Food and drink · County · Wisconsin
Coffee shops and cafes in Vilas County, WI
How Vilas 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 26 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,862 of 2,063 scored counties
#61 of 64 scored counties in Wisconsin
- Listings
- 18
- 2 chain locations (11%)
- Official establishments
- 14
- All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
- Household spending a year
- $40.1M
- On food away from home · $3,599 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.2M
- 40% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 16.1
- 46% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 23,761
- +2.9% since 2020
See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in Vilas 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 Vilas 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
For coffee shops and cafes, Vilas County has a Groundwork market score of 26 (lower middle): #1,862 of 2,063 scored counties and #61 of 64 scored counties in Wisconsin. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
At $3,599 per household (12% below the U.S. average), households in Vilas County spend about $40.1M 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.
There are 18 coffee shops and cafes on map listings in Vilas County as of September 2026. 2 of them (11%) are chain locations, against 39% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 16.1, 46% above the U.S. rate of 11.0.
Official counts show 14 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Vilas County in 2023. That is one for every 796 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. Population estimates show Vilas County grew 2.9% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Vilas 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 | Vilas County | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 16.1 | 9.7 | 11.0 |
| Spending per listing | $2.2M | $4.1M | $3.7M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars) | 796 | 1,995 | 1,518 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +36.4% | +24.3% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.9% | +1.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,599 | $3,959 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $68,431 | $77,485 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 26 | 59 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 6 → 14All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
- Employees, 2023
- 38
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $963K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 3All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 182 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 11The 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 Vilas 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 Vilas County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 23,761+2.9% since 2020
- Households
- 11,147
- Median age
- 53.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 84%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 858 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 28
- Median household income
- $68,431+45.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $88,583
- Median home value
- $300,000
- Jobs located here
- 7,876
- Daytime population
- 22,608Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Vilas 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 Vilas 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 Vilas 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 |
| 61Vilas County, WI | 26 | 18 | 16.1 | $2.2M | +2.9% | #1,862 of 2,063 |
Other business types in Vilas County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes24
- Sit-down restaurants24
- Fast food and sandwich shops73
- Pizza65
- Coffee shops and cafes26
- Bakeries and dessert shops26
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 Vilas County, WI?
As of September 2026, map listings count 18 coffee shops and cafes in Vilas County. 2 of them (11%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 14 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in 2023. 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 list 3 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Vilas County, WI spend on food away from home?
About $40.1M a year, or $3,599 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 18 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 11,147 households in Vilas County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Vilas County, WI compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?
Vilas County has 16.1 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 46% 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, Vilas County would have about 11, against 18 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 796 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S.
How fast is Vilas County, WI growing?
Population estimates put Vilas County at 23,761 people in 2025, up 2.9% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 11,147 households. Median household income in Vilas County is $68,431, 15% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 45.4%, 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. Vilas County scores 26 for coffee shops and cafes (lower middle), #1,862 of 2,063 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Vilas 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 Vilas County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Vilas 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 Vilas 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.