Food and drink · County · Arkansas
Bakeries and dessert shops in Washington County, AR
How Washington 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 43 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,200 of 1,889 scored counties
#15 of 41 scored counties in Arkansas
- Listings
- 111
- 43 chain locations (39%)
- Official establishments
- 76
- All snack bars and retail bakeries · +55.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $360.1M
- On food away from home · $3,706 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.2M
- 22% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.4
- 16% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 271,213
- +9.9% since 2020
See the bakeries and dessert shops around any address in Washington 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 Washington 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
Household spending on food away from home in Washington County comes to about $360.1M a year: $3,706 per household, 9% below the U.S. average. That works out to $3.2M per shop, 22% below the U.S. figure of $4.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only bakeries and dessert shops.
Washington County has 111 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 43 are chain locations, or 39%, against 35% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 11.4, 16% above the U.S. rate of 9.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Washington County was 76 in 2023, up 55.1% from 2019. That is one for every 1,279 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S. That count covers all snack bars and retail bakeries (coffee shops and cafes included), not only bakeries and dessert shops. Another 12 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $1.2M have gone to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Washington County.
Population estimates show Washington County grew 9.9% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Washington County scores 43 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for bakeries and dessert shops, ranking #1,200 of 1,889 scored counties and #15 of 41 scored counties in Arkansas.
How Washington 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 | Washington County | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 11.4 | 9.0 | 9.8 |
| Spending per listing | $3.2M | $3.8M | $4.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack bars and retail bakeries) | 1,279 | 1,884 | 1,369 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +55.1% | +47.1% | +24.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +9.9% | +3.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,706 | $3,400 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $70,639 | $60,773 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 43 | 42 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 49 → 76All snack bars and retail bakeries · +55.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,158
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $26.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 12All snack bars and retail bakeries with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 11143 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 87The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $1.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Washington 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 Washington County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 271,213+9.9% since 2020
- Households
- 97,184
- Median age
- 34.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 56%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 942 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 273
- Median household income
- $70,639+40.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $98,734
- Median home value
- $298,400
- Jobs located here
- 127,830
- Daytime population
- 267,535Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Washington 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 Washington 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 Washington 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 |
| 15Washington County, AR | 43 | 111 | 11.4 | $3.2M | +9.9% | #1,200 of 1,889 |
Other business types in Washington County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes41
- Sit-down restaurants43
- Fast food and sandwich shops49
- Pizza51
- Coffee shops and cafes44
- Bakeries and dessert shops43
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 Washington County, AR?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 111 bakeries and dessert shops in Washington County. 43 of them (39%) are chain locations. The listings count bakeries, ice cream, donut and dessert shops, candy stores. Official counts show 76 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in 2023, up 55.1% from 2019. The official count takes in all snack bars and retail bakeries, not only bakeries and dessert shops: coffee shops and cafes are counted too. Official counts list 12 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Washington County, AR spend on food away from home?
About $360.1M a year, or $3,706 per household. That is 9% below the U.S. average (an index of 91, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 111 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings, it comes to $3.2M 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 97,184 households in Washington County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Washington County, AR compare with the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops?
Washington County has 11.4 bakeries and dessert shops per 10,000 households, 16% above the U.S. rate of 9.8. Spending per shop is $3.2M, 22% below the U.S. figure of $4.1M. At the U.S. ratio of bakeries and dessert shops to household spending, Washington County would have about 87, against 111 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,279 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S. The official count rose 55.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.6% for the U.S.
How fast is Washington County, AR growing?
Population estimates put Washington County at 271,213 people in 2025, up 9.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 97,184 households. The median household income in Washington County is $70,639 a year, 13% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 40.0% 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. Washington County scores 43 for bakeries and dessert shops (lower middle), #1,200 of 1,889 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Washington 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 Washington County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Washington 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 Washington 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.