Food and drink · County · Georgia
Bakeries and dessert shops in Columbia County, GA
The bakeries and dessert shops in Columbia County, GA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 59 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #591 of 1,889 scored counties
#37 of 77 scored counties in Georgia
- Listings
- 57
- 18 chain locations (32%)
- Official establishments
- 42
- All snack bars and retail bakeries · +110.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $242.1M
- On food away from home · $4,390 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.2M
- 3% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 10.3
- 5% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 169,189
- +7.9% since 2020
See the bakeries and dessert shops around any address in Columbia 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 Columbia 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 57 bakeries and dessert shops in Columbia County. Of those, 18 are chain locations, or 32%, against 35% across the U.S. That is 10.3 per 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 9.8.
Household spending on food away from home in Columbia County comes to about $242.1M a year: $4,390 per household, 8% above the U.S. average. That works out to $4.2M per shop, 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.
In 2023, official counts showed 42 businesses with payroll in Columbia County classed as snack bars and retail bakeries, up 110.0% from 2019. That is one for every 1,313 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. Official counts also show 8 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $2.5M have gone to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Columbia County.
Population estimates show Columbia County grew 7.9% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for bakeries and dessert shops in Columbia County is 59 (upper middle), #591 of 1,889 scored counties and #37 of 77 scored counties in Georgia.
How Columbia County compares
The same measures for Georgia 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 | Columbia County | Georgia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 10.3 | 8.6 | 9.8 |
| Spending per listing | $4.2M | $4.6M | $4.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack bars and retail bakeries) | 1,313 | 1,723 | 1,369 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +110.0% | +46.5% | +24.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +7.9% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,390 | $3,917 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $95,592 | $77,353 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 59 | 62 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 20 → 42All snack bars and retail bakeries · +110.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 623
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $8.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 8All snack bars and retail bakeries with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 5718 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 58The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $2.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Columbia 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 Columbia County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 169,189+7.9% since 2020
- Households
- 55,149
- Median age
- 38.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 78%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 290 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 560
- Median household income
- $95,592+16.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $119,651
- Median home value
- $305,300
- Jobs located here
- 38,609
- Daytime population
- 137,846Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Columbia 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 Columbia 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 Georgia
Every Georgia market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Georgia for bakeries and dessert shops, numbered among those based in Georgia, with Columbia County marked.
Top counties in Georgia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Paulding County, GA | 94 | 24 | 4.0 | $10.8M | +12.7% | #2 of 1,889 |
| 2Harris County, GA | 93 | 5 | 3.8 | $11.4M | +6.8% | #7 of 1,889 |
| 3Monroe County, GA | 90 | 6 | 5.7 | $7.1M | +14.1% | #15 of 1,889 |
| 4Effingham County, GA | 89 | 12 | 4.9 | $8.3M | +14.1% | #21 of 1,889 |
| 5Walton County, GA | 85 | 22 | 6.2 | $6.4M | +16.0% | #51 of 1,889 |
| 6Bryan County, GA | 84 | 9 | 5.4 | $8.3M | +15.6% | #55 of 1,889 |
| 7Newton County, GA | 83 | 26 | 6.3 | $5.9M | +11.2% | #64 of 1,889 |
| 8Jackson County, GA | 80 | 23 | 8.1 | $5.1M | +29.3% | #93 of 1,889 |
| 9Haralson County, GA | 79 | 6 | 5.1 | $7.2M | +10.0% | #99 of 1,889 |
| 10Barrow County, GA | 77 | 21 | 6.8 | $5.6M | +18.7% | #132 of 1,889 |
| 37Columbia County, GA | 59 | 57 | 10.3 | $4.2M | +7.9% | #591 of 1,889 |
Other business types in Columbia County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes70
- Sit-down restaurants74
- Fast food and sandwich shops55
- Pizza71
- Coffee shops and cafes75
- Bakeries and dessert shops59
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 Columbia County, GA?
There are 57 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings in Columbia County as of September 2026. 18 of them (32%) are chain locations. The listings count bakeries, ice cream, donut and dessert shops, candy stores. Official counts show 42 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in 2023, up 110.0% from 2019. That count covers all snack bars and retail bakeries (coffee shops and cafes included), not only bakeries and dessert shops. Another 8 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Columbia County, GA spend on food away from home?
About $242.1M a year, or $4,390 per household. That is 8% above the U.S. average (an index of 108, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 57 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings, it comes to $4.2M 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 55,149 households in Columbia County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Columbia County, GA compare with the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops?
Columbia County has 10.3 bakeries and dessert shops per 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 9.8. Spending per shop is $4.2M, 3% above the U.S. figure of $4.1M. At the national ratio of bakeries and dessert shops to household spending, Columbia County would have about 58, against 57 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,313 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S. The official count rose 110.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.6% for the U.S.
How fast is Columbia County, GA growing?
Population estimates put Columbia County at 169,189 people in 2025, up 7.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 55,149 households. Median household income in Columbia County is $95,592, 18% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 16.1%, 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. Columbia County scores 59 for bakeries and dessert shops (upper middle), #591 of 1,889 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Columbia 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 Columbia County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Columbia 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 Columbia 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.