Starbucks has 15,836 locations in the United States. The city with the most locations is New York City, with 196. That is a sign that Starbucks stores are spread the way the population is. However, looking at other cities more carefully shows the idea that the map of Starbucks matches where people live is not the case at all, at least on the metro level.
[in-text-ad]
Based on state data, the match of Starbucks locations to population gets affirmation. California, the largest state, has 3,057, which is 19% of stores. California’s population is about 13% of the national figure. Texas, the second largest state, also ranks second in Starbucks locations with 1,316. Florida is third in population among all states. It also ranks third in stores with 831.
The city with the second most Starbucks is Chicago, which is the third largest city based on population, however. It has 191 stores. The city with the third most Starbucks is one of America’s modest-sized metros. Las Vegas has 168 stores. Los Angeles, the second largest city, based on population, is fourth in Starbucks locations with 162.
Why is Las Vegas such an outlier in store count? One can only assume that it is because the city operates 24 hours a day. It also is one of the largest metro tourist destinations because of its gambling establishments and entertainment.
Starbucks has a sophisticated way of placing stores based on traffic patterns. Companies like McDonald’s pick locations the same way. If traffic rises, so does store count. With a drop in traffic, the system cuts stores. It was ever thus with most retailers.
Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.
Latest from 24/7
