Food and drink · County · Virginia
Coffee shops and cafes in Nelson County, VA
The coffee shops and cafes in Nelson County, VA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 45 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,216 of 2,063 scored counties
#59 of 88 scored counties in Virginia
- Listings
- 8
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- n/a
- Fewer than 3, or not published
- Household spending a year
- $24.9M
- On food away from home · $3,918 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.1M
- 16% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 12.6
- 15% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 14,920
- +1.2% since 2020
See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in Nelson 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 Nelson 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
Households in Nelson County spend about $24.9M a year on food away from home, or $3,918 per household, 4% below the U.S. average. That works out to $3.1M per cafe, 16% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only coffee shops and cafes.
There are 8 coffee shops and cafes on map listings in Nelson County as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations, against 39% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 12.6, 15% above the U.S. rate of 11.0.
Official counts don’t publish a figure for snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Nelson County, since they leave out counts under 3.
Population estimates show Nelson County grew 1.2% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For coffee shops and cafes, Nelson County has a Groundwork market score of 45 (lower middle): #1,216 of 2,063 scored counties and #59 of 88 scored counties in Virginia.
How Nelson 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 | Nelson County | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 12.6 | 8.6 | 11.0 |
| Spending per listing | $3.1M | $5.1M | $3.7M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars) | n/a | 2,220 | 1,518 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +21.1% | +24.3% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.2% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,918 | $4,372 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $72,589 | $93,170 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 45 | 84 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- n/aAll snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
- Employees, 2023
- n/a
- Annual payroll, 2023
- n/a
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 80 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 7The 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 Nelson 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 Nelson County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 14,920+1.2% since 2020
- Households
- 6,364
- Median age
- 49.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 80%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 471 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 31
- Median household income
- $72,589+12.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $104,122
- Median home value
- $321,700
- Jobs located here
- 3,841
- Daytime population
- 12,142Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Nelson 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 Nelson 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 Nelson 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 |
| 59Nelson County, VA | 45 | 8 | 12.6 | $3.1M | +1.2% | #1,216 of 2,063 |
Other business types in Nelson County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes62
- Sit-down restaurants72
- Fast food and sandwich shops
- Pizza
- Coffee shops and cafes45
- 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 Nelson County, VA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 8 coffee shops and cafes in Nelson County. None of them are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. No official count is published for snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Nelson County: counts under 3 are left out.
How much do households in Nelson County, VA spend on food away from home?
About $24.9M a year, or $3,918 per household. That is 4% below the U.S. average (an index of 96, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 8 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $3.1M 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 6,364 households in Nelson County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Nelson County, VA compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?
Nelson County has 12.6 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 15% above the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $3.1M, 16% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the U.S. ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, Nelson County would have about 7, against 8 on map listings.
How fast is Nelson County, VA growing?
Population estimates put Nelson County at 14,920 people in 2025, up 1.2% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 6,364 households. Median household income in Nelson County is $72,589, 10% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 12.9%, 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. Nelson County scores 45 for coffee shops and cafes (lower middle), #1,216 of 2,063 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Nelson 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 Nelson County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Nelson 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 Nelson 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.