Food and drink · County · South Carolina
Coffee shops and cafes in Richland County, SC
The coffee shops and cafes in Richland County, SC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 66 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #409 of 2,063 scored counties
#16 of 36 scored counties in South Carolina
- Listings
- 133
- 73 chain locations (55%)
- Official establishments
- 67
- All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +36.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $601.7M
- On food away from home · $3,582 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.5M
- 22% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.9
- 28% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 434,956
- +4.6% since 2020
See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in Richland 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 Richland 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 133 coffee shops and cafes in Richland County. Chain locations make up 55% of them, against 39% across the U.S. That is 7.9 per 10,000 households, 28% below the U.S. rate of 11.0.
Household spending on food away from home in Richland County comes to about $601.7M a year: $3,582 per household, 12% below the U.S. average. That is about $4.5M of household spending for each cafe on map listings, 22% 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.
Official counts show 67 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Richland County in 2023, up 36.7% from 2019. That is one for every 2,507 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. Official counts also show 25 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $2M have gone to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Richland County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Richland County grew 4.6%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for coffee shops and cafes in Richland County is 66 (upper middle), #409 of 2,063 scored counties and #16 of 36 scored counties in South Carolina. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Richland 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 | Richland County | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.9 | 8.4 | 11.0 |
| Spending per listing | $4.5M | $4.4M | $3.7M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars) | 2,507 | 2,612 | 1,518 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +36.7% | +28.1% | +24.3% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.6% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,582 | $3,660 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $63,784 | $69,324 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 66 | 75 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 49 → 67All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +36.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 953
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $14.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 25All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 13373 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 163The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 5
- Amount
- $2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Richland 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 Richland County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 434,956+4.6% since 2020
- Households
- 167,961
- Median age
- 36.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 60%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 757 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 557
- Median household income
- $63,784+16.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $90,966
- Median home value
- $242,800
- Jobs located here
- 234,516
- Daytime population
- 484,051Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Richland 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 Richland 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 Richland 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 |
| 16Richland County, SC | 66 | 133 | 7.9 | $4.5M | +4.6% | #409 of 2,063 |
Other business types in Richland County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes46
- Sit-down restaurants44
- Fast food and sandwich shops39
- Pizza61
- Coffee shops and cafes66
- 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 Richland County, SC?
Richland County has 133 coffee shops and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 73 of them (55%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 67 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in 2023, up 36.7% from 2019. That count covers all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars (bakeries and dessert shops included), not only coffee shops and cafes. Another 25 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Richland County, SC spend on food away from home?
About $601.7M a year, or $3,582 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 133 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $4.5M 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 167,961 households in Richland County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Richland County, SC compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?
Richland County has 7.9 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 28% below the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $4.5M, 22% above the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the national ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, Richland County would have about 163, against 133 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,507 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S. The official count rose 36.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.3% for the U.S.
How fast is Richland County, SC growing?
Population estimates put Richland County at 434,956 people in 2025, up 4.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 167,961 households. The median household income in Richland County is $63,784 a year, 21% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 16.5% 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. Richland County scores 66 for coffee shops and cafes (upper middle), #409 of 2,063 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Richland 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 Richland County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Richland 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 Richland 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.