Food and drink · County · South Carolina
Coffee shops and cafes in Union County, SC
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for coffee shops and cafes in Union County, SC, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 55 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #801 of 2,063 scored counties
#26 of 36 scored counties in South Carolina
- Listings
- 6
- 4 chain locations (67%)
- Official establishments
- 3
- All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
- Household spending a year
- $33M
- On food away from home · $2,841 a household
- Spending per listing
- $5.5M
- 48% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.2
- 53% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 26,799
- −1.4% since 2020
See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in Union 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 Union 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
At $2,841 per household (30% below the U.S. average), households in Union County spend about $33M a year on food away from home. That is about $5.5M of household spending for each cafe on map listings, 48% above the U.S. figure of $3.7M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only coffee shops and cafes.
There are 6 coffee shops and cafes on map listings in Union County as of September 2026. Of those, 4 are chain locations, or 67%, against 39% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 5.2, 53% below the U.S. rate of 11.0.
Official counts show 3 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Union County in 2023. That is one for every 3,870 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S. That count covers all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars (bakeries and dessert shops included), not only coffee shops and cafes.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Union County declined 1.4%, against +3.1% for the U.S. Union County scores 55 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for coffee shops and cafes, ranking #801 of 2,063 scored counties and #26 of 36 scored counties in South Carolina.
How Union 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 | Union County | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.2 | 8.4 | 11.0 |
| Spending per listing | $5.5M | $4.4M | $3.7M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars) | 3,870 | 2,612 | 1,518 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +28.1% | +24.3% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.4% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $2,841 | $3,660 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $41,621 | $69,324 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 55 | 75 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 3All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
- Employees, 2023
- 19
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $223K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 64 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 9The 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 Union 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 Union County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 26,799−1.4% since 2020
- Households
- 11,611
- Median age
- 44.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 514 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 52
- Median household income
- $41,621+1.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $60,230
- Median home value
- $103,600
- Jobs located here
- 7,601
- Daytime population
- 22,110Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Union 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 Union 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 Union 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 |
| 26Union County, SC | 55 | 6 | 5.2 | $5.5M | −1.4% | #801 of 2,063 |
Other business types in Union County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes52
- Sit-down restaurants55
- Fast food and sandwich shops34
- Pizza44
- Coffee shops and cafes55
- Bakeries and dessert shops
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 Union County, SC?
As of September 2026, map listings count 6 coffee shops and cafes in Union County. 4 of them (67%) 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. The official count takes in all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars, not only coffee shops and cafes: bakeries and dessert shops are counted too.
How much do households in Union County, SC spend on food away from home?
About $33M a year, or $2,841 per household. That is 30% below the U.S. average (an index of 70, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 6 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $5.5M per cafe. That spending covers all food away from home, which coffee shops and cafes share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 11,611 households in Union County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Union County, SC compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?
Union County has 5.2 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 53% below the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $5.5M, 48% above the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the U.S. ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, Union County would have about 9, against 6 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,870 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S.
How fast is Union County, SC growing?
Population estimates put Union County at 26,799 people in 2025, down 1.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 11,611 households. Median household income in Union County is $41,621, 48% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 1.1%, 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. Union County scores 55 for coffee shops and cafes (upper middle), #801 of 2,063 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Union 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 Union County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Union 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 Union 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.