Best Coffee Cities in America (2025)

Coffee first became popular in the U.S. after the Boston Tea Party, when the switch was seen as patriotic. 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 67% of Americans drink coffee daily.

Some local coffee scenes are stronger than others, though. 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 to the share of residents with coffee makers at home.

“Coffee has become a staple of American culture, helping people stay energized for the workday and bond with friends or dates. But the costs of having one or more cups of Joe daily can add up, especially as prices inflate. In the cities that are craziest about coffee, the average household may spend as much as $280 per year on the beverage. At the same time, as much as 30% of the population has machines for making coffee at home.”

Chip Lupo, WalletHub Analyst

Main Findings

Best Coffee Cities in America

Note: *No. 1 = Best

Avg. Price of a Cappuccino

Lowest

• 1. Durham, NC
• 2. Aurora, CO
• 3. El Paso, TX
• 4. Toledo, OH
• 5. Chandler, AZ

Highest

• 95. Boise, ID
• 96. Honolulu, HI
• 97. Seattle, WA
• 98. Colorado Springs, CO
• 99. Lubbock, TX

Best City vs. Worst City: 2x Difference

Durham, NC vs. Lubbock, TX

Avg. Price per Pack of Coffee

Lowest

• 1. San Antonio, TX
• 2. Austin, TX
• 3. Corpus Christi, TX
• 4. New Orleans, LA
• 5. St. Paul, MN

Highest

• 90. Anchorage, AK
• 91. Oakland, CA
• 92. San Jose, CA
• 93. Fremont, CA
• 94. San Francisco, CA

Avg. Spending on Coffee per Household

Highest

• T-1. Fremont, CA
• T-1. San Francisco, CA
• T-1. San Jose, CA
• T-1. Seattle, WA
• T-1. Scottsdale, AZ

Lowest

• 96. Birmingham, AL
• 97. Toledo, OH
• 98. Hialeah, FL
• 99. Cleveland, OH
• 100. Detroit, MI

Best City vs. Worst City: 4x Difference

Fremont, CA vs. Detroit, MI

% of Adult Coffee Drinkers

Highest

• 1. Santa Ana, CA
• 2. Anaheim, CA
• 3. Los Angeles, CA
• 4. San Bernardino, CA
• 5. Long Beach, CA

Lowest

• 96. Lincoln, NE
• 97. Pittsburgh, PA
• 98. Birmingham, AL
• 99. St. Petersburg, FL
• 100. Scottsdale, AZ

Best City vs. Worst City: 2x Difference

Santa Ana, CA vs. Scottsdale, AZ

% of Households that Own Coffee Makers

Highest

• 1. Scottsdale, AZ
• 2. Irvine, CA
• 3. Fremont, CA
• 4. Plano, TX
• 5. San Francisco, CA

Lowest

• 96. Birmingham, AL
• 97. Santa Ana, CA
• 98. Cleveland, OH
• 99. Newark, NJ
• 100. Detroit, MI

Affordable Coffee Shops, Coffee Houses & Cafés Rated 4.5+ Stars per Capita

Most

• T-1. Seattle, WA
• T-1. San Francisco, CA
• T-1. Portland, OR
• T-1. Las Vegas, NV
• T-1. Honolulu, HI

Fewest

• 95. Baton Rouge, LA
• 96. Lubbock, TX
• 97. Newark, NJ
• 98. Corpus Christi, TX
• 99. Laredo, TX

Best City vs. Worst City: 63x Difference

Seattle, WA vs. Laredo, TX

Coffee Shops, Coffee Houses & Cafés Per Capita

Most

• 1. Pittsburgh, PA
• 2. Orlando, FL
• 3. Cincinnati, OH
• 4. Honolulu, HI
• 5. New Orleans, LA

Fewest

• 96. Los Angeles, CA
• 97. Hialeah, FL
• 98. San Bernardino, CA
• 99. Laredo, TX
• 100. New York, NY

