Food and drink · County · Wisconsin
Coffee shops and cafes in Dane County, WI
The coffee shops and cafes in Dane County, WI, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 58 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #705 of 2,063 scored counties
#25 of 64 scored counties in Wisconsin
- Listings
- 300
- 97 chain locations (32%)
- Official establishments
- 155
- All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +47.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.1B
- On food away from home · $4,376 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.7M
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.9
- 8% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 590,375
- +4.9% since 2020
See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in Dane 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 Dane 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 300 coffee shops and cafes in Dane County. Chain locations make up 32% of them, against 39% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 11.9, 8% above the U.S. rate of 11.0.
Household spending on food away from home in Dane County comes to about $1.1B a year: $4,376 per household, 8% above the U.S. average. That is about $3.7M of household spending for each cafe on map listings, in line with 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.
In 2023, official counts showed 155 businesses with payroll in Dane County classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars, up 47.6% from 2019. That is one for every 1,623 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 22 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $1.1M have gone to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Dane County.
Population estimates put the population change in Dane County from 2020 to 2025 at +4.9%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Dane County scores 58 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for coffee shops and cafes, ranking #705 of 2,063 scored counties and #25 of 64 scored counties in Wisconsin.
How Dane County compares
The same measures for Wisconsin 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 | Dane County | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 11.9 | 9.7 | 11.0 |
| Spending per listing | $3.7M | $4.1M | $3.7M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars) | 1,623 | 1,995 | 1,518 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +47.6% | +36.4% | +24.3% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.9% | +1.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,376 | $3,959 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $89,975 | $77,485 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 58 | 59 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 105 → 155All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +47.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,014
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $39.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 22All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 30097 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 297The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 5
- Amount
- $1.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Dane 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 Dane County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 590,375+4.9% since 2020
- Households
- 251,529
- Median age
- 38.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 57%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 1,197 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 479
- Median household income
- $89,975+21.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $119,712
- Median home value
- $394,800
- Jobs located here
- 369,475
- Daytime population
- 644,560Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Dane 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 Dane 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 Wisconsin
Every Wisconsin market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Wisconsin for coffee shops and cafes, numbered among those based in Wisconsin, with Dane County marked.
Top counties in Wisconsin
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Oconto County, WI | 83 | 9 | 5.4 | $7.2M | +2.9% | #65 of 2,063 |
| 2Washington County, WI | 82 | 34 | 6.0 | $7.4M | +1.8% | #74 of 2,063 |
| 3Calumet County, WI | 77 | 7 | 3.3 | $12.8M | +2.9% | #147 of 2,063 |
| 4Racine County, WI | 74 | 47 | 5.8 | $6.8M | +0.4% | #200 of 2,063 |
| 5Pierce County, WI | 74 | 14 | 8.8 | $4.9M | +3.1% | #215 of 2,063 |
| 6Kewaunee County, WI | 73 | 5 | 6.0 | $6.6M | +1.0% | #227 of 2,063 |
| 7Dodge County, WI | 72 | 22 | 6.1 | $6.2M | −0.3% | #247 of 2,063 |
| 8Adams County, WI | 71 | 5 | 5.3 | $6.4M | +5.2% | #267 of 2,063 |
| 9Chippewa County, WI | 71 | 17 | 6.3 | $6M | +1.9% | #270 of 2,063 |
| 10Waukesha County, WI | 71 | 140 | 8.3 | $5.7M | +2.4% | #271 of 2,063 |
| 25Dane County, WI | 58 | 300 | 11.9 | $3.7M | +4.9% | #705 of 2,063 |
Other business types in Dane County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes67
- Sit-down restaurants67
- Fast food and sandwich shops76
- Pizza77
- Coffee shops and cafes58
- Bakeries and dessert shops69
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 Dane County, WI?
There are 300 coffee shops and cafes on map listings in Dane County as of September 2026. 97 of them (32%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 155 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in 2023, up 47.6% 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 22 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Dane County, WI spend on food away from home?
About $1.1B a year, or $4,376 per household. That is 8% above the U.S. average (an index of 108, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 300 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $3.7M 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 251,529 households in Dane County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Dane County, WI compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?
Dane County has 11.9 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 8% above the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $3.7M, in line with the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the national ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, Dane County would have about 297, against 300 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,623 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S. The official count rose 47.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.3% for the U.S.
How fast is Dane County, WI growing?
Population estimates put Dane County at 590,375 people in 2025, up 4.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 251,529 households. The median household income in Dane County is $89,975 a year, 11% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 21.8% 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. Dane County scores 58 for coffee shops and cafes (upper middle), #705 of 2,063 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Dane 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 Dane County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Dane 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 Dane 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.