Groundwork

Market rankings · District of Columbia

Bakeries and dessert shops in the District of Columbia

Markets across the District of Columbia ranked by the Groundwork market score for bakeries and dessert shops, with competitor counts and household spending for each.

Listings
326
136 chain locations (42%)
Official establishments
277
All snack bars and retail bakeries · +9.9% since 2019
Household spending a year
$1.6B
On food away from home
Listings per 10k households
10.0
2% above the U.S.
Spending per listing
$4.8M
16% above the U.S.
Rank among states
#10 of 51
Market score 66 · Upper middle

A site report maps the bakeries and dessert shops on map listings around any address in the District of Columbia by name and distance, and the spending within reach.

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Survey 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 326 bakeries and dessert shops in the District of Columbia. 136 of them (42%) are chain locations, against 35% across the U.S. That comes to 10.0 for every 10,000 households, 2% above the U.S. rate of 9.8.

Households in the District of Columbia spend about $1.6B a year on food away from home, or $4,813 per household, 18% above the U.S. average. That is about $4.8M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 16% 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 the District of Columbia was 277 in 2023, up 9.9% from 2019. That is one for every 1,171 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 24.6% over the same years. 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, 13 SBA-backed loans worth $4M have gone to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in the District of Columbia.

Among the 50 states and DC, the District of Columbia ranks #10 for bakeries and dessert shops, with a Groundwork market score of 66 (upper middle). The one scored metro area in or partly in the District of Columbia, the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area, scores 75.

Every market in the District of Columbia for bakeries and dessert shops

Download the ranking (CSV)

Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in the District of Columbia, 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

Metro areas reaching the District of Columbia, ranked for bakeries and dessert shops by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV752,1929.2$5.6M+3.3%#17 of 387

Counties

Counties in the District of Columbia, ranked for bakeries and dessert shops by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
District of ColumbiaNot scored32610.0$4.8M+3.4%

Markets with fewer than 5 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored; they’re listed last in each table.

Questions

How many bakeries and dessert shops are in the District of Columbia?

The District of Columbia has 326 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings as of September 2026. 136 of them (42%) are chain locations. The listings count bakeries, ice cream, donut and dessert shops, candy stores. Official counts show 277 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in 2023, up 9.9% from 2019. That count covers all snack bars and retail bakeries (coffee shops and cafes included), not only bakeries and dessert shops. Another 23 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in the District of Columbia spend on food away from home?

About $1.6B a year, or $4,813 per household. That is 18% above the U.S. average (an index of 118, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 326 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings, it comes to $4.8M 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 324,491 households in the District of Columbia and national spending patterns by income.

How does the District of Columbia compare with the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops?

The District of Columbia has 10.0 bakeries and dessert shops per 10,000 households, 2% above the U.S. rate of 9.8. Spending per shop is $4.8M, 16% above the U.S. figure of $4.1M. At the national ratio of bakeries and dessert shops to household spending, the District of Columbia would have about 377, against 326 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,171 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S. The official count rose 9.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.6% for the U.S.

Which market in the District of Columbia has the highest market score for bakeries and dessert shops?

The one scored metro area in or partly in the District of Columbia is the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area, at 75 (high). 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. The District of Columbia scores 66 for bakeries and dessert shops (upper middle), #10 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 the District of Columbia. 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

Top markets for bakeries and dessert shops across the U.S. · All business types in the District of Columbia

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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.