Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Texas

Coffee shops and cafes in Howard County, TX

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for coffee shops and cafes in Howard County, TX, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 39 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,446 of 2,063 scored counties
#112 of 150 scored counties in Texas

Listings
16
6 chain locations (38%)
Official establishments
4
All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
Household spending a year
$44.3M
On food away from home · $3,637 a household
Spending per listing
$2.8M
25% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
13.1
19% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
30,504
−12.4% since 2020

See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in Howard 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 Howard County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey 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 16 coffee shops and cafes in Howard County. Chain locations make up 38% of them, against 39% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 13.1, 19% above the U.S. rate of 11.0.

Household spending on food away from home in Howard County comes to about $44.3M a year: $3,637 per household, 11% below the U.S. average. That is about $2.8M of household spending for each cafe on map listings, 25% 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.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Howard County was 4 in 2023. That is one for every 3,048 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 3 one-person businesses without payroll.

Population estimates put the population change in Howard County from 2020 to 2025 at −12.4%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for coffee shops and cafes in Howard County is 39 (lower middle), #1,446 of 2,063 scored counties and #112 of 150 scored counties in Texas.

How Howard County compares

The same measures for Texas 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.

Coffee shops and cafes in Howard County, TX compared with Texas and the U.S.
MeasureHoward CountyTexasU.S.
Listings per 10k households13.110.411.0
Spending per listing$2.8M$3.8M$3.7M
Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars)3,0481,4581,518
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+38.2%+24.3%
Population growth, 2020–2025−12.4%+8.5%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,637$3,970$4,070
Median household income$69,649$78,476$80,734
Groundwork market score3962

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
4All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
Employees, 2023
46
Annual payroll, 2023
$1M
One-person businesses, 2023
3All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
166 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
12The 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 Howard 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 Howard County

Population, 2025 estimate
30,504−12.4% since 2020
Households
12,191
Median age
37.9
Homes lived in by their owners
70%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
901 sq. mi.
People per square mile
36
Median household income
$69,649+28.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$90,688
Median home value
$155,600
Jobs located here
11,735
Daytime population
29,322Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Howard 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 Howard County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Coffee shops and cafes across Texas

Every Texas market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Texas for coffee shops and cafes, numbered among those based in Texas, with Howard County marked.

Top counties in Texas

Counties in Texas ranked for coffee shops and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Waller County, TX89147.6$5.4M+21.9%#27 of 2,063
2Llano County, TX8354.6$8.1M+9.5%#62 of 2,063
3Guadalupe County, TX79527.9$5.3M+15.8%#122 of 2,063
4Liberty County, TX78196.1$5.9M+31.3%#138 of 2,063
5Rusk County, TX74105.5$6.4M+5.0%#203 of 2,063
6Bandera County, TX7477.6$4.9M+9.0%#213 of 2,063
7San Jacinto County, TX7365.5$6.2M+7.1%#230 of 2,063
8Medina County, TX73137.3$5.2M+11.4%#239 of 2,063
9Wilson County, TX73168.8$4.8M+12.2%#241 of 2,063
10Washington County, TX72138.4$4.5M+7.0%#256 of 2,063
112Howard County, TX391613.1$2.8M−12.4%#1,446 of 2,063

Other business types in Howard County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many coffee shops and cafes are in Howard County, TX?

Howard County has 16 coffee shops and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 6 of them (38%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 4 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 3 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in Howard County, TX spend on food away from home?

About $44.3M a year, or $3,637 per household. That is 11% below the U.S. average (an index of 89, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 16 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 12,191 households in Howard County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Howard County, TX compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?

Howard County has 13.1 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 19% above the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $2.8M, 25% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the national ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, Howard County would have about 12, against 16 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,048 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S.

How fast is Howard County, TX growing?

Population estimates put Howard County at 30,504 people in 2025, down 12.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 12,191 households. The median household income in Howard County is $69,649 a year, 14% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 28.5% 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. Howard County scores 39 for coffee shops and cafes (lower middle), #1,446 of 2,063 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Howard 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 Howard County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Howard 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 Howard 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.