Food and drink · County · Arkansas
Bakeries and dessert shops in Independence County, AR
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for bakeries and dessert shops in Independence County, AR, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 35 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,473 of 1,889 scored counties
#22 of 41 scored counties in Arkansas
- Listings
- 13
- 5 chain locations (38%)
- Official establishments
- 9
- All snack bars and retail bakeries
- Household spending a year
- $47.2M
- On food away from home · $3,222 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.6M
- 12% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 8.9
- 9% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 38,785
- +2.2% since 2020
See the bakeries and dessert shops around any address in Independence 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 Independence 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
The Groundwork market score for bakeries and dessert shops in Independence County is 35 (lower middle), #1,473 of 1,889 scored counties and #22 of 41 scored counties in Arkansas. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 13 bakeries and dessert shops in Independence County. 5 of them (38%) are chain locations, against 35% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 8.9, 9% below the U.S. rate of 9.8.
Households in Independence County spend about $47.2M a year on food away from home, or $3,222 per household, 21% below the U.S. average. That works out to $3.6M per shop, 12% 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 9 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Independence County in 2023. That is one for every 1,626 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, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $250K has gone to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Independence County. Population estimates put the population change in Independence County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.2%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Independence 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 | Independence County | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 8.9 | 9.0 | 9.8 |
| Spending per listing | $3.6M | $3.8M | $4.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack bars and retail bakeries) | 1,626 | 1,884 | 1,369 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +47.1% | +24.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.2% | +3.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,222 | $3,400 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $56,609 | $60,773 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 35 | 42 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 4 → 9All snack bars and retail bakeries
- Employees, 2023
- 63
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0All snack bars and retail bakeries with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 135 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 11The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $250K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Independence 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 Independence County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 38,785+2.2% since 2020
- Households
- 14,638
- Median age
- 39.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 764 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 50
- Median household income
- $56,609+27.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $78,952
- Median home value
- $142,600
- Jobs located here
- 18,686
- Daytime population
- 41,118Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Independence 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 Independence 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 Independence 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 |
| 22Independence County, AR | 35 | 13 | 8.9 | $3.6M | +2.2% | #1,473 of 1,889 |
Other business types in Independence County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes38
- Sit-down restaurants42
- Fast food and sandwich shops40
- Pizza37
- Coffee shops and cafes36
- Bakeries and dessert shops35
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 Independence County, AR?
There are 13 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings in Independence County as of September 2026. 5 of them (38%) are chain locations. The listings count bakeries, ice cream, donut and dessert shops, candy stores. Official counts show 9 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 Independence County, AR spend on food away from home?
About $47.2M a year, or $3,222 per household. That is 21% below the U.S. average (an index of 79, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 13 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings, it comes to $3.6M 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 14,638 households in Independence County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Independence County, AR compare with the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops?
Independence County has 8.9 bakeries and dessert shops per 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 9.8. Spending per shop is $3.6M, 12% below the U.S. figure of $4.1M. At the national ratio of bakeries and dessert shops to household spending, Independence County would have about 11, against 13 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,626 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S.
How fast is Independence County, AR growing?
Population estimates put Independence County at 38,785 people in 2025, up 2.2% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 14,638 households. Median household income in Independence County is $56,609, 30% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 27.7%, 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. Independence County scores 35 for bakeries and dessert shops (lower middle), #1,473 of 1,889 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Independence 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 Independence County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Independence 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 Independence 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.