Coffee shops in North Carolina: 2,556 locations, +4.2% jobs
Official counts for coffee shops in North Carolina, 2026 Q1: how many there are, whether they are adding jobs, what they pay, and how North Carolina compares with the other states. From the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Census Bureau, refreshed each quarter.
North Carolina against the country · 2026 Q1
| North Carolina | United States | |
|---|---|---|
| Coffee shops with employees | 2,556 | 89,512 |
| Per 100,000 residents | 23.1 | 26.3 |
| Jobs | 27,931 | 998,459 |
| Jobs, year over year | +4.2% | +5.6% |
| Locations, year over year | +10.5% | +5.0% |
| Average weekly wage | $412 | $474 |
| Rank among states, density | 34 of 50 | |
| Rank among states, job growth | 35 of 50 |
What the numbers say
North Carolina has 2,556 coffee shops with payroll, employing 27,931 people. At 23.1 per 100,000 residents the market is close to the national average, number 34 among the 50 states with published data. Jobs grew +4.2% over the year, behind the national +5.6%. Locations grew faster than jobs, which usually means more and smaller operators entering: the kind of market where the cheapest service gets crowded first.
Average pay at coffee shops in North Carolina is $412 a week, 13% 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 North Carolina moved +31.2%, from 1,843 to 2,418.
Coffee shops in North Carolina, annual average
- 20211,843
- 20222,097
- 20232,361
- 20242,463
- 20252,418
Jobs at coffee shops in North Carolina
- 202122,084
- 202225,879
- 202327,656
- 202427,542
- 202528,240
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 North Carolina
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 North Carolina, 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 North Carolina?
BLS counted 2,556 coffee shops with employees in North Carolina in 2026 Q1, employing 27,931 people. Owner-only businesses with no payroll are not in that count. That is 23.1 per 100,000 residents, against 26.3 nationally.
Are coffee shops growing in North Carolina?
Yes. Jobs at coffee shops in North Carolina changed +4.2% over the year to 2026 Q1, and the number of locations changed +10.5%. That ranks North Carolina 35 of 50 states for job growth in this business type. Over five years the location count moved +31.2%.
Is North Carolina a crowded market for coffee shops?
North Carolina has 23.1 coffee shops per 100,000 residents, close to the national average, ranking 34 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 North Carolina
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 North Carolina · Growth ranking for North Carolina · Coffee shops by state