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☕ Which U.S. city has the most coffee shops per capita? ☕
Portland, Ore., has the most cafes, averaging 27 per 100,000 people. That's a latte coffee shops!
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Best Coffee Cities, Ranked | Top 15 Coffee Cities | Best (and Worst) Coffee City Statistics | 10 Worst Coffee Cities | FAQ
Ever since the Boston Tea Party prompted a switch from leaves to beans, the United States has been running on coffee like it's our patriotic duty.[1]
Americans drink roughly 656 million cups of coffee per day — in fact, U.S. adults reported drinking more coffee than bottled water last year.[2][3]
As cities gradually lifted COVID restrictions, out-of-home coffee consumption has increased 16% since January 2021, marking a near return to pre-pandemic levels.[2] But with global shortages driving the price-per-pound of coffee to highs we haven't seen since 2011, it's a good time to decipher where coffee-lovers can get the best brew for their buck.[4]
To find out, we analyzed publicly available data from the U.S. Census, Bureau of Economic Analysis, Numbeo, Google Trends, National Coffee Association, and Database USA to rank the 50 most populous metro areas in the U.S. from the best to the worst cities for coffee.
Our weighted rankings evaluated various criteria including:
- 3x: The average price of a cappuccino in each city.
- 2x: The average number of coffee shops per capita in each metro.
- 1x: The number of coffee shops per square mile in each metro.
- 1x: What percentage of their income locals are willing to spend on a daily weekday cup.
- 1x: The Google search trends for coffee-related terms in each metro.
Our rankings consider two measures of affordability. Metros with an affordable cost of living encourage residents to open shops and try new ideas with lower risk. However, higher-than-average prices for a cup of coffee reflect just how much the locals value a quality cup.
Read on to learn if your city tops the list — or if it's one of the bitter dregs coffee-lovers should avoid.
Best Coffee Cities Stats ☕
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The 50 Best Coffee Cities, Ranked
| Based on the numbers, coffee-lovers should flock north and west. Our top cities in almost every metric are found on the West Coast, around the Great Lakes, and in New England. |
The 15 Best Coffee Cities
Our 15 best coffee cities in the U.S. are pros at providing a delicious caffeine boost at an affordable price-point. That's why you'll find value-conscious cities such as Milwaukee and Buffalo, N.Y., alongside famous coffee haunts such as Portland, Ore., and Seattle in our top rankings.
Ultimately, we found that the top 15 cities have:
- More variety: There is an average of 18 cafes per capita in our top 15 cities – about 1.4 times as many as the average U.S. metro area (13).
- Better prices: Patrons in our top 15 cities pay an average of $4.22 for one cappuccino and spend about 1.6% (or $1,096) of their annual income on coffee – significantly less than the national average of $4.47 per cup, costing about 1.9% or ($1,163) of the average national income.
1. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
| ⭐ Best Bargain BrewsMilwaukee coffee shops offer the best prices for a cappuccino at just $3.56 – 22% less than the national average. |
Milwaukee is the best at balancing affordable brews with a growing coffee scene. The area's affordable cost of living provides Milwaukee cafe owners the flexibility they need to create a unique experience for cafe-goers. Plus, there are plenty of opportunities for new faces to break into the specialty coffee scene, making it America's best coffee city.
With prices well below the national average, Milwaukeeans can get their caffeine fix daily while only shelling out $926 per year for their coffee, or 1.5% of their annual income — one of only 5 cities where the cost comes in at under $1,000.
» Read more stats on Wisconsin
2. Portland, Oregon
| ☕ Most Coffee Shops per CapitaIt's no surprise that Portland is the most passionate coffee city. Not only is the City of Roses home to the most cafes per capita (27), but its residents also search for the term "coffee" more frequently than any other city. |
Since local coffee giants such as Stumptown and Water Avenue claimed the city in the late '90s and 2000s, Portland has been keeping it undeniably weird and wired, housing a dizzying density of 27 coffee shops, houses, cafes, and roasters per capita — significantly higher than the national average of 13.
At an average of $4.30 per cappuccino, Portland still manages to keep its prices slightly lower than the national average of $4.36 – even as the cost of living continues to increase. With affordable coffee prices and so many options, Portland is a great spot to try tons of different blends and brews.
3. San Francisco, California
| ❤️ Passionate PoursThe Bay Area ranks #2 for the most passionate coffee city in the U.S. and #1 for the cost of a cappuccino as a percentage of income. The average San Franciscan only spends around 1% of their annual income (or $1,209) on their daily cup of coffee. |
Affordable coffee is fueling the Bay Area's persistent and continual innovation.[6] Startups sometimes live and die (or are bought and sold) to the sound of a Mahlkönig grinder and the smell of single origin.
San Francisco offers a coffee shop roughly every 2 square miles and has 23 cafes and coffee hangouts per capita. The sheer volume of coffee options combined with high local Google search volume for coffee-related terms makes the Bay Area a passionate coffee corner of the U.S.
