Food and drink · Small-town market · Georgia
Bakeries and dessert shops in the Waycross, GA area
The bakeries and dessert shops in the Waycross, GA area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 52 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #230 of 507 scored small-town markets
#10 of 20 scored small-town markets based in Georgia
- Listings
- 13
- 2 chain locations (15%)
- Official establishments
- 10
- All snack bars and retail bakeries
- Household spending a year
- $62.8M
- On food away from home · $3,054 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.8M
- 17% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.3
- 36% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 57,670
- +3.0% since 2020
See the bakeries and dessert shops around any address in the Waycross 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 Waycross 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 13 bakeries and dessert shops in the Waycross area. Of those, 2 are chain locations, or 15%, against 35% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 6.3, 36% below the U.S. rate of 9.8.
At $3,054 per household (25% below the U.S. average), households in the Waycross area spend about $62.8M a year on food away from home. That works out to $4.8M per shop, 17% 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 10 businesses with payroll in the Waycross area classed as snack bars and retail bakeries. That is one for every 2,056 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, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $1.5M has gone to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in the Waycross area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Waycross area from 2020 to 2025 at +3.0%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). The Waycross area scores 52 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for bakeries and dessert shops, ranking #230 of 507 scored small-town markets and #10 of 20 scored small-town markets based in Georgia.
How the Waycross area 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 | Waycross area | Georgia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.3 | 8.6 | 9.8 |
| Spending per listing | $4.8M | $4.6M | $4.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack bars and retail bakeries) | 2,056 | 1,723 | 1,369 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +46.5% | +24.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.0% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,054 | $3,917 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $51,821 | $77,353 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 52 | 62 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 10All snack bars and retail bakeries
- Employees, 2023
- 97
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0All snack bars and retail bakeries with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 132 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 15The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $1.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in the Waycross 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 Waycross area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 57,670+3.0% since 2020
- Households
- 20,562
- Median age
- 38.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 1,240 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 45
- Median household income
- $51,821+34.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $70,222
- Median home value
- $126,600
- Jobs located here
- 19,660
- Daytime population
- 54,001Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Waycross area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 Waycross 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 Georgia
Every Georgia market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Georgia for bakeries and dessert shops, numbered among those based in Georgia, with the Waycross area marked.
Top small-town markets in Georgia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Jefferson, GA | 81 | 23 | 8.1 | $5.1M | +29.3% | #11 of 507 |
| 2Calhoun, GA | 78 | 12 | 5.6 | $6.3M | +6.9% | #20 of 507 |
| 3LaGrange, GA-AL | 74 | 19 | 4.7 | $6.9M | +3.0% | #34 of 507 |
| 4Thomaston, GA | 72 | 5 | 4.7 | $6.8M | +2.7% | #42 of 507 |
| 5Kingsland, GA | 71 | 16 | 7.4 | $5M | +9.5% | #55 of 507 |
| 6Cedartown, GA | 69 | 9 | 5.7 | $5.8M | +6.0% | #65 of 507 |
| 7Cornelia, GA | 60 | 14 | 8.4 | $4.2M | +9.3% | #149 of 507 |
| 8Dublin, GA | 59 | 15 | 6.9 | $4.7M | +2.8% | #160 of 507 |
| 9Statesboro, GA | 56 | 25 | 7.2 | $4.6M | +8.0% | #190 of 507 |
| 10Waycross, GA | 52 | 13 | 6.3 | $4.8M | +3.0% | #230 of 507 |
Other business types in the Waycross area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes37
- Sit-down restaurants49
- Fast food and sandwich shops22
- Pizza33
- Coffee shops and cafes36
- Bakeries and dessert shops52
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 Waycross, GA area?
The Waycross area has 13 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings as of September 2026. 2 of them (15%) are chain locations. The listings count bakeries, ice cream, donut and dessert shops, candy stores. Official counts show 10 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.
How much do households in the Waycross, GA area spend on food away from home?
About $62.8M a year, or $3,054 per household. That is 25% below the U.S. average (an index of 75, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 13 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 20,562 households in the Waycross area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Waycross, GA area compare with the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops?
The Waycross area has 6.3 bakeries and dessert shops per 10,000 households, 36% below the U.S. rate of 9.8. Spending per shop is $4.8M, 17% above the U.S. figure of $4.1M. At the national ratio of bakeries and dessert shops to household spending, the Waycross area would have about 15, against 13 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,056 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S.
How fast is the Waycross, GA area growing?
Population estimates put the Waycross area at 57,670 people in 2025, up 3.0% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 20,562 households. Median household income in the Waycross area is $51,821, 36% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 34.7%, 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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 Waycross area scores 52 for bakeries and dessert shops (upper middle), #230 of 507 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Waycross 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 Waycross area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Waycross 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 Waycross 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.