Food and drink · County · California
Bakeries and dessert shops in San Diego County, CA
The bakeries and dessert shops in San Diego County, CA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 43 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,174 of 1,889 scored counties
#28 of 53 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 1,294
- 435 chain locations (34%)
- Official establishments
- 1,228
- All snack bars and retail bakeries · +15.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $5.5B
- On food away from home · $4,696 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.3M
- 3% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.0
- 12% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 3,282,248
- −0.6% since 2020
See the bakeries and dessert shops around any address in San Diego 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 San Diego 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 1,294 bakeries and dessert shops in San Diego County. 435 of them (34%) are chain locations, 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 San Diego County spend about $5.5B a year on food away from home, or $4,696 per household, 15% above the U.S. average. That is about $4.3M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 3% above 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.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in San Diego County was 1,228 in 2023, up 15.9% from 2019. That is one for every 954 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. Another 179 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 60 SBA-backed loans worth $21.6M have gone to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in San Diego County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of San Diego County declined 0.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For bakeries and dessert shops, San Diego County has a Groundwork market score of 43 (lower middle): #1,174 of 1,889 scored counties and #28 of 53 scored counties in California.
How San Diego 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 | San Diego County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 11.0 | 11.7 | 9.8 |
| Spending per listing | $4.3M | $3.9M | $4.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack bars and retail bakeries) | 954 | 916 | 1,369 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +15.9% | +14.4% | +24.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.6% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,696 | $4,559 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $106,268 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 43 | 33 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 1,060 → 1,228All snack bars and retail bakeries · +15.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 15,382
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $382.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 179All snack bars and retail bakeries with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,294435 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,328The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 60
- Amount
- $21.6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in San Diego 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 San Diego County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 3,282,248−0.6% since 2020
- Households
- 1,171,278
- Median age
- 38.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 55%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 4,211 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 781
- Median household income
- $106,268+34.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $141,250
- Median home value
- $854,700
- Jobs located here
- 1,516,991
- Daytime population
- 3,269,716Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in San Diego 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 San Diego 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 San Diego 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 |
| 28San Diego County, CA | 43 | 1,294 | 11.0 | $4.3M | −0.6% | #1,174 of 1,889 |
Other business types in San Diego County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes39
- Sit-down restaurants39
- Fast food and sandwich shops53
- Pizza57
- Coffee shops and cafes33
- 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 San Diego County, CA?
San Diego County has 1,294 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings as of September 2026. 435 of them (34%) are chain locations. The listings count bakeries, ice cream, donut and dessert shops, candy stores. Official counts show 1,228 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in 2023, up 15.9% 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 179 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in San Diego County, CA spend on food away from home?
About $5.5B a year, or $4,696 per household. That is 15% above the U.S. average (an index of 115, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,294 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings, it comes to $4.3M 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 1,171,278 households in San Diego County and national spending patterns by income.
How does San Diego County, CA compare with the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops?
San Diego County has 11.0 bakeries and dessert shops per 10,000 households, 12% above the U.S. rate of 9.8. Spending per shop is $4.3M, 3% above the U.S. figure of $4.1M. At the national ratio of bakeries and dessert shops to household spending, San Diego County would have about 1,328, against 1,294 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 954 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S. The official count rose 15.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.6% for the U.S.
How fast is San Diego County, CA growing?
Population estimates put San Diego County at 3,282,248 people in 2025, down 0.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 1,171,278 households. Median household income in San Diego County is $106,268, 32% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 34.6%, 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. San Diego County scores 43 for bakeries and dessert shops (lower middle), #1,174 of 1,889 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in San Diego 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 San Diego County
Screening a site or an acquisition in San Diego 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 San Diego 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.