Coffee and Class: Starbucks vs Dunkin' vs Tim Hortons
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Median incomes near Starbucks are 1.2x those near Tim Hortons
Compare income, education and commuting patterns around three major coffee chains.
Explore the full data
Every record EDK holds for this dataset. Filter it, then export what you need.
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Key findings
- Block groups around Starbucks have the highest median household income, about $94,000.
- Around Dunkin', median household income is about $91,000.
- Around Tim Hortons, median household income is about $78,000.
About this dataset
Each entry pairs a coffee chain with the income, education and commuting profile of its block group. Together, they show how the three chains sit across local class and work patterns.
Use it for
- Urban planners: Compare where coffee chains cluster with local income and commuting patterns.
- Retail analysts: Assess how the chains' surrounding neighborhoods differ by income and education.
- Researchers: Explore links between chain presence, household income and work-from-home rates.
- Journalists: Map how the three chains are distributed across cities and states.
Questions to explore
- How do nearby incomes differ across Starbucks, Dunkin' and Tim Hortons?
- Do education and work-from-home patterns track the income differences?
- How does the chains' neighborhood mix vary across cities and states?
Columns
id- Sequential identifier for an entry; no unit.
brand- Name of the coffee chain; no unit.
income_level- Plain-language category for the block group's income level; no unit.
median_income_usd- Median household income in the block group, in US dollars.
college_degree_pct- Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher, as a percentage.
work_from_home_pct- Workers who work from home, as a percentage.
transit_commute_pct- Workers who commute by public transit, as a percentage.
city- Matched city name; no unit.
state- State name; no unit.
latitude- Location north or south of the equator, in degrees (WGS84).
longitude- Location east or west of the prime meridian, in degrees (WGS84).
Sources
- EDK-1 · EDK
- EDK's spatial model: matches every record to its place and joins the context around it.
- OpenStreetMap · OpenStreetMap contributors
- Coffee-chain location and brand identification (ODbL 1.0)
- American Community Survey 5-year (block group) · US Census Bureau
- Block-group income, education and commuting measures (See publisher)
Released under CC BY-SA 4.0. Credit "EDK (edk.earth)" and the sources, and share what you build from it under the same license.
Good to know
- These figures describe surrounding block groups, not the customers who visit each shop.
- Tim Hortons appears in 165 block groups, far fewer than Starbucks or Dunkin'.