Food and drink · Metro area · Illinois
Bakeries and dessert shops in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for bakeries and dessert shops in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 44 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #251 of 387 scored metro areas
#8 of 8 scored metro areas based in Illinois
- Listings
- 4,064
- 1,710 chain locations (42%)
- Official establishments
- 2,561
- All snack bars and retail bakeries · +21.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $16.1B
- On food away from home · $4,421 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4M
- 4% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.2
- 14% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 9,434,123
- 0.0% since 2020
See the bakeries and dessert shops around any address in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin 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 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin 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
At $4,421 per household (9% above the U.S. average), households in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro area spend about $16.1B a year on food away from home. That is about $4M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 4% below the U.S. figure of $4.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only bakeries and dessert shops.
There are 4,064 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro area as of September 2026. 1,710 of them (42%) are chain locations, against 35% across the U.S. That comes to 11.2 for every 10,000 households, 14% above the U.S. rate of 9.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro area was 2,561 in 2023, up 21.5% from 2019. That is one for every 1,423 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S. That count covers all snack bars and retail bakeries (coffee shops and cafes included), not only bakeries and dessert shops. Official counts list 500 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 171 SBA-backed loans worth $70.7M have gone to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro area held about level, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for bakeries and dessert shops in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro area is 44 (lower middle), #251 of 387 scored metro areas and #8 of 8 scored metro areas based in Illinois.
How the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro area compares
The same measures for Illinois 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 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro area | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 11.2 | 9.9 | 9.8 |
| Spending per listing | $4M | $4.3M | $4.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack bars and retail bakeries) | 1,423 | 1,620 | 1,369 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +21.5% | +23.1% | +24.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | 0.0% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,421 | $4,215 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $90,887 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 44 | 44 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 2,561All snack bars and retail bakeries · +21.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 32,573
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $769.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 500All snack bars and retail bakeries with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4,0641,710 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 3,888The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 171
- Amount
- $70.7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin 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 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 9,434,1230.0% since 2020
- Households
- 3,643,783
- Median age
- 39.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 6,923 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,354
- Median household income
- $90,887
- Average household income
- $125,950
- Median home value
- $323,000
- Jobs located here
- 4,599,202
- Daytime population
- 9,509,530Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin 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 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin 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 Illinois
Every Illinois market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Illinois for bakeries and dessert shops, numbered among those based in Illinois (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Illinois
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Bloomington, IL | 74 | 39 | 5.6 | $7.3M | +0.1% | #19 of 387 |
| St. Louis, MO-IL | 66 | 911 | 7.9 | $5.2M | −0.2% | #66 of 387 |
| 2Kankakee, IL | 63 | 27 | 6.6 | $5.8M | −1.7% | #88 of 387 |
| 3Springfield, IL | 63 | 62 | 6.9 | $5.7M | −1.2% | #89 of 387 |
| 4Decatur, IL | 62 | 24 | 5.5 | $6.4M | −4.3% | #93 of 387 |
| 5Rockford, IL | 55 | 109 | 8.0 | $4.6M | −0.3% | #155 of 387 |
| 6Champaign-Urbana, IL | 54 | 75 | 7.6 | $4.9M | +1.5% | #159 of 387 |
| 7Peoria, IL | 53 | 122 | 7.9 | $4.9M | −1.3% | #171 of 387 |
| Cape Girardeau, MO-IL | 48 | 33 | 8.6 | $4.2M | +1.7% | #215 of 387 |
| Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL | 47 | 131 | 8.1 | $4.7M | −0.9% | #221 of 387 |
| 8Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 44 | 4,064 | 11.2 | $4M | 0.0% | #251 of 387 |
Other business types in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes47
- Sit-down restaurants43
- Fast food and sandwich shops53
- Pizza52
- Coffee shops and cafes52
- Bakeries and dessert shops44
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 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 4,064 bakeries and dessert shops in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro area. 1,710 of them (42%) are chain locations. The listings count bakeries, ice cream, donut and dessert shops, candy stores. Official counts show 2,561 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in 2023, up 21.5% 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 also show 500 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area spend on food away from home?
About $16.1B a year, or $4,421 per household. That is 9% above the U.S. average (an index of 109, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 4,064 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 3,643,783 households in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area compare with the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops?
The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro area has 11.2 bakeries and dessert shops per 10,000 households, 14% 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, the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro area would have about 3,888, against 4,064 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,423 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S. The official count rose 21.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.6% for the U.S.
How fast is the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro area at 9,434,123 people in 2025, unchanged since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 3,643,783 households. The median household income in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro area is $90,887 a year, 13% 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 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro area scores 44 for bakeries and dessert shops (lower middle), #251 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 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin 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 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin 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 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin 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.