Food and drink · Metro area · Arkansas
Bakeries and dessert shops in the Fort Smith, AR-OK metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for bakeries and dessert shops in the Fort Smith, AR-OK metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 33 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #321 of 387 scored metro areas
#4 of 5 scored metro areas based in Arkansas
- Listings
- 100
- 34 chain locations (34%)
- Official establishments
- 46
- All snack bars and retail bakeries · +22.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $298.6M
- On food away from home · $3,282 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3M
- 28% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.0
- 12% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 234,140
- +3.1% since 2020
See the bakeries and dessert shops around any address in the Fort Smith metro area
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 the Fort Smith metro area. 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
The Fort Smith metro area scores 33 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for bakeries and dessert shops, ranking #321 of 387 scored metro areas and #4 of 5 scored metro areas based in Arkansas. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.
As of September 2026, map listings count 100 bakeries and dessert shops in the Fort Smith metro area. Of those, 34 are chain locations, or 34%, against 35% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 11.0, 12% above the U.S. rate of 9.8.
Households in the Fort Smith metro area spend about $298.6M a year on food away from home, or $3,282 per household, 19% below the U.S. average. Spread across 100 bakeries and dessert shops, that is $3M per shop, 28% 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.
Official counts show 46 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in the Fort Smith metro area in 2023, up 22.2% from 2019. That is one for every 1,978 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. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $1.2M have gone to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in the Fort Smith metro area. Population estimates show the Fort Smith metro area grew 3.1% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Fort Smith metro area 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 | Fort Smith metro area | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 11.0 | 9.0 | 9.8 |
| Spending per listing | $3M | $3.8M | $4.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack bars and retail bakeries) | 1,978 | 1,884 | 1,369 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +22.2% | +47.1% | +24.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.1% | +3.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,282 | $3,400 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $58,468 | $60,773 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 33 | 42 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 46All snack bars and retail bakeries · +22.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 416
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 27All snack bars and retail bakeries with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 10034 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 72The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $1.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in the Fort Smith metro area, 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 the Fort Smith metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 234,140+3.1% since 2020
- Households
- 90,992
- Median age
- 39.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 1,800 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 128
- Median household income
- $58,468
- Average household income
- $82,344
- Median home value
- $171,200
- Jobs located here
- 98,120
- Daytime population
- 234,865Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Fort Smith metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 the Fort Smith metro area. 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 metro areas in Arkansas for bakeries and dessert shops, numbered among those based in Arkansas (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Fort Smith metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Arkansas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR | 51 | 244 | 11.3 | $3.5M | +13.1% | #192 of 387 |
| 2Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR | 49 | 271 | 8.7 | $4.1M | +3.8% | #201 of 387 |
| Memphis, TN-MS-AR | 46 | 434 | 8.3 | $4.4M | −0.3% | #235 of 387 |
| 3Jonesboro, AR | 43 | 47 | 8.8 | $3.8M | +3.6% | #260 of 387 |
| 4Fort Smith, AR-OK | 33 | 100 | 11.0 | $3M | +3.1% | #321 of 387 |
| Texarkana, TX-AR | 28 | 80 | 14.2 | $2.3M | −0.4% | #358 of 387 |
| 5Hot Springs, AR | 17 | 53 | 12.1 | $2.7M | −0.6% | #385 of 387 |
Other business types in the Fort Smith metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes30
- Sit-down restaurants28
- Fast food and sandwich shops30
- Pizza25
- Coffee shops and cafes39
- Bakeries and dessert shops33
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 the Fort Smith, AR-OK metro area?
The Fort Smith metro area has 100 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings as of September 2026. 34 of them (34%) are chain locations. The listings count bakeries, ice cream, donut and dessert shops, candy stores. Official counts show 46 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in 2023, up 22.2% 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 27 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Fort Smith, AR-OK metro area spend on food away from home?
About $298.6M a year, or $3,282 per household. That is 19% below the U.S. average (an index of 81, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 100 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings, it comes to $3M 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 90,992 households in the Fort Smith metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Fort Smith, AR-OK metro area compare with the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops?
The Fort Smith metro area has 11.0 bakeries and dessert shops per 10,000 households, 12% above the U.S. rate of 9.8. Spending per shop is $3M, 28% below the U.S. figure of $4.1M. At the national ratio of bakeries and dessert shops to household spending, the Fort Smith metro area would have about 72, against 100 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,978 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S. The official count rose 22.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.6% for the U.S.
How fast is the Fort Smith, AR-OK metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Fort Smith metro area at 234,140 people in 2025, up 3.1% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 90,992 households. Median household income in the Fort Smith metro area is $58,468, 28% below the U.S. median of $80,734.
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. The Fort Smith metro area scores 33 for bakeries and dessert shops (lower middle), #321 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Fort Smith metro area. 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 the Fort Smith metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Fort Smith metro area?
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 the Fort Smith metro area. 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.