Market rankings · South Carolina
Coffee shops and cafes in South Carolina
Markets across South Carolina ranked by the Groundwork market score for coffee shops and cafes, with competitor counts and household spending for each.
- Listings
- 1,778
- 711 chain locations (40%)
- Official establishments
- 811
- All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +28.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $7.8B
- On food away from home
- Listings per 10k households
- 8.4
- 24% below the U.S.
- Spending per listing
- $4.4M
- 18% above the U.S.
- Rank among states
- #4 of 51
- Market score 75 · High
A site report maps the coffee shops and cafes on map listings around any address in South Carolina 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 1,778 coffee shops and cafes in South Carolina. Of those, 711 are chain locations, or 40%, against 39% across the U.S. That comes to 8.4 for every 10,000 households, 24% below the U.S. rate of 11.0.
Household spending on food away from home in South Carolina comes to about $7.8B a year: $3,660 per household, 10% below the U.S. average. Spread across 1,778 coffee shops and cafes, that is $4.4M per cafe, 18% above 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 811 businesses with payroll in South Carolina classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars, up 28.1% from 2019. That is one for every 2,612 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 24.3% over the same years. 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, 55 SBA-backed loans worth $23.8M have gone to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in South Carolina.
Among the 50 states and DC, South Carolina ranks #4 for coffee shops and cafes, with a Groundwork market score of 75 (high). Of the 10 scored metro areas in or partly in South Carolina, the Augusta-Richmond County metro area scores highest (76). Of the 6 scored small-town markets in or partly in South Carolina, the Seneca area scores highest (83).
Every market in South Carolina for coffee shops and cafes
Download the ranking (CSV)Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in South Carolina, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC | 76 | 156 | 6.7 | $5.4M | +4.7% | #21 of 387 |
| 1Columbia, SC | 76 | 248 | 7.3 | $5M | +6.0% | #22 of 387 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 74 | 937 | 8.7 | $4.7M | +10.1% | #30 of 387 |
| 2Spartanburg, SC | 71 | 109 | 7.6 | $4.5M | +14.3% | #37 of 387 |
| 3Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC | 66 | 101 | 10.6 | $3.9M | +12.0% | #73 of 387 |
| 4Charleston-North Charleston, SC | 66 | 375 | 11.2 | $3.7M | +10.7% | #74 of 387 |
| 5Sumter, SC | 63 | 20 | 4.9 | $6.7M | −0.3% | #86 of 387 |
| 6Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC | 61 | 378 | 9.8 | $3.8M | +9.0% | #107 of 387 |
| 7Florence, SC | 57 | 55 | 7.0 | $4.7M | +0.9% | #133 of 387 |
| 8Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC | 39 | 185 | 11.7 | $3M | +20.9% | #288 of 387 |
Small-town markets
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Seneca, SC | 83 | 21 | 6.1 | $5.7M | +6.3% | #6 of 529 |
| 2Gaffney, SC | 74 | 11 | 5.0 | $6.1M | +3.7% | #32 of 529 |
| 3Newberry, SC | 74 | 10 | 6.5 | $5M | +4.8% | #33 of 529 |
| 4Murrells Inlet, SC | 64 | 27 | 10.0 | $3.7M | +3.8% | #114 of 529 |
| 5Greenwood, SC | 62 | 28 | 7.4 | $4.3M | +1.7% | #137 of 529 |
| 6Orangeburg, SC | 61 | 18 | 5.4 | $5.5M | −0.9% | #145 of 529 |
Counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Lancaster County, SC | 90 | 23 | 5.7 | $6.9M | +18.3% | #22 of 2,063 |
| 2Berkeley County, SC | 87 | 62 | 6.6 | $5.9M | +18.7% | #44 of 2,063 |
| 3Aiken County, SC | 85 | 37 | 5.3 | $6.9M | +7.3% | #49 of 2,063 |
| 4Jasper County, SC | 83 | 5 | 3.8 | $9.1M | +32.2% | #60 of 2,063 |
| 5Dorchester County, SC | 83 | 47 | 7.4 | $5.2M | +10.1% | #70 of 2,063 |
| 6York County, SC | 82 | 74 | 6.5 | $6.5M | +8.1% | #81 of 2,063 |
| 7Kershaw County, SC | 82 | 15 | 5.6 | $6.4M | +11.6% | #82 of 2,063 |
| 8Lexington County, SC | 79 | 88 | 7.2 | $5.3M | +7.7% | #123 of 2,063 |
| 9Oconee County, SC | 77 | 21 | 6.1 | $5.7M | +6.3% | #154 of 2,063 |
| 10Laurens County, SC | 73 | 15 | 5.6 | $5.7M | +6.2% | #235 of 2,063 |
| 11Anderson County, SC | 71 | 64 | 7.6 | $4.6M | +7.7% | #280 of 2,063 |
| 12Spartanburg County, SC | 71 | 103 | 7.8 | $4.5M | +15.6% | #283 of 2,063 |
| 13Cherokee County, SC | 70 | 11 | 5.0 | $6.1M | +3.7% | #292 of 2,063 |
| 14Newberry County, SC | 70 | 10 | 6.5 | $5M | +4.8% | #304 of 2,063 |
| 15Colleton County, SC | 69 | 8 | 4.9 | $6.5M | +2.2% | #317 of 2,063 |
| 16Richland County, SC | 66 | 133 | 7.9 | $4.5M | +4.6% | #409 of 2,063 |
| 17Chesterfield County, SC | 64 | 7 | 4.0 | $7.6M | +3.4% | #452 of 2,063 |
| 18Sumter County, SC | 64 | 20 | 4.9 | $6.7M | −0.3% | #453 of 2,063 |
| 19Darlington County, SC | 64 | 13 | 5.1 | $6.1M | +0.1% | #455 of 2,063 |
