Food and drink · County · Wisconsin
Coffee shops and cafes in Waukesha County, WI
How Waukesha 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 71 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #271 of 2,063 scored counties
#10 of 64 scored counties in Wisconsin
- Listings
- 140
- 64 chain locations (46%)
- Official establishments
- 94
- All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +17.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $802.4M
- On food away from home · $4,758 a household
- Spending per listing
- $5.7M
- 55% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 8.3
- 25% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 417,210
- +2.4% since 2020
See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in Waukesha 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 Waukesha 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 140 coffee shops and cafes in Waukesha County. Chain locations make up 46% of them, against 39% across the U.S. That is 8.3 per 10,000 households, 25% below the U.S. rate of 11.0.
At $4,758 per household (17% above the U.S. average), households in Waukesha County spend about $802.4M a year on food away from home. Spread across 140 coffee shops and cafes, that is $5.7M per cafe, 55% above 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.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Waukesha County was 94 in 2023, up 17.5% from 2019. That is one for every 1,794 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 15 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 8 SBA-backed loans worth $3.9M have gone to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Waukesha County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Waukesha County grew 2.4%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for coffee shops and cafes in Waukesha County is 71 (upper middle), #271 of 2,063 scored counties and #10 of 64 scored counties in Wisconsin. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Waukesha 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 | Waukesha County | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 8.3 | 9.7 | 11.0 |
| Spending per listing | $5.7M | $4.1M | $3.7M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars) | 1,794 | 1,995 | 1,518 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +17.5% | +36.4% | +24.3% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.4% | +1.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,758 | $3,959 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $106,076 | $77,485 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 71 | 59 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 80 → 94All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +17.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,155
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $19.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 15All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 14064 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 217The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 8
- Amount
- $3.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Waukesha 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 Waukesha County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 417,210+2.4% since 2020
- Households
- 168,658
- Median age
- 44.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 76%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 550 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 749
- Median household income
- $106,076+21.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $137,605
- Median home value
- $398,200
- Jobs located here
- 265,439
- Daytime population
- 468,429Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Waukesha 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 Waukesha 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 Waukesha 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 |
Other business types in Waukesha County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes72
- Sit-down restaurants72
- Fast food and sandwich shops73
- Pizza76
- Coffee shops and cafes71
- Bakeries and dessert shops66
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 Waukesha County, WI?
There are 140 coffee shops and cafes on map listings in Waukesha County as of September 2026. 64 of them (46%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 94 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in 2023, up 17.5% 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 15 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Waukesha County, WI spend on food away from home?
About $802.4M a year, or $4,758 per household. That is 17% above the U.S. average (an index of 117, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 140 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $5.7M 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 168,658 households in Waukesha County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Waukesha County, WI compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?
Waukesha County has 8.3 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 25% below the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $5.7M, 55% above the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the national ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, Waukesha County would have about 217, against 140 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,794 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S. The official count rose 17.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.3% for the U.S.
How fast is Waukesha County, WI growing?
Population estimates put Waukesha County at 417,210 people in 2025, up 2.4% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 168,658 households. The median household income in Waukesha County is $106,076 a year, 31% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 21.5% 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. Waukesha County scores 71 for coffee shops and cafes (upper middle), #271 of 2,063 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Waukesha 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 Waukesha County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Waukesha 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 Waukesha 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.