Food and drink · County · Virginia
Coffee shops and cafes in Albemarle County, VA
The coffee shops and cafes in Albemarle County, VA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 81 out of 100: High
Ranked #88 of 2,063 scored counties
#20 of 88 scored counties in Virginia
- Listings
- 33
- 21 chain locations (64%)
- Official establishments
- 21
- All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
- Household spending a year
- $212.5M
- On food away from home · $4,629 a household
- Spending per listing
- $6.4M
- 74% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.2
- 35% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 118,356
- +5.1% since 2020
See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in Albemarle 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 Albemarle 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
Albemarle County scores 81 (high) on the Groundwork market score for coffee shops and cafes, ranking #88 of 2,063 scored counties and #20 of 88 scored counties in Virginia. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for coffee shops and cafes.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 33 coffee shops and cafes in Albemarle County. Chain locations make up 64% of them, against 39% across the U.S. That comes to 7.2 for every 10,000 households, 35% below the U.S. rate of 11.0.
Household spending on food away from home in Albemarle County comes to about $212.5M a year: $4,629 per household, 14% above the U.S. average. That is about $6.4M of household spending for each cafe on map listings, 74% 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.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Albemarle County was 21 in 2023. That is one for every 2,186 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, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $577K have gone to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Albemarle County. Population estimates put the population change in Albemarle County from 2020 to 2025 at +5.1%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Albemarle County compares
The same measures for Virginia 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 | Albemarle County | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.2 | 8.6 | 11.0 |
| Spending per listing | $6.4M | $5.1M | $3.7M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars) | 2,186 | 2,220 | 1,518 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +21.1% | +24.3% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +5.1% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,629 | $4,372 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $104,392 | $93,170 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 81 | 84 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 19 → 21All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
- Employees, 2023
- 235
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 3All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 3321 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 57The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $577K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Albemarle 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 Albemarle County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 118,356+5.1% since 2020
- Households
- 45,912
- Median age
- 42.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 721 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 160
- Median household income
- $104,392+30.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $146,846
- Median home value
- $495,400
- Jobs located here
- 57,660
- Daytime population
- 124,085Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Albemarle 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 Albemarle 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 Virginia
Every Virginia market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Virginia for coffee shops and cafes, numbered among those based in Virginia, with Albemarle County marked.
Top counties in Virginia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Goochland County, VA | 98 | 6 | 5.8 | $8.7M | +17.4% | #1 of 2,063 |
| 2King George County, VA | 96 | 5 | 4.9 | $9.7M | +10.5% | #2 of 2,063 |
| 3Stafford County, VA | 95 | 32 | 6.1 | $8.7M | +8.3% | #3 of 2,063 |
| 4Frederick County, VA | 94 | 17 | 4.8 | $9.2M | +8.8% | #4 of 2,063 |
| 5New Kent County, VA | 94 | 5 | 5.4 | $8.9M | +21.2% | #5 of 2,063 |
| 6Caroline County, VA | 93 | 5 | 4.2 | $9.7M | +11.3% | #6 of 2,063 |
| 7Chesterfield County, VA | 93 | 76 | 5.4 | $8.3M | +8.7% | #8 of 2,063 |
| 8Orange County, VA | 93 | 8 | 5.4 | $8M | +10.1% | #10 of 2,063 |
| 9Spotsylvania County, VA | 92 | 27 | 5.1 | $9.1M | +10.5% | #15 of 2,063 |
| 10Suffolk city, VA | 91 | 24 | 6.3 | $6.6M | +10.4% | #18 of 2,063 |
| 20Albemarle County, VA | 81 | 33 | 7.2 | $6.4M | +5.1% | #88 of 2,063 |
Other business types in Albemarle County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes84
- Sit-down restaurants80
- Fast food and sandwich shops88
- Pizza90
- Coffee shops and cafes81
- Bakeries and dessert shops80
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 Albemarle County, VA?
There are 33 coffee shops and cafes on map listings in Albemarle County as of September 2026. 21 of them (64%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 21 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 Albemarle County, VA spend on food away from home?
About $212.5M a year, or $4,629 per household. That is 14% above the U.S. average (an index of 114, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 33 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $6.4M 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 45,912 households in Albemarle County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Albemarle County, VA compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?
Albemarle County has 7.2 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 35% below the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $6.4M, 74% above the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the national ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, Albemarle County would have about 57, against 33 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,186 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S.
How fast is Albemarle County, VA growing?
Population estimates put Albemarle County at 118,356 people in 2025, up 5.1% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 45,912 households. The median household income in Albemarle County is $104,392 a year, 29% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 30.7% 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. Albemarle County scores 81 for coffee shops and cafes (high), #88 of 2,063 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Albemarle 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 Albemarle County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Albemarle 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 Albemarle 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.