Coffee first became popular in the U.S. after the Boston Tea Party, when the switch was seen as “patriotic,” according to PBS. And since Starbucks debuted in 1971, the drink is now accessible almost anywhere you go. A recent survey by the National Coffee Association found that 65% of Americans drink coffee every day, with a total of 491 million cups consumed daily.
What gave way to java culture? Science, for one, has convinced us that caffeine possesses multiple health benefits besides mental stimulation. At the right dosages, caffeine may contribute to longevity. Perhaps just as important, though, is coffee’s social purpose. Today, coffee stations are a staple of the workplace, and tens of thousands of shops serve as meeting places for friends, dates and coworkers.
Some local coffee scenes are stronger than others. To determine the best among them, WalletHub compared the 100 largest cities across 12 key indicators of coffee lover-friendliness. Our data set ranges from coffee shops, coffee houses and cafés per capita to the average price per pack of coffee. In addition, we compiled a list of top coffee retailers extending special savings in honor of National Coffee Day on Sept. 29.
Main Findings
Best Coffee Cities in America
Overall Rank* | City | Total Score | Info | Overall Rank* | City | Total Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | San Francisco, CA | 62.41 | Info | 51 | Colorado Springs, CO | 40.80 |
2 | Portland, OR | 59.73 | Info | 52 | Virginia Beach, VA | 40.48 |
3 | Seattle, WA | 59.33 | Info | 53 | Nashville, TN | 40.29 |
4 | Orlando, FL | 59.31 | Info | 54 | Charlotte, NC | 39.87 |
5 | Honolulu, HI | 59.19 | Info | 55 | Buffalo, NY | 39.81 |
6 | Tampa, FL | 58.02 | Info | 56 | St. Petersburg, FL | 39.80 |
7 | Austin, TX | 57.65 | Info | 57 | North Las Vegas, NV | 39.42 |
8 | Oakland, CA | 57.12 | Info | 58 | Tucson, AZ | 39.29 |
9 | New Orleans, LA | 57.01 | Info | 59 | Anchorage, AK | 39.27 |
10 | Pittsburgh, PA | 55.19 | Info | 60 | St. Paul, MN | 39.14 |
11 | San Diego, CA | 55.04 | Info | 61 | Aurora, CO | 38.09 |
12 | Miami, FL | 54.74 | Info | 62 | Kansas City, MO | 38.03 |
13 | Las Vegas, NV | 54.73 | Info | 63 | Madison, WI | 37.86 |
14 | Atlanta, GA | 54.18 | Info | 64 | Bakersfield, CA | 37.83 |
15 | Long Beach, CA | 54.11 | Info | 65 | Norfolk, VA | 37.67 |
16 | Denver, CO | 53.68 | Info | 66 | Tulsa, OK | 37.46 |
17 | Boston, MA | 53.57 | Info | 67 | Durham, NC | 37.38 |
18 | Los Angeles, CA | 53.25 | Info | 68 | Chandler, AZ | 37.38 |
19 | Sacramento, CA | 52.91 | Info | 69 | Jacksonville, FL | 36.33 |
20 | Dallas, TX | 52.71 | Info | 70 | Gilbert, AZ | 36.12 |
21 | Irvine, CA | 52.36 | Info | 71 | Henderson, NV | 36.10 |
22 | Jersey City, NJ | 52.23 | Info | 72 | Garland, TX | 36.06 |
23 | Minneapolis, MN | 51.93 | Info | 73 | Chula Vista, CA | 35.70 |
24 | Washington, DC | 51.50 | Info | 74 | Irving, TX | 35.57 |
25 | Fremont, CA | 51.47 | Info | 75 | Baltimore, MD | 35.55 |
26 | San Jose, CA | 49.16 | Info | 76 | Milwaukee, WI | 35.53 |
27 | Houston, TX | 48.73 | Info | 77 | Chesapeake, VA | 35.33 |
28 | Anaheim, CA | 47.88 | Info | 78 | Wichita, KS | 35.28 |
29 | Chicago, IL | 47.79 | Info | 79 | El Paso, TX | 34.77 |
30 | Phoenix, AZ | 47.71 | Info | 80 | Lincoln, NE | 34.49 |
31 | New York, NY | 46.91 | Info | 81 | Fresno, CA | 33.66 |
