Market rankings · Connecticut
Bakeries and dessert shops in Connecticut
Every metro area, small-town market and county in Connecticut, ranked by the Groundwork market score for bakeries and dessert shops, with competitor counts and household spending for each.
- Listings
- 1,622
- 641 chain locations (40%)
- Official establishments
- 1,309
- All snack bars and retail bakeries · +7.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $6.5B
- On food away from home
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.3
- 15% above the U.S.
- Spending per listing
- $4M
- 4% below the U.S.
- Rank among states
- #32 of 51
- Market score 48 · Lower middle
A site report maps the bakeries and dessert shops on map listings around any address in Connecticut by name and distance, and the spending within reach.
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
There are 1,622 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings in Connecticut as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 40% of them, against 35% across the U.S. That comes to 11.3 for every 10,000 households, 15% above the U.S. rate of 9.8.
At $4,498 per household (11% above the U.S. average), households in Connecticut spend about $6.5B a year on food away from home. Spread across 1,622 bakeries and dessert shops, that is $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.
In 2023, official counts showed 1,309 businesses with payroll in Connecticut classed as snack bars and retail bakeries, up 7.2% from 2019. That is one for every 1,095 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 24.6% over the same years. That count covers all snack bars and retail bakeries (coffee shops and cafes included), not only bakeries and dessert shops. Since fiscal 2022, 47 SBA-backed loans worth $15.4M have gone to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Connecticut.
Among the 50 states and DC, Connecticut ranks #32 for bakeries and dessert shops, with a Groundwork market score of 48 (lower middle). Of the 5 scored metro areas in or partly in Connecticut, the Waterbury-Shelton metro area scores highest (60). Of the 2 scored small-town markets in or partly in Connecticut, the Torrington area scores highest (55).
Every market in Connecticut for bakeries and dessert shops
Download the ranking (CSV)Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in Connecticut, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.
Metro areas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Waterbury-Shelton, CT | 60 | 163 | 9.0 | $4.6M | +3.2% | #119 of 387 |
| 2Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | 47 | 438 | 12.3 | $4M | +3.7% | #226 of 387 |
| 3Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | 45 | 516 | 11.1 | $4M | +3.0% | #246 of 387 |
| 4New Haven, CT | 42 | 254 | 11.0 | $3.9M | +2.5% | #263 of 387 |
| 5Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT | 36 | 148 | 12.8 | $3.3M | +2.0% | #307 of 387 |
Small-town markets
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Torrington, CT | 55 | 54 | 11.3 | $3.9M | +2.2% | #207 of 507 |
| 2Putnam, CT | 46 | 49 | 12.4 | $3.4M | +3.0% | #297 of 507 |
Counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, CT | 60 | 163 | 9.0 | $4.6M | +3.2% | #546 of 1,889 |
| 2Greater Bridgeport Planning Region, CT | 52 | 126 | 10.5 | $4.2M | +4.1% | #857 of 1,889 |
| 3Northwest Hills Planning Region, CT | 52 | 54 | 11.3 | $3.9M | +2.2% | #866 of 1,889 |
| 4Capitol Planning Region, CT | 50 | 414 | 10.6 | $4.2M | +3.1% | #934 of 1,889 |
| 5Western Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 49 | 312 | 13.3 | $4M | +3.5% | #967 of 1,889 |
| 6South Central Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 46 | 254 | 11.0 | $3.9M | +2.5% | #1,081 of 1,889 |
| 7Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT | 43 | 102 | 13.8 | $3.4M | +2.3% | #1,197 of 1,889 |
| 8Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 42 | 49 | 12.4 | $3.4M | +3.0% | #1,223 of 1,889 |
| 9Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 40 | 148 | 12.8 | $3.3M | +2.0% | #1,307 of 1,889 |
Questions
How many bakeries and dessert shops are in Connecticut?
As of September 2026, map listings count 1,622 bakeries and dessert shops in Connecticut. 641 of them (40%) are chain locations. The listings count bakeries, ice cream, donut and dessert shops, candy stores. Official counts show 1,309 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in 2023, up 7.2% 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 154 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Connecticut spend on food away from home?
About $6.5B a year, or $4,498 per household. That is 11% above the U.S. average (an index of 111, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,622 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 1,434,007 households in Connecticut and national spending patterns by income.
How does Connecticut compare with the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops?
Connecticut has 11.3 bakeries and dessert shops per 10,000 households, 15% above 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, Connecticut would have about 1,557, against 1,622 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,095 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S. The official count rose 7.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.6% for the U.S.
Which market in Connecticut has the highest market score for bakeries and dessert shops?
Among 5 scored metro areas in or partly in Connecticut, the Waterbury-Shelton metro area scores highest, at 60 (upper middle). Among 2 scored small-town markets in or partly in Connecticut, the Torrington area scores highest, at 55 (upper middle). Among 9 scored counties in Connecticut, the Naugatuck Valley Planning Region scores highest, at 60 (upper middle). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.
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. Connecticut scores 48 for bakeries and dessert shops (lower middle), #32 of the 50 states and DC.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Connecticut. 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.
Bakeries and dessert shops in other states
All 51 states
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- District of Columbia
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- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
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- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Top markets for bakeries and dessert shops across the U.S. · All business types in Connecticut
Related business types in Connecticut
- Restaurants and cafes16,104 listings
- Sit-down restaurants9,093 listings
- Fast food and sandwich shops1,869 listings
- Pizza1,531 listings
- Coffee shops and cafes1,573 listings
Screening a site or an acquisition in Connecticut?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
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.