Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Alabama

Bakeries and dessert shops in Marion County, AL

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for bakeries and dessert shops in Marion County, AL, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 43 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,168 of 1,889 scored counties
#34 of 38 scored counties in Alabama

Listings
6
0 chain locations (0%)
Official establishments
n/a
Fewer than 3, or not published
Household spending a year
$32M
On food away from home · $3,019 a household
Spending per listing
$5.3M
29% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
5.7
42% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
29,097
−0.3% since 2020

See the bakeries and dessert shops around any address in Marion 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 Marion 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

Households in Marion County spend about $32M a year on food away from home, or $3,019 per household, 26% below the U.S. average. That works out to $5.3M per shop, 29% above the U.S. figure of $4.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only bakeries and dessert shops.

There are 6 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings in Marion County as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations, against 35% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 5.7, 42% below the U.S. rate of 9.8.

Official counts don’t publish a figure for snack bars and retail bakeries in Marion County, since they leave out counts under 3. Official counts list 5 one-person businesses without payroll.

Population estimates put the population change in Marion County from 2020 to 2025 at −0.3%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for bakeries and dessert shops in Marion County is 43 (lower middle), #1,168 of 1,889 scored counties and #34 of 38 scored counties in Alabama.

How Marion 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 Marion County, AL compared with Alabama and the U.S.
MeasureMarion CountyAlabamaU.S.
Listings per 10k households5.76.79.8
Spending per listing$5.3M$5.2M$4.1M
Households per official establishment (all snack bars and retail bakeries)n/a2,2671,369
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+60.2%+24.6%
Population growth, 2020–2025−0.3%+3.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,019$3,519$4,070
Median household income$50,088$63,999$80,734
Groundwork market score4370

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
n/aAll snack bars and retail bakeries
Employees, 2023
n/a
Annual payroll, 2023
n/a
One-person businesses, 2023
5All snack bars and retail bakeries with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
60 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
8The 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 Marion 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 Marion County

Population, 2025 estimate
29,097−0.3% since 2020
Households
10,614
Median age
43.7
Homes lived in by their owners
77%
Vehicles per household
2.1
Land area
742 sq. mi.
People per square mile
39
Median household income
$50,088+39.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$68,942
Median home value
$106,600
Jobs located here
11,037
Daytime population
27,359Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Marion 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 Marion 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 Marion 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
34Marion County, AL4365.7$5.3M−0.3%#1,168 of 1,889

Other business types in Marion County

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

Questions

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

As of September 2026, map listings count 6 bakeries and dessert shops in Marion County. None of them are chain locations. The listings count bakeries, ice cream, donut and dessert shops, candy stores. No official count is published for snack bars and retail bakeries in Marion County: counts under 3 are left out. Official counts also show 5 one-person businesses without payroll.

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

About $32M a year, or $3,019 per household. That is 26% below the U.S. average (an index of 74, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 6 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings, it comes to $5.3M per shop. That spending covers all food away from home, which bakeries and dessert shops share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 10,614 households in Marion County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Marion County has 5.7 bakeries and dessert shops per 10,000 households, 42% below the U.S. rate of 9.8. Spending per shop is $5.3M, 29% above the U.S. figure of $4.1M. At the U.S. ratio of bakeries and dessert shops to household spending, Marion County would have about 8, against 6 on map listings.

How fast is Marion County, AL growing?

Population estimates put Marion County at 29,097 people in 2025, down 0.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 10,614 households. The median household income in Marion County is $50,088 a year, 38% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 39.4% from the 2015–2019 survey, 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. Marion County scores 43 for bakeries and dessert shops (lower middle), #1,168 of 1,889 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Marion 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 Marion County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Marion 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 Marion 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.