Food and drink · County · Washington
Coffee shops and cafes in Whatcom County, WA
How Whatcom County, WA compares with other counties and the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 36 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,565 of 2,063 scored counties
#17 of 35 scored counties in Washington
- Listings
- 170
- 44 chain locations (26%)
- Official establishments
- 90
- All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +1.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $378.3M
- On food away from home · $4,024 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.2M
- 40% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 18.1
- 65% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 236,392
- +3.9% since 2020
See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in Whatcom 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 Whatcom 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
The Groundwork market score for coffee shops and cafes in Whatcom County is 36 (lower middle), #1,565 of 2,063 scored counties and #17 of 35 scored counties in Washington. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
At $4,024 per household (in line with the U.S. average), households in Whatcom County spend about $378.3M a year on food away from home. That is about $2.2M of household spending for each cafe on map listings, 40% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only coffee shops and cafes.
Whatcom County has 170 coffee shops and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 26% of them, against 39% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 18.1, 65% above the U.S. rate of 11.0.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Whatcom County was 90 in 2023, up 1.1% from 2019. That is one for every 1,045 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. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $909K have gone to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Whatcom County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Whatcom County grew 3.9%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Whatcom County compares
The same measures for Washington 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 | Whatcom County | Washington | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 18.1 | 17.7 | 11.0 |
| Spending per listing | $2.2M | $2.5M | $3.7M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars) | 1,045 | 992 | 1,518 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +1.1% | +12.3% | +24.3% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.9% | +3.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,024 | $4,501 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $81,784 | $98,141 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 36 | 36 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 89 → 90All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +1.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,098
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $25.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 8All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 17044 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
- $909K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Whatcom 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 Whatcom County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 236,392+3.9% since 2020
- Households
- 94,021
- Median age
- 39.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 64%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 2,108 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 109
- Median household income
- $81,784+29.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $109,611
- Median home value
- $585,800
- Jobs located here
- 90,570
- Daytime population
- 221,278Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Whatcom 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 Whatcom 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 Washington
Every Washington market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Washington for coffee shops and cafes, numbered among those based in Washington, with Whatcom County marked.
Top counties in Washington
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Douglas County, WA | 52 | 20 | 12.6 | $3.2M | +8.0% | #952 of 2,063 |
| 2Clark County, WA | 50 | 273 | 13.9 | $3.2M | +5.3% | #1,014 of 2,063 |
| 3Mason County, WA | 47 | 33 | 12.7 | $3.2M | +7.8% | #1,145 of 2,063 |
| 4Snohomish County, WA | 45 | 529 | 16.7 | $2.9M | +4.9% | #1,222 of 2,063 |
| 5Franklin County, WA | 44 | 40 | 13.4 | $3.1M | +5.6% | #1,256 of 2,063 |
| 6Adams County, WA | 42 | 6 | 9.5 | $3.7M | +4.3% | #1,306 of 2,063 |
| 7Pierce County, WA | 41 | 555 | 15.8 | $2.8M | +2.5% | #1,355 of 2,063 |
| 8King County, WA | 41 | 1,820 | 19.3 | $2.7M | +3.1% | #1,356 of 2,063 |
| 9Skamania County, WA | 41 | 10 | 19.9 | $2.1M | +5.2% | #1,364 of 2,063 |
| 10Benton County, WA | 40 | 137 | 17.6 | $2.4M | +6.9% | #1,408 of 2,063 |
| 17Whatcom County, WA | 36 | 170 | 18.1 | $2.2M | +3.9% | #1,565 of 2,063 |
Other business types in Whatcom County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes53
- Sit-down restaurants55
- Fast food and sandwich shops79
- Pizza79
- Coffee shops and cafes36
- Bakeries and dessert shops59
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 Whatcom County, WA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 170 coffee shops and cafes in Whatcom County. 44 of them (26%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 90 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in 2023, up 1.1% from 2019. 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 8 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Whatcom County, WA spend on food away from home?
About $378.3M a year, or $4,024 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 99, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 170 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $2.2M 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 94,021 households in Whatcom County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Whatcom County, WA compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?
Whatcom County has 18.1 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 65% above the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $2.2M, 40% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the U.S. ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, Whatcom County would have about 102, against 170 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,045 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S. The official count rose 1.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.3% for the U.S.
How fast is Whatcom County, WA growing?
Population estimates put Whatcom County at 236,392 people in 2025, up 3.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 94,021 households. Median household income in Whatcom County is $81,784, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.9%, 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. Whatcom County scores 36 for coffee shops and cafes (lower middle), #1,565 of 2,063 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Whatcom 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 Whatcom County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Whatcom 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 Whatcom 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.