Coffee Consumption in the US: Trends and Statistics

Whether we’re singing along to pop songs about espresso, quoting “coffee’s for closers”, or simply sipping our morning brew, it’s fair to say that coffee is a key part of both the cultural fabric of the US and our daily routines. In most households, the coffee maker is our first port of call in the morning and is usually set into action before we’ve made breakfast or wished our loved ones good morning.

However, like many things in America, coffee consumption in the US is currently undergoing a number of key changes. For example, Gen Z is consuming far less coffee than previous generations, with only 42% of Zoomers labeling themselves as daily coffee drinkers. One of the likely reasons for this generational fall-off is inflation-boosted coffee prices. And as coffee prices are set to rise even further due to environmental factors, our coffee-drinking habits are likely to change even more in the coming years.

To give you a clearer understanding of how coffee consumption in the US is changing, as well as how practices differ amongst different age groups, home and coffee shop drinkers, residents of different states and more, check out our full report below.

The key stats for US coffee consumption

We looked over wide-ranging consumer surveys and reports and used the data we found to put together a list of key facts and statistics about US coffee consumption. Keep reading to find out how many Americans drink coffee, our average consumption levels, and how we like to drink our coffee.

One of the top coffee-consuming nations globally, the US ranks 25th for per capita consumption. Reports note that 400 million cups of coffee are consumed in the US each day, creating a market which generated almost $85 billion in revenue last year.

Almost half of Americans consume coffee, meaning there are roughly around 150 million coffee drinkers in the US. Of these coffee consumers, the average coffee drinker consumes three cups of coffee per day, with 58% of people noting that they drink coffee daily.

Coffee consumption has risen slightly over the past few years, due to an increase in drinking coffee at home, which has grown by 10% since 2017. This seems to go hand in hand with rising coffee shop prices, with inflation boosting the average price of a coffee shop brew by 23% in just three years.

When asked to note which coffees they like for a YouGov survey, 55% of respondents said they liked cappuccinos, followed by 44% for lattes and mochas, 41% for frappuccinos, and 38% for iced coffee. Macchiatos (30%), Americanos (26%), espressos (19%), and cold brewed coffees (17%) proved a little more niche, with less than a third of respondents viewing the drinks more positively than negatively.

According to survey results, black coffee is declining in popularity, while flavor enhancements are growing more popular. Just 18% of respondents said they preferred to have their coffee black, representing a 56% decrease from results in 2022.

When consuming coffee, most people preferred to add milk or creamer to their beverage, with a massive 77% of people putting either milk or creamer in their coffee. Milk alternatives like almond and oat milk have also increased their share. According to recent survey data, since 2022, a stated preference for oat milk grew by 90% and a preference for almond milk increased by 71%.

While enjoying the taste of coffee is the biggest driver for people drinking it at 83%, other perceived benefits include: getting an energy boost (67%), increasing productivity (43%), health benefits (29%), and appetite suppression (20%).

Home coffee vs coffee shop drinking statistics

When looking at coffee statistics overall, one of the key factors that we can miss is the difference in behaviors that occur when drinking coffee at home versus when purchasing from a coffee shop. Below is a summary of some of the differences we found when looking at the data from this Drive Research survey:

• Prevalence: Of those who drink coffee, 80% of Americans say they drink at least one cup of coffee at home per day. At-home coffee consumption is up 10% since 2017. Just 51% of those surveyed said they order coffee from a coffee shop weekly or more often, with only 8% of respondents saying they buy takeaway coffee daily.

• Spending habits: When buying coffee for home use, 31% of people claim to spend between $11 and $20 per month. Overall, on average, Americans spend just $75 per year on coffee for drinking at home. Monthly figures for coffee shop spending are similar, with 54% of people estimating that they spend $20 or less per month on coffee from coffee shops, with this limitation on takeaway coffee spending likely to increase due to inflation and upward-trending coffee prices.

• Drinking habits: When people drink coffee at home, the most common brewing method is drip coffee, with 45% of survey respondents using this method. However, single-cup brewers and espresso machines are currently on the rise, so things may change dramatically in the coming years. When buying coffee at a coffee shop, shot-flavored lattés are far-and-away favorites, being the go-to drink for 38% of people. These sugary drinks are followed in popularity by flat whites (32%), filter coffee (31%), cold brew (30%), cappuccinos (29%), long Americanos (20%), and espresso (19%).

Most popular coffee chains in the US

When it comes time to purchase a coffee from a chain store, the most popular options, by far, are Dunkin’ and Starbucks. According to this coffee chain map, Starbucks dominates in terms of locations. The Seattle-based coffee chain is the largest operator in thirty-five states, with Dunkin’ being the primary chain in fourteen states. If you’ve done the math and realized that leaves one state missing, you’d be right. You may be surprised to hear that neither chain wins out in Minnesota, where residents instead flock to homegrown coffeehouse chain Caribou Coffee. Of course, the number of stores isn’t the same as people’s personal preferences. So, where do their loyalties really lie? Well, it turns out it’s the same as above. When asked which of the big chains they prefer, 63% of survey participants said they preferred Starbucks over Dunkin’.

