Food and drink · County · Arkansas
Bakeries and dessert shops in Benton County, AR
How Benton County, AR compares with other counties and the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 57 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #673 of 1,889 scored counties
#5 of 41 scored counties in Arkansas
- Listings
- 131
- 43 chain locations (33%)
- Official establishments
- 75
- All snack bars and retail bakeries · +56.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $484M
- On food away from home · $4,324 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.7M
- 11% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.7
- 19% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 332,554
- +16.0% since 2020
See the bakeries and dessert shops around any address in Benton 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 Benton County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
As of September 2026, map listings count 131 bakeries and dessert shops in Benton County. Of those, 43 are chain locations, or 33%, against 35% across the U.S. That is 11.7 per 10,000 households, 19% above the U.S. rate of 9.8.
Households in Benton County spend about $484M a year on food away from home, or $4,324 per household, 6% above the U.S. average. That works out to $3.7M per shop, 11% below 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.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Benton County was 75 in 2023, up 56.3% from 2019. That is one for every 1,492 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. Another 18 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $1.7M have gone to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Benton County.
Population estimates put the population change in Benton County from 2020 to 2025 at +16.0%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Benton County scores 57 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for bakeries and dessert shops, ranking #673 of 1,889 scored counties and #5 of 41 scored counties in Arkansas.
How Benton County compares
The same measures for Arkansas 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.
| Measure | Benton County | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 11.7 | 9.0 | 9.8 |
| Spending per listing | $3.7M | $3.8M | $4.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack bars and retail bakeries) | 1,492 | 1,884 | 1,369 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +56.3% | +47.1% | +24.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +16.0% | +3.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,324 | $3,400 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $93,506 | $60,773 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 57 | 42 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 48 → 75All snack bars and retail bakeries · +56.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,078
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $21M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 18All snack bars and retail bakeries with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 13143 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 117The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 5
- Amount
- $1.7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Benton 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 Benton County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 332,554+16.0% since 2020
- Households
- 111,919
- Median age
- 36.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 848 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 358
- Median household income
- $93,506+40.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $126,066
- Median home value
- $323,500
- Jobs located here
- 151,032
- Daytime population
- 313,270Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Benton 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 Benton County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardBakeries and dessert shops across Arkansas
Every Arkansas market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Arkansas for bakeries and dessert shops, numbered among those based in Arkansas, with Benton County marked.
Top counties in Arkansas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Lonoke County, AR | 72 | 18 | 6.3 | $5.8M | +3.5% | #219 of 1,889 |
| 2Saline County, AR | 72 | 37 | 7.4 | $5.1M | +7.6% | #224 of 1,889 |
| 3Greene County, AR | 64 | 11 | 6.1 | $5.3M | +3.4% | #422 of 1,889 |
| 4Crawford County, AR | 64 | 16 | 6.9 | $4.9M | +4.1% | #426 of 1,889 |
| 5Benton County, AR | 57 | 131 | 11.7 | $3.7M | +16.0% | #673 of 1,889 |
| 6Crittenden County, AR | 56 | 8 | 4.4 | $7.1M | −3.9% | #681 of 1,889 |
| 7Johnson County, AR | 56 | 6 | 5.8 | $4.9M | +2.0% | #692 of 1,889 |
| 8Baxter County, AR | 54 | 10 | 5.2 | $5.9M | +3.1% | #764 of 1,889 |
| 9Randolph County, AR | 47 | 5 | 6.8 | $4.4M | +1.5% | #1,030 of 1,889 |
| 10Faulkner County, AR | 46 | 43 | 8.7 | $4.1M | +8.2% | #1,076 of 1,889 |
Other business types in Benton County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes65
- Sit-down restaurants66
- Fast food and sandwich shops66
- Pizza71
- Coffee shops and cafes65
- Bakeries and dessert shops57
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many bakeries and dessert shops are in Benton County, AR?
Benton County has 131 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings as of September 2026. 43 of them (33%) are chain locations. The listings count bakeries, ice cream, donut and dessert shops, candy stores. Official counts show 75 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in 2023, up 56.3% from 2019. That count covers all snack bars and retail bakeries (coffee shops and cafes included), not only bakeries and dessert shops. Official counts list 18 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Benton County, AR spend on food away from home?
About $484M a year, or $4,324 per household. That is 6% above the U.S. average (an index of 106, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 131 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings, it comes to $3.7M 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 111,919 households in Benton County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Benton County, AR compare with the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops?
Benton County has 11.7 bakeries and dessert shops per 10,000 households, 19% above the U.S. rate of 9.8. Spending per shop is $3.7M, 11% below the U.S. figure of $4.1M. At the national ratio of bakeries and dessert shops to household spending, Benton County would have about 117, against 131 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,492 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S. The official count rose 56.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.6% for the U.S.
How fast is Benton County, AR growing?
Population estimates put Benton County at 332,554 people in 2025, up 16.0% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 111,919 households. Median household income in Benton County is $93,506, 16% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 40.9%, 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. Benton County scores 57 for bakeries and dessert shops (upper middle), #673 of 1,889 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Benton 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 Benton County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Benton 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 Benton 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.