Food and drink · County · California
Bakeries and dessert shops in Alameda County, CA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for bakeries and dessert shops in Alameda County, CA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 43 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,170 of 1,889 scored counties
#27 of 53 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 684
- 199 chain locations (29%)
- Official establishments
- 681
- All snack bars and retail bakeries · +5.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $3.1B
- On food away from home · $5,224 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.6M
- 10% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.4
- 16% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,636,630
- −2.6% since 2020
See the bakeries and dessert shops around any address in Alameda 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 Alameda 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
Households in Alameda County spend about $3.1B a year on food away from home, or $5,224 per household, 28% above the U.S. average. That works out to $4.6M per shop, 10% 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 684 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings in Alameda County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 29% of them, against 35% across the U.S. That is 11.4 per 10,000 households, 16% above the U.S. rate of 9.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 681 businesses with payroll in Alameda County classed as snack bars and retail bakeries, up 5.6% from 2019. That is one for every 878 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. Official counts list 85 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 25 SBA-backed loans worth $9.6M have gone to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Alameda County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Alameda County declined 2.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S. Alameda County scores 43 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for bakeries and dessert shops, ranking #1,170 of 1,889 scored counties and #27 of 53 scored counties in California.
How Alameda County compares
The same measures for California 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 | Alameda County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 11.4 | 11.7 | 9.8 |
| Spending per listing | $4.6M | $3.9M | $4.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack bars and retail bakeries) | 878 | 916 | 1,369 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +5.6% | +14.4% | +24.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.6% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $5,224 | $4,559 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $129,367 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 43 | 33 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 645 → 681All snack bars and retail bakeries · +5.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 8,190
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $205.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 85All snack bars and retail bakeries with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 684199 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 754The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 25
- Amount
- $9.6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Alameda 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 Alameda County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,636,630−2.6% since 2020
- Households
- 598,246
- Median age
- 40.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 54%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 738 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 2,237
- Median household income
- $129,367+30.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $177,147
- Median home value
- $1,090,100
- Jobs located here
- 831,131
- Daytime population
- 1,673,490Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Alameda 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 Alameda 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 California
Every California market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in California for bakeries and dessert shops, numbered among those based in California, with Alameda County marked.
Top counties in California
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Yuba County, CA | 88 | 9 | 3.1 | $12.1M | +8.2% | #25 of 1,889 |
| 2Colusa County, CA | 63 | 5 | 6.7 | $5.6M | −0.1% | #446 of 1,889 |
| 3Placer County, CA | 63 | 156 | 9.9 | $5M | +8.9% | #452 of 1,889 |
| 4San Benito County, CA | 62 | 20 | 9.7 | $5M | +8.6% | #471 of 1,889 |
| 5Contra Costa County, CA | 61 | 336 | 8.1 | $6.4M | +0.3% | #493 of 1,889 |
| 6San Joaquin County, CA | 61 | 219 | 8.9 | $4.8M | +5.5% | #511 of 1,889 |
| 7Solano County, CA | 57 | 139 | 8.8 | $5.1M | +0.6% | #648 of 1,889 |
| 8Lake County, CA | 56 | 12 | 4.5 | $7.9M | −0.6% | #676 of 1,889 |
| 9Merced County, CA | 56 | 65 | 7.6 | $4.7M | +5.1% | #699 of 1,889 |
| 10Del Norte County, CA | 55 | 5 | 5.3 | $6.8M | −4.4% | #720 of 1,889 |
| 27Alameda County, CA | 43 | 684 | 11.4 | $4.6M | −2.6% | #1,170 of 1,889 |
Other business types in Alameda County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes42
- Sit-down restaurants37
- Fast food and sandwich shops57
- Pizza57
- Coffee shops and cafes34
- 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 Alameda County, CA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 684 bakeries and dessert shops in Alameda County. 199 of them (29%) are chain locations. The listings count bakeries, ice cream, donut and dessert shops, candy stores. Official counts show 681 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in 2023, up 5.6% 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 also show 85 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Alameda County, CA spend on food away from home?
About $3.1B a year, or $5,224 per household. That is 28% above the U.S. average (an index of 128, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 684 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings, it comes to $4.6M 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 598,246 households in Alameda County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Alameda County, CA compare with the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops?
Alameda 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 $4.6M, 10% above the U.S. figure of $4.1M. At the U.S. ratio of bakeries and dessert shops to household spending, Alameda County would have about 754, against 684 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 878 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.6% for the U.S.
How fast is Alameda County, CA growing?
Population estimates put Alameda County at 1,636,630 people in 2025, down 2.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 598,246 households. The median household income in Alameda County is $129,367 a year, 60% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 30.1% 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. Alameda County scores 43 for bakeries and dessert shops (lower middle), #1,170 of 1,889 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Alameda 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 Alameda County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Alameda 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 Alameda 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.