Food and drink · Small-town market · Wisconsin
Coffee shops and cafes in the Whitewater-Elkhorn, WI area
How the Whitewater-Elkhorn, WI area compares with other small-town markets and the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 48 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #289 of 529 scored small-town markets
#11 of 13 scored small-town markets based in Wisconsin
- Listings
- 55
- 15 chain locations (27%)
- Official establishments
- 30
- All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +50.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $177.2M
- On food away from home · $4,113 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.2M
- 13% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 12.8
- 16% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 106,127
- +0.8% since 2020
See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in the Whitewater-Elkhorn area
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 the Whitewater-Elkhorn area. 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 $4,113 per household (in line with the U.S. average), households in the Whitewater-Elkhorn area spend about $177.2M a year on food away from home. Spread across 55 coffee shops and cafes, that is $3.2M per cafe, 13% 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 55 coffee shops and cafes on map listings in the Whitewater-Elkhorn area as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 27% of them, against 39% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 12.8, 16% above the U.S. rate of 11.0.
In 2023, official counts showed 30 businesses with payroll in the Whitewater-Elkhorn area classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars, up 50.0% from 2019. That is one for every 1,436 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 5 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $710K has gone to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in the Whitewater-Elkhorn area.
Population estimates show the Whitewater-Elkhorn area grew 0.8% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Whitewater-Elkhorn area scores 48 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for coffee shops and cafes, ranking #289 of 529 scored small-town markets and #11 of 13 scored small-town markets based in Wisconsin.
How the Whitewater-Elkhorn area 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 | Whitewater-Elkhorn area | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 12.8 | 9.7 | 11.0 |
| Spending per listing | $3.2M | $4.1M | $3.7M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars) | 1,436 | 1,995 | 1,518 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +50.0% | +36.4% | +24.3% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.8% | +1.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,113 | $3,959 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $80,520 | $77,485 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 48 | 59 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 30All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +50.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 262
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $6.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 5All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 5515 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 48The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $710K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in the Whitewater-Elkhorn area, 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 the Whitewater-Elkhorn area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 106,127+0.8% since 2020
- Households
- 43,087
- Median age
- 42.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 555 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 190
- Median household income
- $80,520+26.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $109,464
- Median home value
- $302,700
- Jobs located here
- 43,660
- Daytime population
- 95,627Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Whitewater-Elkhorn area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 the Whitewater-Elkhorn area. 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 small-town markets in Wisconsin for coffee shops and cafes, numbered among those based in Wisconsin (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Whitewater-Elkhorn area marked.
Top small-town markets in Wisconsin
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Beaver Dam, WI | 77 | 22 | 6.1 | $6.2M | −0.3% | #17 of 529 |
| 2Sparta, WI | 74 | 8 | 4.4 | $8.4M | +0.6% | #29 of 529 |
| 3Manitowoc, WI | 71 | 26 | 7.4 | $4.9M | +0.4% | #54 of 529 |
| 4Marinette, WI-MI | 66 | 21 | 7.1 | $4.8M | +0.3% | #92 of 529 |
| 5Watertown-Fort Atkinson, WI | 66 | 30 | 8.6 | $4.6M | +0.3% | #94 of 529 |
| 6Stevens Point-Plover, WI | 60 | 35 | 11.8 | $3.3M | +2.2% | #163 of 529 |
| Iron Mountain, MI-WI | 59 | 9 | 6.4 | $5.4M | +0.4% | #170 of 529 |
| 7Menomonie, WI | 57 | 19 | 10.9 | $3.5M | +1.7% | #197 of 529 |
| 8Wisconsin Rapids-Marshfield, WI | 56 | 21 | 6.5 | $5.5M | −0.2% | #203 of 529 |
| 9Shawano, WI | 55 | 17 | 9.1 | $3.9M | +1.4% | #216 of 529 |
| 11Whitewater-Elkhorn, WI | 48 | 55 | 12.8 | $3.2M | +0.8% | #289 of 529 |
Other business types in the Whitewater-Elkhorn area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes43
- Sit-down restaurants44
- Fast food and sandwich shops67
- Pizza63
- Coffee shops and cafes48
- Bakeries and dessert shops48
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 the Whitewater-Elkhorn, WI area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 55 coffee shops and cafes in the Whitewater-Elkhorn area. 15 of them (27%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 30 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in 2023, up 50.0% 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 5 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Whitewater-Elkhorn, WI area spend on food away from home?
About $177.2M a year, or $4,113 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 101, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 55 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $3.2M 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 43,087 households in the Whitewater-Elkhorn area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Whitewater-Elkhorn, WI area compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?
The Whitewater-Elkhorn area has 12.8 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 16% above the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $3.2M, 13% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the U.S. ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, the Whitewater-Elkhorn area would have about 48, against 55 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,436 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S. The official count rose 50.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.3% for the U.S.
How fast is the Whitewater-Elkhorn, WI area growing?
Population estimates put the Whitewater-Elkhorn area at 106,127 people in 2025, up 0.8% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 43,087 households. Median household income in the Whitewater-Elkhorn area is $80,520, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 26.3%, 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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. The Whitewater-Elkhorn area scores 48 for coffee shops and cafes (lower middle), #289 of 529 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Whitewater-Elkhorn area. 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 the Whitewater-Elkhorn area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Whitewater-Elkhorn area?
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 the Whitewater-Elkhorn area. 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.