Besides being so last millennium, however, the trouble with commenting on the omnipresence of Starbucks is that it isn't quite true. Two weeks ago, Washington Post Metro Columnist Marc Fischer noted that Prince Georges County, Maryland, despite being the wealthiest majority African-American county in the United States and possessing a population of 850,000, boasts only 11 Starbucks. Economic development officials in Prince Georges are none too happy about the Starbucks scarcity in their jurisdiction and there's a logic to their outrage. Starbucks may send a signal to consumers that an area is trendy and upscale, while it likely tells entrepreneurs that wealthy spendthrifts frequent the area (who else would spend $3.50 for a cup of coffee?) Thus, one can plausibly argue that Starbucks stores attract both businesses and consumers, thereby promoting economic growth. Of course, it's just as plausible that Starbucks stores reflect, rather than promote, economic vitality.
The September issue of Governing will feature a chart, based on data from MapMuse.com, that lists the number of Starbucks stores in a sampling of metropolitan areas. Though clear national trends aren't evident from the chart (Starbucks are not more common in one geographic area, for example) my guess is that within particular cities the coffee shops are concentrated in economically bustling neighborhoods. Whether that means city and state officials should be wooing Starbucks in the same way they court manufacturers remains an open question.
