Food and drink · Small-town market · South Carolina
Coffee shops and cafes in the Gaffney, SC area
How the Gaffney, SC area compares with other small-town markets and the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 74 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #32 of 529 scored small-town markets
#2 of 6 scored small-town markets based in South Carolina
- Listings
- 11
- 3 chain locations (27%)
- Official establishments
- 3
- All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
- Household spending a year
- $66.9M
- On food away from home · $3,034 a household
- Spending per listing
- $6.1M
- 64% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.0
- 55% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 58,275
- +3.7% since 2020
See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in the Gaffney 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 Gaffney 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
For coffee shops and cafes, the Gaffney area has a Groundwork market score of 74 (upper middle): #32 of 529 scored small-town markets and #2 of 6 scored small-town markets based in South Carolina. That puts it in the top 10% of small-town markets for coffee shops and cafes.
As of September 2026, map listings count 11 coffee shops and cafes in the Gaffney area. 3 of them (27%) are chain locations, against 39% across the U.S. That is 5.0 per 10,000 households, 55% below the U.S. rate of 11.0.
At $3,034 per household (25% below the U.S. average), households in the Gaffney area spend about $66.9M a year on food away from home. Spread across 11 coffee shops and cafes, that is $6.1M per cafe, 64% 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 the Gaffney area classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars. That is one for every 7,354 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. Population estimates show the Gaffney area grew 3.7% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Gaffney area 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 | Gaffney area | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.0 | 8.4 | 11.0 |
| Spending per listing | $6.1M | $4.4M | $3.7M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars) | 7,354 | 2,612 | 1,518 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +28.1% | +24.3% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.7% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,034 | $3,660 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $50,288 | $69,324 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 74 | 75 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 3All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
- Employees, 2023
- 33
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $789K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 4All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 113 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 18The 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 Gaffney 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 Gaffney area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 58,275+3.7% since 2020
- Households
- 22,063
- Median age
- 39.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 74%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 393 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 144
- Median household income
- $50,288+36.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $67,479
- Median home value
- $142,000
- Jobs located here
- 18,680
- Daytime population
- 47,816Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Gaffney 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 Gaffney 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 South Carolina
Every South Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in South Carolina for coffee shops and cafes, numbered among those based in South Carolina, with the Gaffney area marked.
Top small-town markets in South Carolina
| 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 |
Other business types in the Gaffney area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes62
- Sit-down restaurants51
- Fast food and sandwich shops42
- Pizza61
- Coffee shops and cafes74
- Bakeries and dessert shops60
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 Gaffney, SC area?
The Gaffney area has 11 coffee shops and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 3 of them (27%) 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. Another 4 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Gaffney, SC area spend on food away from home?
About $66.9M a year, or $3,034 per household. That is 25% below the U.S. average (an index of 75, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 11 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 22,063 households in the Gaffney area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Gaffney, SC area compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?
The Gaffney area has 5.0 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 55% below the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $6.1M, 64% above the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the national ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, the Gaffney area would have about 18, against 11 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 7,354 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S.
How fast is the Gaffney, SC area growing?
Population estimates put the Gaffney area at 58,275 people in 2025, up 3.7% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 22,063 households. The median household income in the Gaffney area is $50,288 a year, 38% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 36.3% 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. 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 Gaffney area scores 74 for coffee shops and cafes (upper middle), #32 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 Gaffney 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 Gaffney area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Gaffney 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 Gaffney 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.