Open aggregate datasets about vending locations and vending contracts, published by VendBuddy. Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with attribution: "VendBuddy, vendbuddy.io" plus a link to the source report.
Charts and summaries: vendbuddy.github.io/data.
| File | Contents | Source report |
|---|---|---|
data/vending-location-index-2026.csv |
long-format aggregate table | Vending Location Index 2026 |
data/vending-commission-contracts-2026.csv |
28 public documents | Vending Commission Rates and Contract Terms 2026 |
data/state-of-vending-operators-q4-2026.csv |
23 aggregate figures | State of Vending Operators, Q4 2026 |
All snapshots were taken 2026-10-08. The CSVs are UTF-8; the first two are exact copies of the files published on vendbuddy.io.
- Location Index. 36,069 operating US businesses that VendBuddy Lead Finder users looked up as possible vending locations between 2026-04-30 and 2026-10-08, from Google Places listings. It is a sample of what users searched, not a census of businesses. Businesses are grouped into 18 location types by Google category (first match wins). Aggregates only: no names, addresses, phones or emails. Any row backed by fewer than 5 listings is shown as
<5. Open-late and rating figures need 20 or more listings behind them. Review count is a loose foot-traffic proxy. - Contracts. 28 public vending solicitations, agreements and awards (2015 to 2026) from cities, counties, school districts, colleges and other public bodies. Each row records only what the document states; empty means not stated. Every row has a
source_urlto the original. Private placement agreements are confidential and not included. - Operators. Aggregate counts from 628 operator accounts on VendBuddy (staff, test and abusive accounts excluded). A figure is published only with 20 or more accounts behind it. It describes VendBuddy's users, not the whole industry.
| Column | Meaning |
|---|---|
table |
meta, national, ratings, open_late, reviews_proxy, state, state_by_type, top_cities |
location_type |
One of the 18 location groups, or all |
state |
Two-letter US state code (blank for national rows) |
city |
City name (top_cities rows only) |
metric |
What value measures, e.g. listings, share_pct, median_rating, p25_rating, p75_rating, open_past_9pm_pct, listings_with_hours, median_reviews, band ... |
value |
The number, or <5 when suppressed |
note |
Optional extra, such as a band's share |
| Column | Meaning |
|---|---|
entity, state, entity_type, year, document |
Who issued the document, where, what kind, and when |
commission_basis |
How the rate is set: set by the agency, bidder names the rate, required minimum, awarded/signed rate, outgoing contract rate, or not stated |
commission_pct_all_machines |
Single commission percent for every machine, when one is stated |
commission_by_product_line |
Rates that differ by product line |
commission_base |
What the percent applies to (gross, net, cash collected, ...) |
commission_note |
Plain-language note |
initial_term_years, max_term_years, term_text |
Initial and maximum term (with all renewals), and the wording |
gl_per_occurrence_usd, gl_aggregate_usd, auto_liability_usd, insurance_text |
Insurance minimums |
healthy_pct_required, healthy_text |
Minimum healthy-item share, if numeric, and wording |
card_reader, card_reader_text |
required, conditional, not_required, or not stated |
service_frequency, response_hours |
Restocking frequency and repair response time |
source_url |
Link to the original public document |
| Column | Meaning |
|---|---|
table |
Which aggregate: searches by location type, searches by state, operators by home state, time to first lead |
group |
Location type, state or measure name |
metric, value, unit |
The figure; value is a whole-number percent unless unit says text |
sample |
The sample size behind it |
See CITATION.cff. Short form: VendBuddy, "Vending data", 2026, https://github.com/vendbuddy/vending-data. Please also cite the specific report from the table above.