Food and drink · Small-town market · Illinois
Bakeries and dessert shops in the Sterling, IL area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for bakeries and dessert shops in the Sterling, IL area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 50 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #256 of 507 scored small-town markets
#13 of 20 scored small-town markets based in Illinois
- Listings
- 18
- 3 chain locations (17%)
- Official establishments
- 11
- All snack bars and retail bakeries
- Household spending a year
- $82.7M
- On food away from home · $3,576 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.6M
- 11% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.8
- 20% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 54,121
- −2.6% since 2020
See the bakeries and dessert shops around any address in the Sterling 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 Sterling 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 18 bakeries and dessert shops in the Sterling area. 3 of them (17%) are chain locations, against 35% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 7.8, 20% below the U.S. rate of 9.8.
Household spending on food away from home in the Sterling area comes to about $82.7M a year: $3,576 per household, 12% below the U.S. average. Spread across 18 bakeries and dessert shops, that is $4.6M per shop, 11% 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.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in the Sterling area was 11 in 2023. That is one for every 2,102 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. Official counts also show 3 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $158K has gone to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in the Sterling area.
Population estimates show the Sterling area declined 2.6% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for bakeries and dessert shops in the Sterling area is 50 (upper middle), #256 of 507 scored small-town markets and #13 of 20 scored small-town markets based in Illinois.
How the Sterling 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 | Sterling area | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.8 | 9.9 | 9.8 |
| Spending per listing | $4.6M | $4.3M | $4.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack bars and retail bakeries) | 2,102 | 1,620 | 1,369 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +23.1% | +24.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.6% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,576 | $4,215 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $67,500 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 50 | 44 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 11All snack bars and retail bakeries
- Employees, 2023
- 61
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 3All snack bars and retail bakeries with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 183 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 20The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $158K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in the Sterling 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 Sterling area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 54,121−2.6% since 2020
- Households
- 23,120
- Median age
- 43.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 77%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 684 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 80
- Median household income
- $67,500+24.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $86,592
- Median home value
- $127,100
- Jobs located here
- 20,819
- Daytime population
- 50,543Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Sterling 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 Sterling 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 small-town markets in Illinois for bakeries and dessert shops, numbered among those based in Illinois, with the Sterling area marked.
Top small-town markets in Illinois
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Rochelle, IL | 80 | 12 | 5.8 | $6.8M | −0.7% | #14 of 507 |
| 2Pontiac, IL | 74 | 8 | 5.5 | $6.9M | −2.1% | #33 of 507 |
| 3Dixon, IL | 71 | 7 | 5.2 | $7.1M | −3.4% | #50 of 507 |
| 4Effingham, IL | 71 | 12 | 6.6 | $5.9M | −0.9% | #52 of 507 |
| 5Mount Vernon, IL | 70 | 6 | 4.0 | $8.5M | −2.3% | #57 of 507 |
| 6Charleston-Mattoon, IL | 65 | 11 | 5.3 | $6.3M | −1.0% | #92 of 507 |
| 7Marion-Herrin, IL | 65 | 18 | 6.2 | $5.8M | +0.2% | #96 of 507 |
| 8Taylorville, IL | 61 | 8 | 5.9 | $5.9M | −1.5% | #130 of 507 |
| 9Danville, IL | 55 | 15 | 5.0 | $6.7M | −3.7% | #197 of 507 |
| 10Centralia, IL | 54 | 6 | 3.9 | $8.7M | −3.4% | #208 of 507 |
| 13Sterling, IL | 50 | 18 | 7.8 | $4.6M | −2.6% | #256 of 507 |
Other business types in the Sterling area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes47
- Sit-down restaurants46
- Fast food and sandwich shops60
- Pizza53
- Coffee shops and cafes41
- Bakeries and dessert shops50
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 Sterling, IL area?
The Sterling area has 18 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings as of September 2026. 3 of them (17%) are chain locations. The listings count bakeries, ice cream, donut and dessert shops, candy stores. Official counts show 11 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. Another 3 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Sterling, IL area spend on food away from home?
About $82.7M a year, or $3,576 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 18 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings, it comes to $4.6M 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 23,120 households in the Sterling area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Sterling, IL area compare with the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops?
The Sterling area has 7.8 bakeries and dessert shops per 10,000 households, 20% below the U.S. rate of 9.8. Spending per shop is $4.6M, 11% above the U.S. figure of $4.1M. At the national ratio of bakeries and dessert shops to household spending, the Sterling area would have about 20, against 18 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,102 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S.
How fast is the Sterling, IL area growing?
Population estimates put the Sterling area at 54,121 people in 2025, down 2.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 23,120 households. Median household income in the Sterling area is $67,500, 16% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 24.5%, 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 Sterling area scores 50 for bakeries and dessert shops (upper middle), #256 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 Sterling 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 Sterling area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Sterling 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 Sterling 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.