Food and drink · County · South Carolina
Coffee shops and cafes in Darlington County, SC
How Darlington County, SC compares with other counties and the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 64 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #455 of 2,063 scored counties
#19 of 36 scored counties in South Carolina
- Listings
- 13
- 4 chain locations (31%)
- Official establishments
- 3
- All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
- Household spending a year
- $79.7M
- On food away from home · $3,119 a household
- Spending per listing
- $6.1M
- 66% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.1
- 54% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 62,888
- +0.1% since 2020
See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in Darlington 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 Darlington 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 13 coffee shops and cafes in Darlington County. Of those, 4 are chain locations, or 31%, against 39% across the U.S. That is 5.1 per 10,000 households, 54% below the U.S. rate of 11.0.
Households in Darlington County spend about $79.7M a year on food away from home, or $3,119 per household, 23% below the U.S. average. That is about $6.1M of household spending for each cafe on map listings, 66% 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 3 businesses with payroll in Darlington County classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars. That is one for every 8,520 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.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Darlington County grew 0.1%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Darlington County scores 64 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for coffee shops and cafes, ranking #455 of 2,063 scored counties and #19 of 36 scored counties in South Carolina. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Darlington County compares
The same measures for South 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 | Darlington County | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.1 | 8.4 | 11.0 |
| Spending per listing | $6.1M | $4.4M | $3.7M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars) | 8,520 | 2,612 | 1,518 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +28.1% | +24.3% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.1% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,119 | $3,660 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $48,581 | $69,324 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 64 | 75 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 3All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
- Employees, 2023
- 36
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $552K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 134 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 22The 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 Darlington 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 Darlington County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 62,888+0.1% since 2020
- Households
- 25,561
- Median age
- 40.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 561 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 112
- Median household income
- $48,581+26.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $74,762
- Median home value
- $158,200
- Jobs located here
- 21,095
- Daytime population
- 56,282Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Darlington 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 Darlington 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 South Carolina
Every South Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in South Carolina for coffee shops and cafes, numbered among those based in South Carolina, with Darlington County marked.
Top counties in South Carolina
| 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 |
| 19Darlington County, SC | 64 | 13 | 5.1 | $6.1M | +0.1% | #455 of 2,063 |
Other business types in Darlington County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes51
- Sit-down restaurants51
- Fast food and sandwich shops34
- Pizza47
- Coffee shops and cafes64
- Bakeries and dessert shops65
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 Darlington County, SC?
Darlington County has 13 coffee shops and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 4 of them (31%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 3 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in 2023. That count covers all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars (bakeries and dessert shops included), not only coffee shops and cafes.
How much do households in Darlington County, SC spend on food away from home?
About $79.7M a year, or $3,119 per household. That is 23% below the U.S. average (an index of 77, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 13 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $6.1M 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 25,561 households in Darlington County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Darlington County, SC compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?
Darlington County has 5.1 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 54% below the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $6.1M, 66% above the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the national ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, Darlington County would have about 22, against 13 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 8,520 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S.
How fast is Darlington County, SC growing?
Population estimates put Darlington County at 62,888 people in 2025, up 0.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 25,561 households. The median household income in Darlington County is $48,581 a year, 40% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 26.4% 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. Darlington County scores 64 for coffee shops and cafes (upper middle), #455 of 2,063 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Darlington 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 Darlington County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Darlington 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 Darlington 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.