| 20Greenville County, SC | 61 | 236 | 10.7 | $3.6M | +10.6% | #582 of 2,063 |
| 21Beaufort County, SC | 60 | 96 | 11.7 | $3.6M | +8.9% | #620 of 2,063 |
| 22Orangeburg County, SC | 58 | 18 | 5.4 | $5.5M | −0.9% | #676 of 2,063 |
| 23Greenwood County, SC | 57 | 20 | 7.2 | $4.4M | +1.5% | #729 of 2,063 |
| 24Georgetown County, SC | 57 | 27 | 10.0 | $3.7M | +3.8% | #743 of 2,063 |
| 25Chester County, SC | 55 | 7 | 5.3 | $5.7M | +2.2% | #799 of 2,063 |
Show all 46 counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26Union County, SC | 55 | 6 | 5.2 | $5.5M | −1.4% | #801 of 2,063 |
| 27Barnwell County, SC | 53 | 5 | 6.2 | $4.9M | +0.4% | #876 of 2,063 |
| 28Dillon County, SC | 52 | 5 | 4.6 | $6.3M | −2.9% | #920 of 2,063 |
| 29Florence County, SC | 51 | 42 | 7.9 | $4.2M | +1.2% | #971 of 2,063 |
| 30Clarendon County, SC | 50 | 7 | 5.7 | $5.4M | +0.7% | #990 of 2,063 |
| 31Charleston County, SC | 50 | 266 | 14.9 | $2.9M | +6.4% | #1,020 of 2,063 |
| 32Pickens County, SC | 48 | 63 | 12.0 | $2.8M | +5.7% | #1,118 of 2,063 |
| 33Abbeville County, SC | 47 | 8 | 8.2 | $4M | +2.3% | #1,128 of 2,063 |
| 34Horry County, SC | 45 | 185 | 11.7 | $3M | +20.9% | #1,219 of 2,063 |
| 35Marion County, SC | 39 | 6 | 4.9 | $5.3M | −2.9% | #1,414 of 2,063 |
| 36Calhoun County, SC | 27 | 7 | 11.3 | $2.9M | +0.6% | #1,834 of 2,063 |
| Williamsburg County, SC | Not scored | 4 | 3.3 | $8.8M | −4.0% | |
| Edgefield County, SC | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | +16.1% | |
| Marlboro County, SC | Not scored | 1 | 1.0 | $25.6M | −3.8% | |
| Fairfield County, SC | Not scored | 3 | 3.4 | $9.3M | −2.6% | |
| Saluda County, SC | Not scored | 2 | 2.6 | $12.2M | +4.1% | |
| Hampton County, SC | Not scored | 4 | 5.5 | $5.1M | −1.9% | |
| Lee County, SC | Not scored | 1 | 1.6 | $17.1M | −5.0% | |
| Bamberg County, SC | Not scored | 2 | 4.3 | $6.5M | −3.5% | |
| McCormick County, SC | Not scored | 1 | 2.4 | $13.1M | +7.3% | |
| Allendale County, SC | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −7.4% |
Markets with fewer than 5 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored; they’re listed last in each table.
Questions
How many coffee shops and cafes are in South Carolina?
South Carolina has 1,778 coffee shops and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 711 of them (40%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 811 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in 2023, up 28.1% from 2019. That count covers all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars (bakeries and dessert shops included), not only coffee shops and cafes. Another 248 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in South Carolina spend on food away from home?
About $7.8B a year, or $3,660 per household. That is 10% below the U.S. average (an index of 90, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,778 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $4.4M 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 2,117,989 households in South Carolina and national spending patterns by income.
How does South Carolina compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?
South Carolina has 8.4 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 24% below the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $4.4M, 18% above the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the national ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, South Carolina would have about 2,093, against 1,778 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,612 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S. The official count rose 28.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.3% for the U.S.
Which market in South Carolina has the highest market score for coffee shops and cafes?
Among 10 scored metro areas in or partly in South Carolina, the Augusta-Richmond County metro area scores highest, at 76 (high). Among 6 scored small-town markets in or partly in South Carolina, the Seneca area scores highest, at 83 (high). Among 36 scored counties in South Carolina, Lancaster County scores highest, at 90 (very high). 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. South Carolina scores 75 for coffee shops and cafes (high), #4 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 South Carolina. 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
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Top markets for coffee shops and cafes across the U.S. · All business types in South Carolina
Related business types in South Carolina
- Restaurants and cafes21,961 listings
- Sit-down restaurants12,688 listings
- Fast food and sandwich shops3,144 listings
- Pizza1,608 listings
- Bakeries and dessert shops1,697 listings
Screening a site or an acquisition in South Carolina?
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.