Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Alabama

Bakeries and dessert shops in Chilton County, AL

The bakeries and dessert shops in Chilton County, AL, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 77 out of 100: High

Ranked #125 of 1,889 scored counties
#3 of 38 scored counties in Alabama

Listings
8
3 chain locations (38%)
Official establishments
5
All snack bars and retail bakeries
Household spending a year
$60M
On food away from home · $3,359 a household
Spending per listing
$7.5M
81% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
4.5
54% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
47,708
+5.9% since 2020

See the bakeries and dessert shops around any address in Chilton County

The site report maps the bakeries and dessert shops on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of Chilton County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

Chilton County scores 77 (high) on the Groundwork market score for bakeries and dessert shops, ranking #125 of 1,889 scored counties and #3 of 38 scored counties in Alabama. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for bakeries and dessert shops.

As of September 2026, map listings count 8 bakeries and dessert shops in Chilton County. 3 of them (38%) are chain locations, against 35% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 4.5, 54% below the U.S. rate of 9.8.

At $3,359 per household (17% below the U.S. average), households in Chilton County spend about $60M a year on food away from home. That works out to $7.5M per shop, 81% above the U.S. figure of $4.1M. That spending covers all food away from home, which bakeries and dessert shops share with other businesses in the trade.

In 2023, official counts showed 5 businesses with payroll in Chilton County classed as snack bars and retail bakeries. That is one for every 3,575 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S. The official count takes in all snack bars and retail bakeries, not only bakeries and dessert shops: coffee shops and cafes are counted too. Population estimates put the population change in Chilton County from 2020 to 2025 at +5.9%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How Chilton County compares

The same measures for Alabama and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all food away from home by the bakeries and dessert shops counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.

Bakeries and dessert shops in Chilton County, AL compared with Alabama and the U.S.
MeasureChilton CountyAlabamaU.S.
Listings per 10k households4.56.79.8
Spending per listing$7.5M$5.2M$4.1M
Households per official establishment (all snack bars and retail bakeries)3,5752,2671,369
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+60.2%+24.6%
Population growth, 2020–2025+5.9%+3.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,359$3,519$4,070
Median household income$65,603$63,999$80,734
Groundwork market score7770

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
5All snack bars and retail bakeries
Employees, 2023
26
Annual payroll, 2023
$383K
One-person businesses, 2023
0All snack bars and retail bakeries with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
83 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
15The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
0
Amount
$0

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Chilton County, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3. These official figures cover all snack bars and retail bakeries, not only bakeries and dessert shops.

Population and households in Chilton County

Population, 2025 estimate
47,708+5.9% since 2020
Households
17,875
Median age
40.0
Homes lived in by their owners
77%
Vehicles per household
2.2
Land area
693 sq. mi.
People per square mile
66
Median household income
$65,603+38.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$79,550
Median home value
$161,300
Jobs located here
9,534
Daytime population
36,082Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Chilton County?

These figures cover the whole county. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the bakeries and dessert shops on map listings by name and distance.

Or open the report at the center of Chilton County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Bakeries and dessert shops across Alabama

Every Alabama market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Alabama for bakeries and dessert shops, numbered among those based in Alabama, with Chilton County marked.

Top counties in Alabama

Counties in Alabama ranked for bakeries and dessert shops by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Limestone County, AL93153.7$11M+18.0%#8 of 1,889
2St. Clair County, AL86164.6$8.1M+7.1%#37 of 1,889
3Chilton County, AL7784.5$7.5M+5.9%#125 of 1,889
4Elmore County, AL77216.4$5.9M+4.2%#130 of 1,889
5Autauga County, AL76114.8$7.8M+5.1%#140 of 1,889
6Jackson County, AL7552.3$13.6M+3.3%#154 of 1,889
7Madison County, AL721328.0$5.2M+11.0%#222 of 1,889
8Tuscaloosa County, AL71485.3$6.6M+3.8%#237 of 1,889
9Colbert County, AL70135.3$6.2M+3.8%#260 of 1,889
10Shelby County, AL70738.4$5.3M+6.5%#271 of 1,889

Other business types in Chilton County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many bakeries and dessert shops are in Chilton County, AL?

Chilton County has 8 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings as of September 2026. 3 of them (38%) are chain locations. The listings count bakeries, ice cream, donut and dessert shops, candy stores. Official counts show 5 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in 2023. That count covers all snack bars and retail bakeries (coffee shops and cafes included), not only bakeries and dessert shops.

How much do households in Chilton County, AL spend on food away from home?

About $60M a year, or $3,359 per household. That is 17% below the U.S. average (an index of 83, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 8 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings, it comes to $7.5M per shop. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only bakeries and dessert shops. It is estimated from the incomes of the 17,875 households in Chilton County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Chilton County, AL compare with the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops?

Chilton County has 4.5 bakeries and dessert shops per 10,000 households, 54% below the U.S. rate of 9.8. Spending per shop is $7.5M, 81% above the U.S. figure of $4.1M. At the national ratio of bakeries and dessert shops to household spending, Chilton County would have about 15, against 8 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,575 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S.

How fast is Chilton County, AL growing?

Population estimates put Chilton County at 47,708 people in 2025, up 5.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 17,875 households. Median household income in Chilton County is $65,603, 19% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 38.2%, before inflation.

What is the Groundwork market score?

The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. Chilton County scores 77 for bakeries and dessert shops (high), #125 of 1,889 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Chilton County. It maps the bakeries and dessert shops on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.

How the score works · Top markets for bakeries and dessert shops · All 56 business types in Chilton County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Chilton County?

A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.

The button opens the report at the center of Chilton County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.