Best City vs. Worst City: 5x Difference

Pittsburgh, PA vs. New York, NY

Coffee & Tea Manufacturers per Capita

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

Best City vs. Worst City: 21x Difference

Portland, OR vs. Tulsa, OK

Donut Shops per Capita

Most

• T-1. Philadelphia, PA
• T-1. Chicago, IL
• T-1. Boston, MA
• T-1. Las Vegas, NV
• T-1. Dallas, TX

Fewest

• 96. Boise, ID
• 97. Laredo, TX
• 98. Norfolk, VA
• 99. Henderson, NV
• 100. Anchorage, AK

Best City vs. Worst City: 16x Difference

Philadelphia, PA vs. Anchorage, AK

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In-Depth Look at the Best Cities for Coffee Lovers

Portland, OR

Portland, OR, is the best coffee city, in large part because it has an extremely high number of affordable coffee shops that are rated at least 4.5 stars out of 5. It also has the ninth-most coffee shops per capita that offer free Wi-Fi, which is great for anyone who wants to work while enjoying a cup of java.

People in Portland don’t always go out for coffee, though. Over 24% of the population owns an electric coffee grinder, the ninth-highest percentage in the nation, and nearly 30% of residents own a single-cup or pod-brewing coffee maker.

Overall, households in Portland spend an average of over $170 per year on coffee, the 18th-most in the country.

San Francisco, CA

San Francisco is the second-best city for coffee lovers, and its coffee-crazy households spend an average of over $280 on the beverage each year, the second-most of any city. San Francisco also has the highest percentage of households with an espresso or cappuccino maker, at over 11%, and the second-highest percentage with an electric coffee grinder, at nearly 27%.

In addition, San Francisco has a ton of coffee shops, and it ranks among the top cities for affordable shops that are rated at least 4.5 stars out of 5. Plus, for those who want a sweet treat to pair with their cup of Joe, the Golden Gate city has the eighth-most donut shops per capita.

Seattle, WA

Seattle, the birthplace of Starbucks, is the third-best coffee city. Like the other top cities, it boasts a very high number of coffee shop options, especially ones rated at least 4.5 stars out of 5. Seattle also has the 13th-highest share of coffee shops that offer free Wi-Fi per capita.

One way that Seattle residents and visitors demonstrate their love of java is through their search history, as they search Google for “coffee” more than people in all but two other cities. In addition, Seattle residents spend an average of nearly $240 per year on coffee.

Finally, Seattle has the second-highest percentage of residents with an espresso or cappuccino machine, and the fifth-highest percentage with an electric coffee grinder.

Ask the Experts

For more insight on the massive coffee industry in the U.S. and its coffee-craving consumers, we asked a panel of experts to share their thoughts on the following key questions:

1. What tips do you have for a person who wishes to enjoy their daily java cup while on a budget?
2. Why are some people willing to spend two or three times more for a comparable cup of coffee?
3. Why is coffee so popular in the U.S?
4. 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?
5. What are the main coffee and tea marketing and industry trends for 2024?

Ask the Experts

Jaye Thompson
Lecturer, Retail and Consumer Studies, College of Design – University of Minnesota
Read More

Dr. Richie Karaburun
aka "Dr. K" – Clinical Assistant Professor – New York University, School of Professional Studies
Read More

Christopher Courtney
Ph.D. – Collegiate Associate Professor of Technology Entrepreneurship, Pamplin College of Business, Management – Virginia Tech
Read More

Lonell Johnson
Entrepreneurship Innovation Center Specialist, The Entrepreneurship Innovation Center – Bowie State University
Read More

Sean Walker
Ph.D., MBA – Faculty Senate President (2024-2025 AY); Chair, University Faculty Council (2024-2025 AY); Professor of Behavioral Management, College of Business and Global Affairs – University of Tennessee at Martin
Read More

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 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 as of August 21, 2024 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 U.S. Coffee Championships.

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