Food and drink · County · Virginia
Coffee shops and cafes in Richmond city, VA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for coffee shops and cafes in Richmond city, VA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 44 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,260 of 2,063 scored counties
#61 of 88 scored counties in Virginia
- Listings
- 148
- 46 chain locations (31%)
- Official establishments
- 54
- All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +1.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $378.7M
- On food away from home · $3,630 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.6M
- 31% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 14.2
- 29% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 237,257
- +4.6% since 2020
See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in Richmond city
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 Richmond city. 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 148 coffee shops and cafes in Richmond city. Chain locations make up 31% of them, against 39% across the U.S. That is 14.2 per 10,000 households, 29% above the U.S. rate of 11.0.
Household spending on food away from home in Richmond city comes to about $378.7M a year: $3,630 per household, 11% below the U.S. average. Spread across 148 coffee shops and cafes, that is $2.6M per cafe, 31% 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.
Official counts show 54 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Richmond city in 2023, up 1.9% from 2019. That is one for every 1,932 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. Another 5 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $85K have gone to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Richmond city.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Richmond city grew 4.6%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for coffee shops and cafes in Richmond city is 44 (lower middle), #1,260 of 2,063 scored counties and #61 of 88 scored counties in Virginia.
How Richmond city 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 | Richmond city | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 14.2 | 8.6 | 11.0 |
| Spending per listing | $2.6M | $5.1M | $3.7M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars) | 1,932 | 2,220 | 1,518 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +1.9% | +21.1% | +24.3% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.6% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,630 | $4,372 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $64,587 | $93,170 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 44 | 84 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 53 → 54All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +1.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 689
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $13.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 5All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 14846 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 102The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $85K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Richmond city, 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 Richmond city
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 237,257+4.6% since 2020
- Households
- 104,321
- Median age
- 36.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 44%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.5
- Land area
- 60 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 3,827
- Median household income
- $64,587+36.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $97,266
- Median home value
- $353,000
- Jobs located here
- 174,706
- Daytime population
- 296,295Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Richmond city?
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 Richmond city. 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 Richmond city 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 |
| 61Richmond city, VA | 44 | 148 | 14.2 | $2.6M | +4.6% | #1,260 of 2,063 |
Other business types in Richmond city
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes31
- Sit-down restaurants29
- Fast food and sandwich shops53
- Pizza65
- Coffee shops and cafes44
- Bakeries and dessert shops47
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 Richmond city, VA?
Richmond city has 148 coffee shops and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 46 of them (31%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 54 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in 2023, up 1.9% from 2019. That count covers all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars (bakeries and dessert shops included), not only coffee shops and cafes. Official counts list 5 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Richmond city, VA spend on food away from home?
About $378.7M a year, or $3,630 per household. That is 11% below the U.S. average (an index of 89, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 148 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $2.6M 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 104,321 households in Richmond city and national spending patterns by income.
How does Richmond city, VA compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?
Richmond city has 14.2 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 29% above the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $2.6M, 31% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the national ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, Richmond city would have about 102, against 148 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,932 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S. The official count rose 1.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.3% for the U.S.
How fast is Richmond city, VA growing?
Population estimates put Richmond city at 237,257 people in 2025, up 4.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 104,321 households. The median household income in Richmond city is $64,587 a year, 20% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 36.7% 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. Richmond city scores 44 for coffee shops and cafes (lower middle), #1,260 of 2,063 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Richmond city. 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 Richmond city
Screening a site or an acquisition in Richmond city?
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 Richmond city. 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.