Food and drink · County · Wisconsin
Coffee shops and cafes in Milwaukee County, WI
How Milwaukee County, WI 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 47 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,130 of 2,063 scored counties
#44 of 64 scored counties in Wisconsin
- Listings
- 364
- 147 chain locations (40%)
- Official establishments
- 185
- All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +9.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.4B
- On food away from home · $3,633 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.9M
- 6% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 9.3
- 15% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 924,216
- −1.5% since 2020
See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee 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
At $3,633 per household (11% below the U.S. average), households in Milwaukee County spend about $1.4B a year on food away from home. That is about $3.9M of household spending for each cafe on map listings, 6% above the U.S. figure of $3.7M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only coffee shops and cafes.
Milwaukee County has 364 coffee shops and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 40% of them, against 39% across the U.S. That is 9.3 per 10,000 households, 15% below the U.S. rate of 11.0.
Official counts show 185 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Milwaukee County in 2023, up 9.5% from 2019. That is one for every 2,121 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. Official counts list 35 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 9 SBA-backed loans worth $5.9M have gone to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Milwaukee County.
Population estimates put the population change in Milwaukee County from 2020 to 2025 at −1.5%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for coffee shops and cafes in Milwaukee County is 47 (lower middle), #1,130 of 2,063 scored counties and #44 of 64 scored counties in Wisconsin.
How Milwaukee 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 | Milwaukee County | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 9.3 | 9.7 | 11.0 |
| Spending per listing | $3.9M | $4.1M | $3.7M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars) | 2,121 | 1,995 | 1,518 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +9.5% | +36.4% | +24.3% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.5% | +1.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,633 | $3,959 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $64,435 | $77,485 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 47 | 59 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 169 → 185All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +9.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,436
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $53.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 35All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 364147 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 385The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 9
- Amount
- $5.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 924,216−1.5% since 2020
- Households
- 392,399
- Median age
- 36.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 50%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.5
- Land area
- 241 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 3,837
- Median household income
- $64,435+27.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $88,836
- Median home value
- $230,700
- Jobs located here
- 496,935
- Daytime population
- 971,639Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee 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 |
| 44Milwaukee County, WI | 47 | 364 | 9.3 | $3.9M | −1.5% | #1,130 of 2,063 |
Other business types in Milwaukee County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes37
- Sit-down restaurants40
- Fast food and sandwich shops51
- Pizza56
- Coffee shops and cafes47
- Bakeries and dessert shops49
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 Milwaukee County, WI?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 364 coffee shops and cafes in Milwaukee County. 147 of them (40%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 185 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in 2023, up 9.5% 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 35 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Milwaukee County, WI spend on food away from home?
About $1.4B a year, or $3,633 per household. That is 11% below the U.S. average (an index of 89, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 364 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $3.9M 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 392,399 households in Milwaukee County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Milwaukee County, WI compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?
Milwaukee County has 9.3 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 15% below the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $3.9M, 6% above the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the U.S. ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, Milwaukee County would have about 385, against 364 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,121 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S. The official count rose 9.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.3% for the U.S.
How fast is Milwaukee County, WI growing?
Population estimates put Milwaukee County at 924,216 people in 2025, down 1.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 392,399 households. Median household income in Milwaukee County is $64,435, 20% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 27.3%, 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. Milwaukee County scores 47 for coffee shops and cafes (lower middle), #1,130 of 2,063 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee 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.