Food and drink · County · Illinois
Bakeries and dessert shops in McLean County, IL
The bakeries and dessert shops in McLean County, IL, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 70 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #256 of 1,889 scored counties
#3 of 67 scored counties in Illinois
- Listings
- 39
- 15 chain locations (38%)
- Official establishments
- 34
- All snack bars and retail bakeries · +25.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $284.9M
- On food away from home · $4,057 a household
- Spending per listing
- $7.3M
- 76% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.6
- 43% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 171,419
- +0.1% since 2020
See the bakeries and dessert shops around any address in McLean 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 McLean 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
Households in McLean County spend about $284.9M a year on food away from home, or $4,057 per household, in line with the U.S. average. That is about $7.3M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 76% above the U.S. figure of $4.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only bakeries and dessert shops.
McLean County has 39 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings as of September 2026. 15 of them (38%) are chain locations, against 35% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 5.6, 43% below the U.S. rate of 9.8.
Official counts show 34 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in McLean County in 2023, up 25.9% from 2019. That is one for every 2,065 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 also show 5 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $643K have gone to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in McLean County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of McLean County grew 0.1%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For bakeries and dessert shops, McLean County has a Groundwork market score of 70 (upper middle): #256 of 1,889 scored counties and #3 of 67 scored counties in Illinois. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How McLean 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 | McLean County | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.6 | 9.9 | 9.8 |
| Spending per listing | $7.3M | $4.3M | $4.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack bars and retail bakeries) | 2,065 | 1,620 | 1,369 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +25.9% | +23.1% | +24.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.1% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,057 | $4,215 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $79,905 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 70 | 44 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 27 → 34All snack bars and retail bakeries · +25.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 590
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $9.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 5All snack bars and retail bakeries with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 3915 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 69The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $643K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in McLean 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 McLean County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 171,419+0.1% since 2020
- Households
- 70,220
- Median age
- 37.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 65%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 1,183 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 145
- Median household income
- $79,905+18.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $105,003
- Median home value
- $208,400
- Jobs located here
- 88,959
- Daytime population
- 180,672Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in McLean 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 McLean 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 McLean 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 |
Other business types in McLean County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes57
- Sit-down restaurants59
- Fast food and sandwich shops48
- Pizza47
- Coffee shops and cafes60
- Bakeries and dessert shops70
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 McLean County, IL?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 39 bakeries and dessert shops in McLean County. 15 of them (38%) are chain locations. The listings count bakeries, ice cream, donut and dessert shops, candy stores. Official counts show 34 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in 2023, up 25.9% 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. Another 5 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in McLean County, IL spend on food away from home?
About $284.9M a year, or $4,057 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 100, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 39 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings, it comes to $7.3M 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 70,220 households in McLean County and national spending patterns by income.
How does McLean County, IL compare with the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops?
McLean County has 5.6 bakeries and dessert shops per 10,000 households, 43% below the U.S. rate of 9.8. Spending per shop is $7.3M, 76% above the U.S. figure of $4.1M. At the U.S. ratio of bakeries and dessert shops to household spending, McLean County would have about 69, against 39 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,065 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S. The official count rose 25.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.6% for the U.S.
How fast is McLean County, IL growing?
Population estimates put McLean County at 171,419 people in 2025, up 0.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 70,220 households. The median household income in McLean County is $79,905 a year, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 18.1% 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. McLean County scores 70 for bakeries and dessert shops (upper middle), #256 of 1,889 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in McLean 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 McLean County
Screening a site or an acquisition in McLean 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 McLean 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.