Coffee shops in Kentucky: 809 locations, +9.8% jobs
Official counts for coffee shops in Kentucky, 2026 Q1: how many there are, whether they are adding jobs, what they pay, and how Kentucky compares with the other states. From the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Census Bureau, refreshed each quarter.
Kentucky against the country · 2026 Q1
| Kentucky | United States | |
|---|---|---|
| Coffee shops with employees | 809 | 89,512 |
| Per 100,000 residents | 17.6 | 26.3 |
| Jobs | 8,998 | 998,459 |
| Jobs, year over year | +9.8% | +5.6% |
| Locations, year over year | +7.3% | +5.0% |
| Average weekly wage | $387 | $474 |
| Rank among states, density | 45 of 50 | |
| Rank among states, job growth | 10 of 50 |
What the numbers say
Kentucky has 809 coffee shops with payroll, employing 8,998 people. At 17.6 per 100,000 residents the market is thinner than the country as a whole, number 45 among the 50 states with published data. Jobs grew +9.8% over the year, ahead of the national +5.6%. Jobs grew faster than locations, which means existing operators are hiring: demand is being absorbed by the businesses already open.
Average pay at coffee shops in Kentucky is $387 a week, 18% below the national figure of $474. Budget labor from this number, not from a national guide.
Over five years, from 2021 to 2025, the number of coffee shops in Kentucky moved +26.0%, from 611 to 770.
Coffee shops in Kentucky, annual average
- 2021611
- 2022645
- 2023701
- 2024745
- 2025770
Jobs at coffee shops in Kentucky
- 20216,693
- 20227,641
- 20237,717
- 20247,972
- 20258,666
What counts as "coffee shops" here
Snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars: coffee shops, cafés, juice and smoothie bars, ice cream parlors and bakery-cafés that serve to go. Full restaurants are counted separately. The code is NAICS 722515. BLS counts establishments that report payroll, so a one-person business with no employees is not in these figures; in trades with many solo operators the true number of businesses is higher.
Before you open one in Kentucky
A statewide figure tells you which way the wind blows. It does not tell you whether the corner you are looking at has the households, the income and the gap in competition to support one more. A counts the coffee shops within reach of one address in Kentucky, reads the county trend from the same BLS table, and scores the plan. The saturation check does a city-level version for free.
Questions people ask
How many coffee shops are there in Kentucky?
BLS counted 809 coffee shops with employees in Kentucky in 2026 Q1, employing 8,998 people. Owner-only businesses with no payroll are not in that count. That is 17.6 per 100,000 residents, against 26.3 nationally.
Are coffee shops growing in Kentucky?
Yes. Jobs at coffee shops in Kentucky changed +9.8% over the year to 2026 Q1, and the number of locations changed +7.3%. That ranks Kentucky 10 of 50 states for job growth in this business type. Over five years the location count moved +26.0%.
Is Kentucky a crowded market for coffee shops?
Kentucky has 17.6 coffee shops per 100,000 residents, thinner than the country as a whole, ranking 45 of 50 states. Density is a statewide average; a Neur report counts the competitors around one address.
Coffee shops in every state
Densest first. The number is coffee shops per 100,000 residents in 2026 Q1.
Other business types in Kentucky
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private sector, NAICS 722515, 2026 Q1 (quarterly) and annual averages (five-year series); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year population estimates. This page is generated from those feeds and rewritten when a new quarter publishes. All 14 business types in Kentucky · Growth ranking for Kentucky · Coffee shops by state