 | 32 | 15.9 | $3.1M | −1.5% | #1,556 of 2,063 |
| 4Newport County, RI | 30 | 59 | 16.0 | $2.9M | −2.9% | #1,748 of 2,063 |
| 5Washington County, RI | 30 | 101 | 19.2 | $2.5M | 0.0% | #1,754 of 2,063 |
Questions
How many coffee shops and cafes are in Rhode Island?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 584 coffee shops and cafes in Rhode Island. 203 of them (35%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 487 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in 2023, up 13.8% 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 list 46 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Rhode Island spend on food away from home?
About $1.9B a year, or $4,196 per household. That is 3% above the U.S. average (an index of 103, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 584 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $3.2M 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 441,570 households in Rhode Island and national spending patterns by income.
How does Rhode Island compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?
Rhode Island has 13.2 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 20% above the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $3.2M, 14% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the U.S. ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, Rhode Island would have about 500, against 584 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 907 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S. The official count rose 13.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.3% for the U.S.
Which market in Rhode Island has the highest market score for coffee shops and cafes?
The one scored metro area in or partly in Rhode Island is the Providence-Warwick metro area, at 37 (lower middle). Among 5 scored counties in Rhode Island, Kent County scores highest, at 47 (lower middle). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.
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. Rhode Island scores 33 for coffee shops and cafes (lower middle), #42 of the 50 states and DC.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Rhode Island. 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.
Coffee shops and cafes in other states
All 51 states
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Top markets for coffee shops and cafes across the U.S. · All business types in Rhode Island
Related business types in Rhode Island
- Restaurants and cafes5,398 listings
- Sit-down restaurants2,992 listings
- Fast food and sandwich shops439 listings
- Pizza463 listings
- Bakeries and dessert shops576 listings
Screening a site or an acquisition in Rhode Island?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
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.