» Read more stats on California
4. Buffalo, New York
| 🔥 Savings and EspressoAmong our list, Buffalo comes in second place for the most affordable cappuccino ($3.67) and seventh place for coffee shops per square mile (about one cafe every 7 square miles). |
Buffalo is a natural blend of variety and affordability and a great city for coffee-lovers who want to shelter from biting Northeastern winters with a warm cup-o-joe.
Buffalo is home to 20 coffee shops per capita, showcasing a variety of stops and shops for coffee connoisseurs. There's a lot to choose from here, and a daily cappuccino won't break the bank: Buffalonians only need to worry about spending $954 per year on their daily cup of coffee.
5. Providence, Rhode Island
| 🎯 Plenty of OptionsThe "Creative Capital" is pour-fectly balanced, ranking #3 for most coffee shops per capita (23) and #5 for coffee shops per square mile (a coffee shop every 4 square miles). |
Rhode Island might be the smallest state, but they're brewing big! Visitors to Providence can expect to find a coffee shop every 4 square miles, as it's home to about 23 cafes per capita.
Although Providence's average cappuccino price ($4.12) is closer to the national average ($4.36) than some other cities, you'll get the best brew the city has to offer for your buck – in the "Creative Capital," folks only spend around $1,071 per year on their weekday pick-me-up, compared to $1,134 nationally.
» Read more stats on Rhode Island
6. Boston, Massachusetts
| ✨ A Brew-tiful Balance Boston ranks #3 for a daily cappuccino as a percentage of income (1.4%) and #5 in shops per capita (22). |
Boston is home to a plethora of strong coffee options, including the Massachusetts original: Dunkin' Donuts!
In addition to having strong variety, though, this city offers relatively affordable average prices at around $4.56 per cappuccino. Bostonians who get their fix every weekday only spend around 1.4% of their annual income on coffee, or about $1,186 per year.
» Read more stats on Massachusetts
7. Cincinnati, Ohio
| 💸 More Brews for Your BuckWith cappuccino prices at a friendly $3.72 per cup, caffeine-consumed Cincinnatians are only spending 1.6% (or $967) of their annual income on coffee. |
Home to the first professional baseball team in the U.S., the Cincinnati Red Stockings, it's clear Cincinnati came to play.[7] Although there is only an average of 11 cafes per capita in "Queen City," you can be sure to find the pour-fect cup at any one of them.
Known for hosting the largest Oktoberfest in the country, it's clear that Cincinnati pulls no punches when it comes to craft beverages, beer and coffee alike.[8]
8. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| 💪 The UnderdogPittsburgh ranks #5 for most affordable overall cities when looking at the average price of cappuccinos ($3.96) and how much locals spend every year on coffee ($1,030). |
The "Steel City" is home to about 16 coffee shops for every 100,000 people and is where locals are more interested in Googling the perfect cappuccino than 48% of the other cities on our list, and not surprisingly.
Per-cup prices for cappuccinos are a bit lower in Pittsburgh than some other locales, with the average coffee-lover only spending about 1.6% (or $1,030) of their yearly income on a weekday coffee – the same for folks living in coffee giant Seattle.
» Read more stats on Pennsylvania
9. Seattle, Washington
| ☕ The Mocha Coffee History in the U.S.Seattle is the home city of specialty coffee in the U.S. and ranks #2 for the most coffee shops per capita (27). |
Seattle is where latte art was first developed in the '80s and '90s and is home to the first Starbucks location in Pike Place Market. It's safe to say that Seattle is where the U.S. specialty coffee scene finds its roots.
With 27 cafes per capita to choose from, Seattle is definitely a must-stop for coffee lovers. Although Seattle coffee doesn't come cheap, decades of collective coffee wisdom are brewed into every $5.06 cappuccino. And, even at these prices, a daily cappuccino in Seattle only sets the average local back $1,316 per year – just 1.6% of their annual income, well under the national average of 1.9%.
» Read more stats on Washington
10. Hartford, Connecticut
| 🥊 Punching Above Its WeightWith around 21 shops per capita, this smaller locale holds its own alongside other coffee cities. |
Gilmore Girls put Connecticut on the coffee map, and the state has held its own since. Hartford's baseball team may play at Dunkin' Donuts Park, but the city definitely runs on more than common coffee brands.[9]
At $4.50 per cup, it's clear that Hartford values quality over quantity, and residents are consistently Googling for the best cappuccino spots more often than 78% of other cities in our top 50.
» Read more stats on Connecticut
11. Riverside, California
| 🤑 Quality Coffee on a College BudgetRiverside ranks #4 for the cheapest cappuccino ($3.79), making it the best place for students and citizens alike to sit, sip, and study. |
Cafes near the University of California, Riverside, are used to pulling the perfect shot to complement an afternoon study session.
Although home to a mere 9 coffee shops per capita, a weekday Riverside pick-me-up puts locals out only $985 per year – 15% less than the national average spending on daily brews ($1,163).
