Food and drink · County · Rhode Island
Coffee shops and cafes in Washington County, RI
The coffee shops and cafes in Washington County, RI, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 30 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,754 of 2,063 scored counties
#5 of 5 scored counties in Rhode Island
- Listings
- 101
- 25 chain locations (25%)
- Official establishments
- 81
- All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +8.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $247.6M
- On food away from home · $4,712 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.5M
- 34% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 19.2
- 75% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 129,795
- 0.0% since 2020
See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in Washington 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 Washington 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
Washington County scores 30 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for coffee shops and cafes, ranking #1,754 of 2,063 scored counties and #5 of 5 scored counties in Rhode Island. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 101 coffee shops and cafes in Washington County. 25 of them (25%) are chain locations, against 39% across the U.S. That is 19.2 per 10,000 households, 75% above the U.S. rate of 11.0.
Household spending on food away from home in Washington County comes to about $247.6M a year: $4,712 per household, 16% above the U.S. average. That works out to $2.5M per cafe, 34% below 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 81 businesses with payroll in Washington County classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars, up 8.0% from 2019. That is one for every 649 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, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $130K has gone to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Washington County. Population estimates show Washington County held about level from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Washington County compares
The same measures for Rhode Island 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 | Washington County | Rhode Island | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 19.2 | 13.2 | 11.0 |
| Spending per listing | $2.5M | $3.2M | $3.7M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars) | 649 | 907 | 1,518 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +8.0% | +13.8% | +24.3% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | 0.0% | +1.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,712 | $4,196 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $106,638 | $87,796 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 30 | 33 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 75 → 81All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +8.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,074
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $22.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 6All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 10125 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 67The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $130K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Washington 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 Washington County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 129,7950.0% since 2020
- Households
- 52,549
- Median age
- 45.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 78%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 329 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 396
- Median household income
- $106,638+24.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $136,741
- Median home value
- $510,800
- Jobs located here
- 55,609
- Daytime population
- 127,343Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Washington 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 Washington 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 Rhode Island
Every Rhode Island market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Rhode Island for coffee shops and cafes, numbered among those based in Rhode Island, with Washington County marked.
Top counties in Rhode Island
| 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 |
Other business types in Washington County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes37
- Sit-down restaurants39
- Fast food and sandwich shops68
- Pizza52
- Coffee shops and cafes30
- Bakeries and dessert shops30
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 Washington County, RI?
There are 101 coffee shops and cafes on map listings in Washington County as of September 2026. 25 of them (25%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 81 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in 2023, up 8.0% from 2019. That count covers all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars (bakeries and dessert shops included), not only coffee shops and cafes. Official counts list 6 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Washington County, RI spend on food away from home?
About $247.6M a year, or $4,712 per household. That is 16% above the U.S. average (an index of 116, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 101 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $2.5M 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 52,549 households in Washington County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Washington County, RI compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?
Washington County has 19.2 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 75% above the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $2.5M, 34% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the national ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, Washington County would have about 67, against 101 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 649 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S. The official count rose 8.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.3% for the U.S.
How fast is Washington County, RI growing?
Population estimates put Washington County at 129,795 people in 2025, unchanged since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 52,549 households. The median household income in Washington County is $106,638 a year, 32% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 24.7% 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. Washington County scores 30 for coffee shops and cafes (lower middle), #1,754 of 2,063 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Washington 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 Washington County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Washington 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 Washington 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.