32 | Scottsdale, AZ | 46.76 | Info | 82 | Birmingham, AL | 33.48 |
33 | Fort Worth, TX | 46.53 | Info | 83 | Columbus, OH | 33.46 |
34 | Cincinnati, OH | 46.47 | Info | 84 | Cleveland, OH | 32.67 |
35 | Plano, TX | 46.03 | Info | 85 | Fort Wayne, IN | 32.60 |
36 | Reno, NV | 45.78 | Info | 86 | Winston-Salem, NC | 32.46 |
37 | Philadelphia, PA | 45.45 | Info | 87 | Lexington-Fayette, KY | 32.41 |
38 | Albuquerque, NM | 45.06 | Info | 88 | Mesa, AZ | 31.86 |
39 | Raleigh, NC | 44.85 | Info | 89 | Glendale, AZ | 30.43 |
40 | Santa Ana, CA | 44.83 | Info | 90 | Baton Rouge, LA | 30.28 |
41 | St. Louis, MO | 43.89 | Info | 91 | Stockton, CA | 29.80 |
42 | San Antonio, TX | 43.48 | Info | 92 | Greensboro, NC | 29.30 |
43 | Louisville, KY | 43.04 | Info | 93 | Memphis, TN | 28.82 |
44 | Riverside, CA | 42.82 | Info | 94 | San Bernardino, CA | 28.42 |
45 | Boise, ID | 41.65 | Info | 95 | Corpus Christi, TX | 28.00 |
46 | Newark, NJ | 41.26 | Info | 96 | Lubbock, TX | 27.26 |
47 | Arlington, TX | 41.21 | Info | 97 | Detroit, MI | 24.96 |
48 | Indianapolis, IN | 41.19 | Info | 98 | Laredo, TX | 24.75 |
49 | Oklahoma City, OK | 41.09 | Info | 99 | Hialeah, FL | 23.58 |
50 | Omaha, NE | 41.02 | Info | 100 | Toledo, OH | 22.43 |
Note: *No. 1 = Best
- Lowest
- 1. Laredo, TX
- 2. Arlington, TX
- 3. Greensboro, NC
- T-4. Riverside, CA
- T-4. San Bernardino, CA
- Highest
- 95. Hialeah, FL
- 96. Reno, NV
- 97. Virginia Beach, VA
- 98. Colorado Springs, CO
- 99. Long Beach, CA
- Lowest
- 1. Raleigh, NC
- 2. Orlando, FL
- T-3. Virginia Beach, VA
- T-3. Norfolk, VA
- T-3. Chesapeake, VA
- Highest
- 89. Oakland, CA
- 90. Stockton, CA
- 91. Fremont, CA
- 92. San Francisco, CA
- 93. Honolulu, HI
- Highest
- T-1. Fremont, CA
- T-1. San Francisco, CA
- 3. San Jose, CA
- 4. Scottsdale, AZ
- 5. Washington, DC
- Lowest
- 96. Newark, NJ
- 97. Toledo, OH
- 98. Detroit, MI
- 99. Cleveland, OH
- 100. Hialeah, FL
- Highest
- 1. Santa Ana, CA
- 2. Anaheim, CA
- 3. Hialeah, FL
- 4. Los Angeles, CA
- 5. San Jose, CA
- Lowest
- 96. Baton Rouge, LA
- 97. Boise, ID
- 98. Birmingham, AL
- 99. St. Petersburg, FL
- 100. Scottsdale, AZ
- Highest
- 1. Fremont, CA
- 2. Irvine, CA
- 3. Plano, TX
- 4. Gilbert, AZ
- 5. Scottsdale, AZ
- Lowest
- 96. Buffalo, NY
- 97. Newark, NJ
- 98. Cleveland, OH
- 99. Hialeah, FL
- 100. Detroit, MI
- Most
- T-1. San Francisco, CA
- T-1. Seattle, WA
- T-1. Portland, OR
- T-1. Las Vegas, NV
- T-1. North Las Vegas, NV
- Fewest
- 96. Newark, NJ
- 97. Hialeah, FL
- 98. Corpus Christi, TX
- 99. Baton Rouge, LA
- 100. Laredo, TX
- Most
- 1. Orlando, FL
- 2. Pittsburgh, PA
- 3. Cincinnati, OH
- 4. Honolulu, HI
- 5. Tampa, FL
- Fewest
- 96. Hialeah, FL
- 97. Corpus Christi, TX
- 98. San Bernardino, CA
- 99. New York, NY
- 100. Laredo, TX
- Most
- T-1. Portland, OR
- T-1. San Francisco, CA
- T-1. Oakland, CA
- T-1. Fremont, CA
- T-5. New York, NY
- T-5. Newark, NJ
- Fewest
- T-87. Riverside, CA
- T-87. San Bernardino, CA
- 89. Lexington-Fayette, KY
- 90. Greensboro, NC
- 91. Fresno, CA
- 92. Tulsa, OK
- Most
- T-1. Philadelphia, PA
- T-1. Chicago, IL
- T-1. Fort Worth, TX
- T-1. Boston, MA
- T-1. Orlando, FL
- Fewest
- 96. Norfolk, VA
- 97. Henderson, NV
- 98. Laredo, TX
- 99. Anchorage, AK
- 100. Boise, ID
Ask the Experts