» Read more stats on California
12. San Diego, California
| 💰 Brewing Up BusinessSan Diego ties with Portland for #2 in Google searches for coffee-related terms, indicating lots of booming business. |
With a whopping 15 coffee shops and cafes per capita, San Diego ranks #2 for interest in the Google search term "latte," showing that this coastal California city has tons of caffeine-thusiasm. Known for its pristine beaches and beautiful weather, San Diego is the best place to go for a sandy stroll, latte in hand.
Just 10 cents above the national average, cappuccino prices put San Diegans out 1.8% of their annual income if they're serious about shopping for a caffeine fix every weekday.
13. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| ☕ A Latte Coffee ShopsPhilly is home to approximately 16 cafes per capita – with roughly 1.6 million people, that's around 257 shops! |
The City of Brotherly Love is certainly serving up some lovely joe and espresso. Philly has seen a marked increase in the number of coffee offerings in the past few years and currently houses around 16 shops per capita.
Even with higher-than-average prices per cup ($4.38), Philadelphia still has locals spending only 1.6% of their annual income, or $1,139, on their daily cup-o-joe. It's clear that Philly isn't just serving up quantity but quality as well.
14. San Jose, California
| 🚀 Fueling the Tech Industry San Jose ranks as the #2 city for affordable coffee as a percentage of annual income — 1.1%, compared to the national average of 1.9%. |
As the capital of Silicon Valley, San Jose has seen decades of innovation build the perfect foundation for third-wave coffee to take root. With prices almost 30 cents higher than the national average at $4.65, there's no doubt coders and engineers are enjoying quality red eyes on late nights.
But although the prices might be higher in San Jose, residents are only spending about 1% of their annual income on their daily dose of coffee — nearly half the national average of 1.9%.
15. Indianapolis, Indiana
| ⚡ A Budget BuzzA hidden gem, Indianapolis ranks #4 for the most affordable coffee city overall, with a cappuccino setting locals back just $988 per year (compared to the national average of $1,134). |
At just $3.80 per cappuccino, residents of Indianapolis can expect a great cup of coffee at 56 cents less than the national average ($4.36). Home to around 8 cafes per capita, residents here only spend around $988 a year on their daily coffee fix. As for industry passion, Indianapolis has its own comprehensive coffee resource, the Indianapolis Coffee Guide, for folks looking for a local caffeine buzz.[10]
Data Details: Top 5 Rankings by Category
When we analyzed the data by specific ranking factors, we discovered some hidden gems among America's best coffee cities.
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The 10 Worst Coffee Cities
Not every metro is grinding out coffee culture, and 10 cities stood out as distinctively less inviting to cafe-goers:
- Virginia Beach, Virginia
- Memphis, Tennessee
- Louisville, Kentucky
- Birmingham, Alabama
- Las Vegas, Nevada
- Richmond, Virginia
- Phoenix, Arizona
- Nashville, Tennessee
- Jacksonville, Florida
- St. Louis, Missouri
Altogether, these metro areas offer an average of only 10 coffee shops per 100,000 people – 44% less than the top 15 cities. Additionally, these cities have much higher cappuccino prices as a percent of annual income, averaging 2.29% compared to 1.60% for the top 15 cities.
Coffee prices in Virginia Beach are outpacing inflation, making this metro the lowest-ranking city in our study. Residents are paying the highest average price for a cappuccino ($5.39), while the average annual personal income has remained lower than the national average ($59,510) at $53,310. Yearly, a daily cappuccino in Virginia Beach would set you back $1,401 per year – that's a whole 2.63% of your annual income, significantly higher than the national average of 1.9%!
Methodology
Clever compared the 50 most populous U.S. metro areas across nine metrics, listed below. Each metric was normalized and then graded on a 100-point scale. The combined weighted average of the scores determined the "coffee city" score upon which the final ranking was based.
In cases where data sets included only cities, the city data was combined and weighted by population within the overall metro in which the city belonged.
The metrics used are as follows:
- Average reported price of a cappuccino (37.5%)
- Coffee shops per 100,000 residents (25%)
- Coffee shops per square mile (12.5%)
- Price of a daily cappuccino as a percentage of average income (12.5%)
- Google Trends search volume for "coffee" (4%)
- Google Trends search volume for "coffee shops" (3.4%)
- Google Trends search volume for "latte" (2%)
- Google Trends search volume for "cappuccino" (2%)
- Google Trends search volume for "espresso" (1.1%)
Data sources include: US Census, Bureau of Economic Analysis, Numbeo, Google Trends, National Coffee Association, and Database USA.
Article Sources
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Frequently Asked Questions About Coffee Cities
Which U.S. city has the most coffee shops per capita?
Portland, Ore., has the highest number of cafes, averaging 27 per 100,000 people. As one of America's best coffee cities, Portland is the city that's most passionate about brewing up pour-fection! Discover America's top 15 best coffee cities.
Which city is the coffee capital of the U.S.?
To the surprise of some, Milwaukee is America's coffee capital! Serving up the perfect blend of affordability and passion, the Milwaukee coffee scene is the best place in the U.S. to find both quality and quantity. Learn more about how Milwaukee beat out cities such as Seattle and San Francisco.