--- title: "Starbucks: search popularity in the United States" description: "Starbucks is a café chain. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time." canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/brands/starbucks" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Starbucks: search popularity in the United States Starbucks is a café chain. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time. ## Key facts - **Brand**: Starbucks - **Market**: United States - **Measured month**: Sep 2026 - **Share of Search among coffee chains**: 48.1% ## Where the brand sits | Competitive set | Rank | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Coffee chains | 1 | 48.1% | 13.6M | | Coffee creamer brands | 3 | 9.7% | 18.1K | - [Coffee chains in the US](/demand/us/categories/us-coffee-chains) - [Coffee creamer brands](/demand/us/categories/us-coffee-creamer-brands) ## Top coffee chains in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions, Starbucks appeared in all three answers. Starbucks is the most recommended of the six. Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options. | Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Starbucks | 1st | 3 of 3 | 3 of 3 | | Dunkin' | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 3 of 3 | | Peet's Coffee | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 3 of 3 | | Dutch Bros | 4th | 3 of 3 | 3 of 3 | | Caribou Coffee | 5th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 3 | | Tim Hortons | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 3 | ## Every AI answer about coffee chains - Asked ChatGPT "Which coffee chain is best in the US?": 1. Starbucks, 2. Dunkin', 3. Peet's Coffee, 4. Dutch Bros - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best coffee chains in the US?": 1. Starbucks, 2. Peet's Coffee, 3. Dunkin', 4. Dutch Bros, 5. Caribou Coffee - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best US coffee chain for iced coffee?": 1. Dunkin', 2. Starbucks, 3. Dutch Bros, 4. Peet's Coffee Not named in any answer: Tim Hortons. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in United States on October 22, 2026. ## How has branded search demand for Starbucks changed in the United States over the last 12 months? - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Starbucks in the United States fell from 30.4M to 13.6M. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Starbucks’ share of searches among coffee chains in the United States decreased from 64.4% to 48.1%. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Starbucks’ share of searches among coffee chains in the United States peaked at 64.4% in October 2025 and was lowest at 39.7% in May 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Starbucks’ share of searches among coffee creamer brands in the United States decreased from 13.4% to 9.7%. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Starbucks’ share of searches among coffee creamer brands in the United States peaked at 13.4% in October 2025 and was lowest at 8% in June 2026. ## How did search popularity change for United States coffee chains in September 2026? - In September 2026, Starbucks gained share of searches among coffee chains in the United States, from 43.3% to 48.1%. - In September 2026, Dunkin' lost share of searches among coffee chains in the United States, from 42.1% to 38.3%. - In September 2026, Dutch Bros lost share of searches among coffee chains in the United States, from 7.1% to 6.5%. - Estimated monthly branded searches for Peet's Coffee in the United States fell 18.2% over 12 measured months, from 550K to 450K in September 2026. ## How did search popularity change for United States coffee creamer brands in September 2026? - In September 2026, Coffee mate overtook International Delight to rank 2nd among coffee creamer brands in the United States, with 14.5% of the searches. - In September 2026, Chobani gained share of searches among coffee creamer brands in the United States, from 47.9% to 58.7%. - In September 2026, International Delight lost share of searches among coffee creamer brands in the United States, from 17.5% to 5.3%. - In September 2026, Silk lost share of searches among coffee creamer brands in the United States, from 5.7% to 4.7%. - Starbucks’ share of searches among coffee creamer brands in the United States has gained ground for 3 months in a row, from 8% to 9.7% in September 2026. - In September 2026, nutpods rose from 6th to 5th among coffee creamer brands in the United States. ## Historical estimated branded-search demand | Month | Competitive set | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | Coffee chains | 30.4M | 64.4% | 1 | | Nov 2025 | Coffee chains | 30.4M | 62.9% | 1 | | Dec 2025 | Coffee chains | 30.4M | 63.7% | 1 | | Jan 2026 | Coffee chains | 20.4M | 57.7% | 1 | | Feb 2026 | Coffee chains | 13.6M | 49.1% | 1 | | Mar 2026 | Coffee chains | 13.6M | 45.6% | 1 | | Apr 2026 | Coffee chains | 11.1M | 42.6% | 1 | | May 2026 | Coffee chains | 11.1M | 39.7% | 2 | | Jun 2026 | Coffee chains | 11.1M | 39.9% | 2 | | Jul 2026 | Coffee chains | 11.1M | 39.9% | 2 | | Aug 2026 | Coffee chains | 13.6M | 43.3% | 1 | | Sep 2026 | Coffee chains | 13.6M | 48.1% | 1 | | Oct 2025 | Coffee creamer brands | 22.2K | 13.4% | 3 | | Nov 2025 | Coffee creamer brands | 22.2K | 12.6% | 3 | | Dec 2025 | Coffee creamer brands | 18.1K | 11.2% | 3 | | Jan 2026 | Coffee creamer brands | 22.2K | 10.6% | 3 | | Feb 2026 | Coffee creamer brands | 14.8K | 8.2% | 4 | | Mar 2026 | Coffee creamer brands | 14.8K | 9.7% | 3 | | Apr 2026 | Coffee creamer brands | 12.1K | 9.6% | 4 | | May 2026 | Coffee creamer brands | 12.1K | 8.9% | 3 | | Jun 2026 | Coffee creamer brands | 12.1K | 8% | 3 | | Jul 2026 | Coffee creamer brands | 14.8K | 8.9% | 3 | | Aug 2026 | Coffee creamer brands | 18.1K | 9.6% | 4 | | Sep 2026 | Coffee creamer brands | 18.1K | 9.7% | 3 | ## How are Starbucks’ branded searches counted? Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Starbucks’ name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading. - “starbucks” - “starbucks creamer” ## Which coffee chains compete with Starbucks? - [Dunkin'](/demand/us/brands/dunkin): Head-to-head: /demand/us/compare/dunkin-vs-starbucks - [Dutch Bros](/demand/us/brands/dutch-bros): Head-to-head: /demand/us/compare/dutch-bros-vs-starbucks - [Tim Hortons](/demand/us/brands/tim-hortons): Head-to-head: /demand/us/compare/starbucks-vs-tim-hortons - [Caribou Coffee](/demand/us/brands/caribou-coffee): Head-to-head: /demand/us/compare/caribou-coffee-vs-starbucks - [Peet's Coffee](/demand/us/brands/peets-coffee): Head-to-head: /demand/us/compare/peets-coffee-vs-starbucks ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Starbucks: search popularity in the United States". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/brands/starbucks This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/brands/starbucks. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.