Annual coffee consumption overall and per person

As noted above, 400 million cups of coffee are drunk daily here in America, which translates to a mind-bending 146 billion cups consumed per year. Breaking down these stats by person and demographic we see that:

• The average American consumes just over three cups of coffee per day, according to a National Coffee Association survey, which comes to around 1,096 brews over the course of a year.

• Breaking things down by generation, surveys querying daily coffee consumption rates show that daily consumption is at around 83% for Baby Boomers, 74% for Gen X coffee drinkers, 66% for Millennials, and just 42% of Gen Z. As well as being less likely to drink coffee daily, younger generations also tend to consume less coffee per day with a study of UK coffee drinkers noting that Gen Z and Millennials consume, on average, 0.5 and 1.3 cups of coffee per day, respectively. Numbers are higher for Gen X and Baby Boomers, both of which drink just over two cups per day on average.

• As noted above, 80% of American coffee drinkers have at least one coffee at home every day, compared to just 8% who say they avail of a daily takeaway coffee.

The states that drink the most and least coffee

What would a survey of American life be without a statistical breakdown looking at different states across the country. To ascertain which states drink the most and least coffee, we looked at a nationwide survey of over 3,000 respondents. This survey measured coffee consumption by state using a number of different questions and metrics.

Which is the most coffee obsessed state?

The first thing respondents for the above survey were asked to do was to rate their level of coffee obsession on a scale of one to five. As it turns out, the most coffee obsessed state is West Virginia, with an average rating of 3.75, closely followed by Virginia and Maine, which both posted average scores of 3.5. On the other side of things, the least coffee obsessed states are Utah, Minnesota, and – finishing dead last with an average of 2.65 – Arizona. But, are these self-assessments of people’s devotion to coffee accurate? To get a clearer picture, we can look at daily consumption habits by state.

Daily coffee consumption by state

While they may rate themselves among the most coffee obsessed people in the country, West Virginians take bronze on the podium when it comes to cups drunk daily and Virginians don’t even crack the top ten. In terms of cups drank per day, Michigan and Delaware lead the way, averaging around two and a half. The rest of the top ten are as follows:

1. Michigan – 2.52 cups
2. Delaware – 2.44 cups
3. West Virginia – 2.34 cups
4. Ohio – 2.16 cups
5. Nebraska – 2.13 cups
6. Arkansas – 2.12 cups
7. South Carolina – 2.12 cups
8. Kansas – 2.07 cups
9. Maine – 2.05 cups
10. Louisiana – 2.03 cups

Accurate in their self-assessments above, residents of Utah, Arizona and Minnesota are fairly restrained in their coffee habits, consuming just over a cup per day on average. The rest of the ten states with the lowest daily coffee consumption line up like this:

1. Utah – 1.29 cups
2. Arizona – 1.30 cups
3. Minnesota – 1.32 cups
4. New Jersey – 1.45 cups
5. Massachusetts – 1.51 cups
6. Wisconsin – 1.52 cups
7. Hawaii – 1.52 cups
8. Georgia – 1.54 cups
9. Maryland – 1.57 cups
10. Mississippi – 1.58 cups

What are the top coffee trends for 2024?

Similarly to wider coffee consumption trends, trends within coffee are also changing and developing, with new ways of consuming the beverage emerging all the time. Below are some of the biggest trends in coffee for 2024, with popular new ways to consume, especially among young people, trending towards colder, sweeter drinks and sustainable options:

• Espresso martinis continue their meteoric rise, with this alcoholic twist on coffee now regularly enjoyed by 1 in 4 Americans. This represents a 79% increase in the popularity of the drink compared to figures gathered in 2022.

• Iced coffee maintains its steady popularity, with 38% of Americans having a positive attitude towards the drink. Regularly trending on TikTok and other social media, iced coffee seems to be the drink of choice for 18-29 year olds, with 85% of this age group reporting that they either like or love iced coffee. In fact, coffee consumers under 45 are twice as likely as those 45 and older to report that they love iced coffee.

• Other interesting coffee drinks and additions growing in popularity are cold foam and Dalgona coffee (whipped coffee). Going hand in hand with the rising popularity of cold drinks and the turn towards more visually appealing brews, cold foam as a topping has become increasingly popular and whipped coffee has taken TikTok by storm, with videos of the concoction regularly racking up over 100,000 likes and millions of views.

• Beyond changes in tastes, consumer habits in the coffee sector are increasingly driven toward sustainability and ethical practices. A consumer trends report notes that 70% of global consumers are drawn to environmental friendliness when purchasing hot coffee, while 47% will seek out fair trade coffee.