Apple pie, Taylor Swift, baseball (or, really, let’s be honest, football), and…Starbucks?
Are these the great American pastimes? It sure seems like Starbucks has officially joined the list, with over 16,400 locations around the United States as of 2024, courtesy of data from ScrapeHero.
And let’s face it – with so many amazing menu options (plus all kinds of ways you can customize for diets including Keto and low-sodium), Starbucks seemingly has something for everyone. Let’s dive in.
Ohio has never been known as a center of coffee culture – it’s much better-known for Cincinnati chili and its iconic Buckeyes (peanut butter + chocolate = delicious) – but the fact remains that it has a TON of Starbucks – 502, to be exact, with about 23,000 residents per Starbucks. If you’ve ever driven through the state (and I have, twice) – you’ll see a ton of Starbucks at rest stops near the highways. Pop in and enjoy a drink! I’d recommend the Americano to help keep you awake during the long drive.
I think most people who have visited Virginia either experienced Colonial Williamsburg or the DC area (known locally as Northern Virginia, or NoVA for short). If you were in Colonial Williamsburg, chances are good you loaded up on Virginia peanuts and country ham, or any of a variety of colonial-era dishes (brunswick stew, crab soup, spoonbread, and more).
But chances are also good that if you did any driving to get there, you passed by dozens of Starbucks. According to this study, Virginia has 504 Starbucks despite only having a population of about 8.5 million – so just under 17,000 residents per Starbucks store.
My spouse loves mint chocolate everything, so I’d highly recommend trying out the mint chocolate chip frappuccino on your way.
The real standout on the list, Colorado is the 21st-largest state but has the 8th-most Starbucks, undoubtedly an indicator of three separate, yet related trends:
- The state’s high per-capita income (8th in the nation, at $74,167 per one study) – which means lots of disposable income to spend on nice-to-haves like coffee at Starbucks;
- Tons of transplants from other states (many of them higher cost-of-living states like New York and California) where Starbucks is ubiquitous;
- A genuine love for coffee. I’ve traveled to Colorado several times and have just been amazed at how much people seem to be “in” to coffee there. I love it.
Clocking in with 575 Starbucks (against a population of just 7.3 million), Arizona has a really dense concentration of coffee shops in its big cities (Flagstaff, Tempe, and – of course – Phoenix) and then just a smattering in more rural areas.
And while my immediate reaction was “good golly, isn’t it hot enough there already?” – then I remembered all the cold Starbucks drinks that would actually be amazing for helping cool off in a 100+ degree day.
Think: Irish cream cold brew. Or maybe one of its refreshers – my personal favorite is the Paradise Drink (which mixes in pineapple, passionfruit, and coconut milk).
With almost 700 Starbucks stores in the state (a large percentage of which, not shockingly, are in Chicago and its surrounding suburbs), Illinois comes in strong at #6. I can tell you from personal experience: The Windy City very much earns its nickname, and it’s cold. Just to give you a sense of how cold, December 2023 featured an average temperature of 39 degrees, which was 8.5 degrees HOTTER than normal.
Cold and windy? What could be better than a hot coffee? (Or at least a white hot chocolate, yeah?)
Honestly, the only thing that surprised me was that New York wasn’t higher on the list. Whenever I’ve visited it’s felt like there’s a Starbucks everywhere – including upstate – and obviously we all know it’s a huge state, with almost 20 million residents.
In fact, with 707 Starbucks, New York has the lowest per-capita concentration of Starbucks of any of the top 10 states – 27,500 people per store. Kind of wild, isn’t it?
It’s no surprise that Washington state is high on this list – it’s where Starbucks was launched and where it is still headquartered today. With 742 Starbucks stores serving a population of 7.6 million, it has the highest concentration of Starbucks of any state on this list, with roughly one Starbucks for every 10,000 residents.
And let’s face it – with all that rain, everyone needs something warm and festive to drink. Starbucks has got plenty; if you’re in the mood and want to make your own at home, I’d recommend trying this gingerbread latte copycat recipe.
With 883 stories on a population of over 21 million, Florida has the second-lowest concentration of Starbucks per capita on this list (right behind New York), but it’s just such a big state with so many people that it can’t not have a ton of Starbucks!
If you ever find yourself driving from Ft Lauderdale to Miami, you’ll pass by tons of Starbucks – and given that it’s a long drive, I’d recommend something a little more substantial than a coffee. Maybe their coconut lime bars? They’re a little festive and a little tropical, just like Florida.
Texas is the second-largest state, so it’s no surprise it has the second-most Starbucks stores – 1,390 to be precise. (They do say everything is bigger in Texas, and that includes Starbucks’ retail footprint.)
Texas has grown and diversified incredibly quickly in the last 30 years – but it seems that everyone there still has something in common – they need their coffee fix!
No surprise – California is the largest state, so it has the most Starbucks. But what did surprise me was just how many they have – 3,104 stores, more than Texas, Florida, and Washington State all put together!
I have several friends from California, and they all tell me stories of hanging out at the beach sipping their Starbucks (or a slurpee from 7-11). Sounds idyllic.
(I’ve only been to California with small children in tow, which isn’t quite the same experience.)
But given the amazing food and drink, I think a Starbucks horchata frappuccino is probably pretty close to the perfect drink to enjoy at any of California’s more than 3,000(!) Starbucks!
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