Food and drink · County · California
Bakeries and dessert shops in Kern County, CA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for bakeries and dessert shops in Kern County, CA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 46 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,078 of 1,889 scored counties
#23 of 53 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 266
- 102 chain locations (38%)
- Official establishments
- 189
- All snack bars and retail bakeries · +26.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.1B
- On food away from home · $3,702 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4M
- 4% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 9.3
- 5% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 927,068
- +2.3% since 2020
See the bakeries and dessert shops around any address in Kern 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 Kern 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 Kern County spend about $1.1B a year on food away from home, or $3,702 per household, 9% below the U.S. average. That works out to $4M per shop, 4% below the U.S. figure of $4.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only bakeries and dessert shops.
Kern County has 266 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 102 are chain locations, or 38%, against 35% across the U.S. That is 9.3 per 10,000 households, 5% below the U.S. rate of 9.8.
Official counts show 189 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Kern County in 2023, up 26.9% from 2019. That is one for every 1,508 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 also show 54 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $3.2M have gone to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Kern County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Kern County grew 2.3%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For bakeries and dessert shops, Kern County has a Groundwork market score of 46 (lower middle): #1,078 of 1,889 scored counties and #23 of 53 scored counties in California.
How Kern 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 | Kern County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 9.3 | 11.7 | 9.8 |
| Spending per listing | $4M | $3.9M | $4.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack bars and retail bakeries) | 1,508 | 916 | 1,369 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +26.9% | +14.4% | +24.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.3% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,702 | $4,559 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $70,210 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 46 | 33 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 149 → 189All snack bars and retail bakeries · +26.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,743
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $66M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 54All snack bars and retail bakeries with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 266102 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 255The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $3.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Kern 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 Kern County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 927,068+2.3% since 2020
- Households
- 284,931
- Median age
- 33.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 60%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 8,135 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 112
- Median household income
- $70,210+31.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $93,147
- Median home value
- $338,300
- Jobs located here
- 302,967
- Daytime population
- 882,683Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Kern 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 Kern 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 Kern 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 |
| 23Kern County, CA | 46 | 266 | 9.3 | $4M | +2.3% | #1,078 of 1,889 |
Other business types in Kern County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes44
- Sit-down restaurants50
- Fast food and sandwich shops34
- Pizza51
- Coffee shops and cafes50
- Bakeries and dessert shops46
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 Kern County, CA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 266 bakeries and dessert shops in Kern County. 102 of them (38%) are chain locations. The listings count bakeries, ice cream, donut and dessert shops, candy stores. Official counts show 189 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in 2023, up 26.9% 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. Another 54 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Kern County, CA spend on food away from home?
About $1.1B a year, or $3,702 per household. That is 9% below the U.S. average (an index of 91, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 266 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings, it comes to $4M 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 284,931 households in Kern County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Kern County, CA compare with the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops?
Kern County has 9.3 bakeries and dessert shops per 10,000 households, 5% below the U.S. rate of 9.8. Spending per shop is $4M, 4% below the U.S. figure of $4.1M. At the U.S. ratio of bakeries and dessert shops to household spending, Kern County would have about 255, against 266 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,508 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S. The official count rose 26.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.6% for the U.S.
How fast is Kern County, CA growing?
Population estimates put Kern County at 927,068 people in 2025, up 2.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 284,931 households. The median household income in Kern County is $70,210 a year, 13% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.6% 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. Kern County scores 46 for bakeries and dessert shops (lower middle), #1,078 of 1,889 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Kern 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 Kern County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Kern 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 Kern 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.