Food and drink · County · California
Bakeries and dessert shops in Sonoma County, CA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for bakeries and dessert shops in Sonoma County, CA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 36 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,442 of 1,889 scored counties
#35 of 53 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 261
- 56 chain locations (21%)
- Official establishments
- 191
- All snack bars and retail bakeries · +0.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $893.7M
- On food away from home · $4,679 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.4M
- 17% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 13.7
- 40% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 486,444
- −0.4% since 2020
See the bakeries and dessert shops around any address in Sonoma 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 Sonoma 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 Sonoma County is 36 (lower middle), #1,442 of 1,889 scored counties and #35 of 53 scored counties in California. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 261 bakeries and dessert shops in Sonoma County. Chain locations make up 21% of them, against 35% across the U.S. That is 13.7 per 10,000 households, 40% above the U.S. rate of 9.8.
Household spending on food away from home in Sonoma County comes to about $893.7M a year: $4,679 per household, 15% above the U.S. average. Spread across 261 bakeries and dessert shops, that is $3.4M per shop, 17% 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 191 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Sonoma County in 2023, up 0.5% from 2019. That is one for every 1,000 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, 8 SBA-backed loans worth $1.8M have gone to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Sonoma County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Sonoma County declined 0.4%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Sonoma 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 | Sonoma County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 13.7 | 11.7 | 9.8 |
| Spending per listing | $3.4M | $3.9M | $4.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack bars and retail bakeries) | 1,000 | 916 | 1,369 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +0.5% | +14.4% | +24.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.4% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,679 | $4,559 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $104,674 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 36 | 33 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 190 → 191All snack bars and retail bakeries · +0.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,682
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $73M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 26All snack bars and retail bakeries with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 26156 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 216The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 8
- Amount
- $1.8M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Sonoma 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 Sonoma County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 486,444−0.4% since 2020
- Households
- 190,998
- Median age
- 44.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 63%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 1,575 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 308
- Median household income
- $104,674+29.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $142,354
- Median home value
- $815,500
- Jobs located here
- 200,159
- Daytime population
- 465,573Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Sonoma 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 Sonoma 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 Sonoma 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 |
| 35Sonoma County, CA | 36 | 261 | 13.7 | $3.4M | −0.4% | #1,442 of 1,889 |
Other business types in Sonoma County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes31
- Sit-down restaurants44
- Fast food and sandwich shops67
- Pizza66
- Coffee shops and cafes36
- Bakeries and dessert shops36
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 Sonoma County, CA?
There are 261 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings in Sonoma County as of September 2026. 56 of them (21%) are chain locations. The listings count bakeries, ice cream, donut and dessert shops, candy stores. Official counts show 191 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in 2023, up 0.5% 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 26 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Sonoma County, CA spend on food away from home?
About $893.7M a year, or $4,679 per household. That is 15% above the U.S. average (an index of 115, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 261 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings, it comes to $3.4M 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 190,998 households in Sonoma County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Sonoma County, CA compare with the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops?
Sonoma County has 13.7 bakeries and dessert shops per 10,000 households, 40% above the U.S. rate of 9.8. Spending per shop is $3.4M, 17% below the U.S. figure of $4.1M. At the national ratio of bakeries and dessert shops to household spending, Sonoma County would have about 216, against 261 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,000 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S. The official count rose 0.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.6% for the U.S.
How fast is Sonoma County, CA growing?
Population estimates put Sonoma County at 486,444 people in 2025, down 0.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 190,998 households. Median household income in Sonoma County is $104,674, 30% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.2%, 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. Sonoma County scores 36 for bakeries and dessert shops (lower middle), #1,442 of 1,889 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Sonoma 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 Sonoma County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Sonoma 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 Sonoma 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.