Food and drink · County · Illinois
Bakeries and dessert shops in McHenry County, IL
How McHenry 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 58 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #631 of 1,889 scored counties
#24 of 67 scored counties in Illinois
- Listings
- 134
- 50 chain locations (37%)
- Official establishments
- 68
- All snack bars and retail bakeries · +17.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $554.6M
- On food away from home · $4,716 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.1M
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.4
- 16% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 317,751
- +2.5% since 2020
See the bakeries and dessert shops around any address in McHenry 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 McHenry 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
At $4,716 per household (16% above the U.S. average), households in McHenry County spend about $554.6M a year on food away from home. Spread across 134 bakeries and dessert shops, that is $4.1M per shop, in line with the U.S. figure of $4.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only bakeries and dessert shops.
There are 134 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings in McHenry County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 37% of them, against 35% across the U.S. That is 11.4 per 10,000 households, 16% above the U.S. rate of 9.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 68 businesses with payroll in McHenry County classed as snack bars and retail bakeries, up 17.2% from 2019. That is one for every 1,729 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. Another 10 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $2M have gone to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in McHenry County.
Population estimates show McHenry County grew 2.5% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). McHenry County scores 58 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for bakeries and dessert shops, ranking #631 of 1,889 scored counties and #24 of 67 scored counties in Illinois.
How McHenry 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 | McHenry County | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 11.4 | 9.9 | 9.8 |
| Spending per listing | $4.1M | $4.3M | $4.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack bars and retail bakeries) | 1,729 | 1,620 | 1,369 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +17.2% | +23.1% | +24.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.5% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,716 | $4,215 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $104,802 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 58 | 44 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 58 → 68All snack bars and retail bakeries · +17.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 930
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $18.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 10All snack bars and retail bakeries with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 13450 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 134The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 5
- Amount
- $2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in McHenry 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 McHenry County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 317,751+2.5% since 2020
- Households
- 117,594
- Median age
- 41.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 83%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 603 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 518
- Median household income
- $104,802+20.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $130,520
- Median home value
- $308,100
- Jobs located here
- 93,473
- Daytime population
- 243,217Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in McHenry 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 McHenry 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 McHenry 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 |
| 24McHenry County, IL | 58 | 134 | 11.4 | $4.1M | +2.5% | #631 of 1,889 |
Other business types in McHenry County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes67
- Sit-down restaurants67
- Fast food and sandwich shops70
- Pizza63
- Coffee shops and cafes74
- Bakeries and dessert shops58
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 McHenry County, IL?
As of September 2026, map listings count 134 bakeries and dessert shops in McHenry County. 50 of them (37%) are chain locations. The listings count bakeries, ice cream, donut and dessert shops, candy stores. Official counts show 68 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in 2023, up 17.2% 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 list 10 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in McHenry County, IL spend on food away from home?
About $554.6M a year, or $4,716 per household. That is 16% above the U.S. average (an index of 116, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 134 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings, it comes to $4.1M 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 117,594 households in McHenry County and national spending patterns by income.
How does McHenry County, IL compare with the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops?
McHenry County has 11.4 bakeries and dessert shops per 10,000 households, 16% above the U.S. rate of 9.8. Spending per shop is $4.1M, in line with the U.S. figure of $4.1M. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of bakeries and dessert shops to household spending. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,729 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S. The official count rose 17.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.6% for the U.S.
How fast is McHenry County, IL growing?
Population estimates put McHenry County at 317,751 people in 2025, up 2.5% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 117,594 households. The median household income in McHenry County is $104,802 a year, 30% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 20.7% 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. McHenry County scores 58 for bakeries and dessert shops (upper middle), #631 of 1,889 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in McHenry 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 McHenry County
Screening a site or an acquisition in McHenry 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 McHenry 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.