The U.S. coffee market is worth around $48 billion per year. Not only does that indicate how much Americans are willing to spend on the beverage, but it also signals business potential to aspiring entrepreneurs. For more insight on the coffee industry and consumption, we asked a panel of experts to share their thoughts on the following key questions:
- What tips do you have for a person that wishes to enjoy his/hers daily “java” cup while on a budget?
- Why are some folks willing to spend two or three times more for a comparable cup of coffee?
- In the current economic environment, is opening a coffee shop as a first business for young entrepreneurs still a good idea? Or are most markets already oversaturated?
- What are the main coffee and tea marketing and industry trends for 2023?
Ask the Experts
Methodology
To determine the best cities for coffee lovers, WalletHub compared the 100 most populated U.S. cities across 12 key metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric also was graded on a 100-point scale.
We then determined each city’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample. A total score of 100 represents the most favorable conditions for coffee lovers.
In collecting our sample, please note that we considered only the “city proper” in each case and excluded the cities in the surrounding metro area. For metrics marked with an asterisk (*), we used the square root of the population to calculate the population size in order to avoid overcompensating for minor differences across cities.
- Average Price per Pack of Coffee: Full Weight (~7.14 Points)
- Average Price of a Cappuccino: Full Weight (~7.14 Points)
- Average Spending on Coffee per Household: Full Weight (~7.14 Points)
- Share of Adult Coffee Drinkers: Full Weight (~7.14 Points)
Note: This metric measures the share of adults who reported drinking “ready-to-drink” coffee in the past six months. “Ready-to-drink” includes already prepared coffee found in the cold section of grocery stores. - Share of Households that Own Coffee Makers: Full Weight (~7.14 Points)
Note: This metric includes households that own electric coffee grinders, coffee makers (single-cup/pod-brewing) and/or espresso/cappuccino makers. - Affordable Coffee Shops, Coffee Houses & Cafés Rated 4.5+ Stars per Capita*: Double Weight (~14.29 Points)
- Coffee Shops, Coffee Houses & Cafés per Capita*: Double Weight (~14.29 Points)
- Coffee & Tea Manufacturers per Capita*: Full Weight (~7.14 Points)
- Coffee & Tea Shops with Free Wi-Fi per Capita*: Full Weight (~7.14 Points)
- Donut Shops per Capita*: Full Weight (~7.14 Points)
- Google Search Traffic for the Term “Coffee”: Full Weight (~7.14 Points)
Note: Search traffic was measured as a share of the national average. - Presence of Coffee-Centric Events: Full Weight (~7.14 Points)
Note: Composite metric:
1 – the city hosts a coffee centric event
0 – the city doesn’t host a coffee centric event (Caffeine Crawl, Coffee Fest, Coffee Championship)
Sources: Data used to create this report were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, Council for Community and Economic Research, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Numbeo, Google Trends, Yelp, Esri's Updated Demographics, GfK MRI, Caffeine Crawl, Coffee Fest and Specialty Coffee Association.
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