Food and drink · Metro area · Connecticut
Bakeries and dessert shops in the Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT metro area
The bakeries and dessert shops in the Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 36 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #307 of 387 scored metro areas
#5 of 5 scored metro areas based in Connecticut
- Listings
- 148
- 63 chain locations (43%)
- Official establishments
- 92
- All snack bars and retail bakeries
- Household spending a year
- $481.5M
- On food away from home · $4,160 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.3M
- 21% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 12.8
- 31% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 284,015
- +2.0% since 2020
See the bakeries and dessert shops around any address in the Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area
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 the Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area. 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 Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area scores 36 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for bakeries and dessert shops, ranking #307 of 387 scored metro areas and #5 of 5 scored metro areas based in Connecticut. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.
As of September 2026, map listings count 148 bakeries and dessert shops in the Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area. 63 of them (43%) are chain locations, against 35% across the U.S. That comes to 12.8 for every 10,000 households, 31% above the U.S. rate of 9.8.
Household spending on food away from home in the Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area comes to about $481.5M a year: $4,160 per household, 2% above the U.S. average. That is about $3.3M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 21% 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.
In 2023, official counts showed 92 businesses with payroll in the Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area classed as snack bars and retail bakeries. That is one for every 1,258 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, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $836K have gone to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in the Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area. Population estimates show the Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area grew 2.0% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area compares
The same measures for Connecticut 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 | Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area | Connecticut | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 12.8 | 11.3 | 9.8 |
| Spending per listing | $3.3M | $4M | $4.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack bars and retail bakeries) | 1,258 | 1,095 | 1,369 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +7.2% | +24.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.0% | +3.0% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,160 | $4,498 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $86,586 | $95,781 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 36 | 48 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 92All snack bars and retail bakeries
- Employees, 2023
- 994
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $25.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 9All snack bars and retail bakeries with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 14863 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 116The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $836K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in the Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area, 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 the Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 284,015+2.0% since 2020
- Households
- 115,768
- Median age
- 42.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 65%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 598 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 468
- Median household income
- $86,586
- Average household income
- $111,769
- Median home value
- $323,400
- Jobs located here
- 118,380
- Daytime population
- 270,328Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 the Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area. 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 Connecticut
Every Connecticut market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Connecticut for bakeries and dessert shops, numbered among those based in Connecticut, with the Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Connecticut
| 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 |
Other business types in the Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes39
- Sit-down restaurants40
- Fast food and sandwich shops63
- Pizza39
- Coffee shops and cafes44
- 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 the Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT metro area?
The Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area has 148 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings as of September 2026. 63 of them (43%) are chain locations. The listings count bakeries, ice cream, donut and dessert shops, candy stores. Official counts show 92 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in 2023. That count covers all snack bars and retail bakeries (coffee shops and cafes included), not only bakeries and dessert shops. Official counts list 9 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT metro area spend on food away from home?
About $481.5M a year, or $4,160 per household. That is 2% above the U.S. average (an index of 102, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 148 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings, it comes to $3.3M 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 115,768 households in the Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT metro area compare with the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops?
The Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area has 12.8 bakeries and dessert shops per 10,000 households, 31% above the U.S. rate of 9.8. Spending per shop is $3.3M, 21% below the U.S. figure of $4.1M. At the national ratio of bakeries and dessert shops to household spending, the Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area would have about 116, against 148 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,258 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S.
How fast is the Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area at 284,015 people in 2025, up 2.0% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 115,768 households. Median household income in the Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area is $86,586, 7% above the U.S. median of $80,734.
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. The Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area scores 36 for bakeries and dessert shops (lower middle), #307 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area. 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 the Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area?
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 the Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area. 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.