Food and drink · County · South Carolina
Coffee shops and cafes in Pickens County, SC
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for coffee shops and cafes in Pickens County, SC, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 48 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,118 of 2,063 scored counties
#32 of 36 scored counties in South Carolina
- Listings
- 63
- 26 chain locations (41%)
- Official establishments
- 20
- All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
- Household spending a year
- $177.7M
- On food away from home · $3,391 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.8M
- 24% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 12.0
- 9% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 139,198
- +5.7% since 2020
See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in Pickens 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 Pickens 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 63 coffee shops and cafes in Pickens County. 26 of them (41%) are chain locations, against 39% across the U.S. That is 12.0 per 10,000 households, 9% above the U.S. rate of 11.0.
Household spending on food away from home in Pickens County comes to about $177.7M a year: $3,391 per household, 17% below the U.S. average. Spread across 63 coffee shops and cafes, that is $2.8M per cafe, 24% 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 20 businesses with payroll in Pickens County classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars. That is one for every 2,621 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 $616K has gone to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Pickens County.
Population estimates put the population change in Pickens County from 2020 to 2025 at +5.7%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for coffee shops and cafes in Pickens County is 48 (lower middle), #1,118 of 2,063 scored counties and #32 of 36 scored counties in South Carolina.
How Pickens 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 | Pickens County | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 12.0 | 8.4 | 11.0 |
| Spending per listing | $2.8M | $4.4M | $3.7M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars) | 2,621 | 2,612 | 1,518 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +28.1% | +24.3% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +5.7% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,391 | $3,660 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $61,064 | $69,324 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 48 | 75 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 17 → 20All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
- Employees, 2023
- 248
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 6326 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 48The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $616K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Pickens 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 Pickens County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 139,198+5.7% since 2020
- Households
- 52,414
- Median age
- 39.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 497 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 271
- Median household income
- $61,064+23.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $86,979
- Median home value
- $231,900
- Jobs located here
- 40,063
- Daytime population
- 119,682Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Pickens 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 Pickens 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 Pickens 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 |
| 32Pickens County, SC | 48 | 63 | 12.0 | $2.8M | +5.7% | #1,118 of 2,063 |
Other business types in Pickens County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes40
- Sit-down restaurants42
- Fast food and sandwich shops38
- Pizza38
- Coffee shops and cafes48
- Bakeries and dessert shops59
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 Pickens County, SC?
There are 63 coffee shops and cafes on map listings in Pickens County as of September 2026. 26 of them (41%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 20 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 Pickens County, SC spend on food away from home?
About $177.7M a year, or $3,391 per household. That is 17% below the U.S. average (an index of 83, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 63 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $2.8M 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 52,414 households in Pickens County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Pickens County, SC compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?
Pickens County has 12.0 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 9% above the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $2.8M, 24% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the national ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, Pickens County would have about 48, against 63 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,621 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S.
How fast is Pickens County, SC growing?
Population estimates put Pickens County at 139,198 people in 2025, up 5.7% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 52,414 households. The median household income in Pickens County is $61,064 a year, 24% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.2% 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. Pickens County scores 48 for coffee shops and cafes (lower middle), #1,118 of 2,063 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Pickens 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 Pickens County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Pickens 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 Pickens 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.