Food and drink · County · Illinois
Bakeries and dessert shops in Clay County, IL
How Clay County, IL compares with other counties and the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 22 out of 100: Low
Ranked #1,785 of 1,889 scored counties
#67 of 67 scored counties in Illinois
- Listings
- 5
- 2 chain locations (40%)
- Official establishments
- n/a
- Fewer than 3, or not published
- Household spending a year
- $17.9M
- On food away from home · $3,368 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.6M
- 14% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 9.4
- 4% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 12,793
- −3.6% since 2020
See the bakeries and dessert shops around any address in Clay 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 Clay 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
The Groundwork market score for bakeries and dessert shops in Clay County is 22 (low), #1,785 of 1,889 scored counties and #67 of 67 scored counties in Illinois. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Household spending on food away from home in Clay County comes to about $17.9M a year: $3,368 per household, 17% below the U.S. average. That is about $3.6M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 14% 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 5 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings in Clay County as of September 2026. Of those, 2 are chain locations, or 40%, against 35% across the U.S. That comes to 9.4 for every 10,000 households, 4% below the U.S. rate of 9.8.
Official counts don’t publish a figure for snack bars and retail bakeries in Clay County, since they leave out counts under 3. Population estimates show Clay County declined 3.6% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Clay County 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 | Clay County | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 9.4 | 9.9 | 9.8 |
| Spending per listing | $3.6M | $4.3M | $4.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack bars and retail bakeries) | n/a | 1,620 | 1,369 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +23.1% | +24.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −3.6% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,368 | $4,215 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $60,417 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 22 | 44 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- n/aAll snack bars and retail bakeries
- Employees, 2023
- n/a
- Annual payroll, 2023
- n/a
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0All snack bars and retail bakeries with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 52 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 4The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Clay 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 Clay County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 12,793−3.6% since 2020
- Households
- 5,311
- Median age
- 41.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 79%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 468 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 28
- Median household income
- $60,417+24.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $78,530
- Median home value
- $97,400
- Jobs located here
- 4,511
- Daytime population
- 12,012Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Clay 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 Clay 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 Illinois
Every Illinois market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Illinois for bakeries and dessert shops, numbered among those based in Illinois, with Clay County marked.
Top counties in Illinois
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Ogle County, IL | 76 | 12 | 5.8 | $6.8M | −0.7% | #142 of 1,889 |
| 2Clinton County, IL | 70 | 7 | 4.8 | $8.6M | +0.6% | #254 of 1,889 |
| 3McLean County, IL | 70 | 39 | 5.6 | $7.3M | +0.1% | #256 of 1,889 |
| 4Livingston County, IL | 70 | 8 | 5.5 | $6.9M | −2.1% | #258 of 1,889 |
| 5Grundy County, IL | 70 | 18 | 8.7 | $5M | +2.9% | #272 of 1,889 |
| 6Kendall County, IL | 69 | 42 | 9.3 | $5.2M | +9.9% | #299 of 1,889 |
| 7St. Clair County, IL | 68 | 64 | 6.3 | $6.1M | −2.5% | #311 of 1,889 |
| 8Lee County, IL | 67 | 7 | 5.2 | $7.1M | −3.4% | #326 of 1,889 |
| 9Monroe County, IL | 67 | 12 | 8.7 | $5.3M | −0.3% | #338 of 1,889 |
| 10Jefferson County, IL | 66 | 6 | 4.0 | $8.5M | −2.3% | #354 of 1,889 |
| 67Clay County, IL | 22 | 5 | 9.4 | $3.6M | −3.6% | #1,785 of 1,889 |
Other business types in Clay County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes44
- Sit-down restaurants53
- Fast food and sandwich shops53
- Pizza33
- Coffee shops and cafes
- Bakeries and dessert shops22
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 Clay County, IL?
As of September 2026, map listings count 5 bakeries and dessert shops in Clay County. 2 of them (40%) are chain locations. The listings count bakeries, ice cream, donut and dessert shops, candy stores. No official count is published for snack bars and retail bakeries in Clay County: counts under 3 are left out.
How much do households in Clay County, IL spend on food away from home?
About $17.9M a year, or $3,368 per household. That is 17% below the U.S. average (an index of 83, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 5 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings, it comes to $3.6M 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 5,311 households in Clay County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Clay County, IL compare with the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops?
Clay County has 9.4 bakeries and dessert shops per 10,000 households, 4% below the U.S. rate of 9.8. Spending per shop is $3.6M, 14% below the U.S. figure of $4.1M. At the U.S. ratio of bakeries and dessert shops to household spending, Clay County would have about 4, against 5 on map listings.
How fast is Clay County, IL growing?
Population estimates put Clay County at 12,793 people in 2025, down 3.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 5,311 households. The median household income in Clay County is $60,417 a year, 25% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 24.6% from the 2015–2019 survey, 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. Clay County scores 22 for bakeries and dessert shops (low), #1,785 of 1,889 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Clay 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 Clay County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Clay 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 Clay 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.