The Best Coffee Cities in America
Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): The Good Men Project
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2025/10/04
Chip Lupo is an analyst with WalletHub, where he specializes in consumer data and economic trends that impact everyday life. His expertise ranges from financial behavior to cultural consumption, providing readers with accessible insights into reports on topics like diversity, debt, and lifestyle habits. At WalletHub, Lupo works on studies that examine how economic and cultural factors shape communities, including analyses of coffee consumption and city rankings. His work blends government data, nonprofit research, and cultural sources to paint a complete picture of American trends, helping audiences better understand the forces shaping daily life and consumer decisions.
In this interview with Scott Douglas Jacobsen, WalletHub analyst Lupo discusses the 2025 rankings of the best coffee cities in America. Portland, Orlando, Long Beach, Miami, and Seattle lead the list, reflecting strong access, affordability, and vibrant coffee culture. The report uses a 12-factor analysis, giving extra weight to the number of coffee shops and affordable, highly rated cafés per capita. Lupo highlights the role of economics, lifestyle, and cultural trends—including the rise of iced coffee in warm states and the importance of free Wi-Fi in coffee shops. He also explains why border cities like Laredo rank low due to economic barriers.
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: The best coffee cities in America. We did the 2024 version last year, and this is a follow-up to see what the audience thinks. I did not know this: coffee first became popular in the U.S. after the Boston Tea Party, when switching from tea to coffee was seen as “patriotic,” according to PBS. Starbucks debuted in 1971, and now it has basically taken over. In Canada, Starbucks and Tim Hortons are the two major coffee suppliers.
Chip Lupo: Yes, interesting, because in our house, we primarily use Keurig pods, and I always make it a point to have Tim Hortons as part of my pod collection.
Jacobsen: We appreciate you. I travelled through 12 countries over seven weeks recently, across North America, Europe, and a small portion of the Middle East. Tim Hortons is astonishingly cheap when compared with other goods in those regions. For example, in Jordan, prices are generally low. In Iceland or Luxembourg, they are relatively high. In Canada, the cost of coffee at Tim Hortons is much lower compared to many other goods, so in relative terms, it is very affordable. I am glad you are taking advantage of that.
Lupo: We do not have any Tim Hortons restaurants here, which is a shame. However, in many of the northern border states, they are popular. Correct me if I am wrong, Tim.
Jacobsen: That is a good question—I will make sure to correct the transcript to reflect that.
Lupo: They started as a donut shop, and coffee was just a side menu item. However, it has flipped now. People are becoming more health-conscious, so donuts are no longer as dominant. More customers are drawn to coffee. Dunkin’ Donuts has followed a similar path—coffee is now the cornerstone product instead of donuts.
Jacobsen: That is so interesting.
Lupo: And it feeds into—no pun intended—America’s appetite for coffee. Approximately 67% of Americans, including myself, drink coffee every day. For me, it is twice a day, sometimes three times on weekends. Altogether, Americans consume about 519 million cups daily.
Jacobsen: That is a massive amount. This report is broader than the diversity report. That earlier ranking spread just 10 points across all 50 states. This one uses a 100-point factor analysis, and the spread between the top and bottom is significantly broader—consider the difference between Portland and Laredo, for example. Starting at the top five, we have Portland, Orlando, Long Beach, Miami, and Seattle. They are very close in the overall ranking. Why are those the best coffee cities?
Lupo: It is interesting—we have three Florida cities in the top rankings, including Tampa at number six. Long Beach also makes the list because we factor in more than just people’s coffee-drinking habits. When you think of coffee cities in America, Seattle immediately comes to mind—Portland, too. It is the climate, the vibe of the city; they are synonymous with coffee. With some of the others, it is more surprising, since they are primarily warm-weather locales. However, what I have learned is that more and more people in those areas are making iced coffee part of their daily routine, which makes sense given the weather. What all of these top cities have in common is that households spend much money on coffee.
In some cases, that is not entirely by choice, since the cost of living is going up. Moreover, as a side note, tariffs may not always be visible, but coffee prices have risen sharply in recent months. People are noticing it. Still, with two-thirds of Americans drinking coffee, most are willing to bite the bullet—maybe cut back a little, but not give it up. Nobody is likely to quit coffee for economic reasons; health might be another matter, but not economics. These cities also have an abundance of coffee shops, with a good balance between people making coffee at home and going out for it. They have affordable coffee shops, and beyond the national chains, many independent coffeehouses that people like to support. Some cities even host coffee-themed events and festivals. Moreover, of course, National Coffee Day is coming up soon, which is partly why this survey was released to coincide with it.
Jacobsen: Let us not delve too deeply into the bottom rankings, but I would like to offer a brief commentary: why is Laredo so low? It does not mean the coffee is bad, just not ranked as preferable.
Lupo: Right—it is not about the coffee being bad. It is about accessibility and economics. Laredo is a relatively low-income area with limited job opportunities and a weaker local economy. That impacts demand, and the number of coffee shops per capita is low. Prices may put coffee out of reach for some residents, and there are few coffee-related events available. Laredo is essentially a border town with Mexico, and the economics just are not conducive to coffee culture.
Jacobsen: Then we have the methodology breakdown. It is not very easy, but it makes sense—people care about coffee, so a sophisticated way to rank 100 cities is important. Why did you use a 12-factor analysis with different breakdowns? Moreover, why give double weight to metrics like coffee shops, coffee houses, and cafés per capita, as well as affordable ones rated 4.5 stars and up?
Lupo: We tried to find metrics that were essentially coffee-friendly. For the most part, they are weighted equally. However, when it comes to coffee, access and affordability are the two most significant factors. That is what people hone in on. A, is there a coffee shop close to where I live? Moreover, B, can I afford it? That is why those two factors got a little more weight.
However, you also need to consider factors such as the average price of a pack of coffee, which has increased, household spending, and the proportion of households that own their own coffee makers. In large urban areas with plenty of shops, people may not bother making coffee at home. In lower-income areas, people brew more at home to save money. However, in many places, it is both—you will have your morning cup at home and still go out for coffee on the weekends with friends.
Access and affordability remain the most significant components, which is why they are weighted higher. One other stat I found interesting—and it makes people happy—is coffee shops with free Wi-Fi per capita. Top-ranked states do well there. It is a hidden gem in the data. People are increasingly asking: if I am paying this much for coffee, will I at least get free Wi-Fi? And they should. It is the least a shop can do.
Jacobsen: Big advantage for many people. Let us close on sources. U.S. Census Bureau, Council for Community and Economic Research, U.S. Bureau of Labour Statistics, Numbeo, Google Trends, Yelp, ESRI’s updated demographics, GfK, MRI, Caffeine Crawl, Coffee Fest, and the U.S. Coffee Championships. I can immediately identify about half of those. The others I am less familiar with. Why such a broad palette of sources? Is it to make the analysis more robust?
Lupo: Exactly. Government data from the Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labour Statistics helps measure things like coffee shops per capita. Google Trends and Yelp provide insight into affordability and quality. The Council for Community and Economic Research and other nonprofits add economic context. Moreover, since this is about coffee, we also leaned on coffee-themed sources like Caffeine Crawl, Coffee Fest, and the U.S. Coffee Championships. Those provide the cultural feel and on-the-ground perspective, so the report is not just another government data survey. It brings the analysis full circle.
Jacobsen: Chip, thank you very much for your time again today. I look forward to the next one.
Lupo: Thank you so much.
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