Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Iowa

Bakeries and dessert shops in Black Hawk County, IA

The bakeries and dessert shops in Black Hawk County, IA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 44 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,147 of 1,889 scored counties
#31 of 47 scored counties in Iowa

Listings
50
15 chain locations (30%)
Official establishments
31
All snack bars and retail bakeries · −6.1% since 2019
Household spending a year
$198.7M
On food away from home · $3,641 a household
Spending per listing
$4M
4% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
9.2
6% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
131,532
+0.4% since 2020

See the bakeries and dessert shops around any address in Black Hawk 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 Black Hawk County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

Map listings as of September 2026 show 50 bakeries and dessert shops in Black Hawk County. Of those, 15 are chain locations, or 30%, against 35% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 9.2, 6% below the U.S. rate of 9.8.

Households in Black Hawk County spend about $198.7M a year on food away from home, or $3,641 per household, 11% below the U.S. average. That works out to $4M per shop, 4% below 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.

Official counts show 31 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Black Hawk County in 2023, down 6.1% from 2019. That is one for every 1,760 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. Another 4 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $261K has gone to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Black Hawk County.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Black Hawk County grew 0.4%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for bakeries and dessert shops in Black Hawk County is 44 (lower middle), #1,147 of 1,889 scored counties and #31 of 47 scored counties in Iowa.

How Black Hawk County compares

The same measures for Iowa 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.

Bakeries and dessert shops in Black Hawk County, IA compared with Iowa and the U.S.
MeasureBlack Hawk CountyIowaU.S.
Listings per 10k households9.28.09.8
Spending per listing$4M$4.8M$4.1M
Households per official establishment (all snack bars and retail bakeries)1,7601,5831,369
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−6.1%+52.2%+24.6%
Population growth, 2020–2025+0.4%+1.5%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,641$3,880$4,070
Median household income$66,417$75,059$80,734
Groundwork market score4453

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
33 → 31All snack bars and retail bakeries · −6.1% over the period
Employees, 2023
510
Annual payroll, 2023
$8.1M
One-person businesses, 2023
4All snack bars and retail bakeries with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
5015 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
48The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$261K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Black Hawk 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 Black Hawk County

Population, 2025 estimate
131,532+0.4% since 2020
Households
54,563
Median age
37.0
Homes lived in by their owners
66%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
566 sq. mi.
People per square mile
232
Median household income
$66,417+24.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$89,158
Median home value
$188,900
Jobs located here
75,052
Daytime population
146,507Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Black Hawk 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 Black Hawk County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Bakeries and dessert shops across Iowa

Every Iowa market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Iowa for bakeries and dessert shops, numbered among those based in Iowa, with Black Hawk County marked.

Top counties in Iowa

Counties in Iowa ranked for bakeries and dessert shops by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Warren County, IA82115.3$8.2M+9.0%#67 of 1,889
2Dallas County, IA80327.5$6.3M+17.8%#89 of 1,889
3Jones County, IA7456.1$6.1M+2.9%#184 of 1,889
4Madison County, IA7457.5$5.6M+3.8%#190 of 1,889
5Buchanan County, IA6656.1$6.2M+1.3%#360 of 1,889
6Boone County, IA6354.6$8.8M+0.4%#433 of 1,889
7Muscatine County, IA63105.8$6.4M−3.0%#439 of 1,889
8Pottawattamie County, IA62277.2$5.3M−0.7%#469 of 1,889
9Polk County, IA611849.0$4.7M+4.8%#515 of 1,889
10Mahaska County, IA6055.7$6.3M−1.2%#531 of 1,889
31Black Hawk County, IA44509.2$4M+0.4%#1,147 of 1,889

Other business types in Black Hawk County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many bakeries and dessert shops are in Black Hawk County, IA?

There are 50 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings in Black Hawk County as of September 2026. 15 of them (30%) are chain locations. The listings count bakeries, ice cream, donut and dessert shops, candy stores. Official counts show 31 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in 2023, down 6.1% from 2019. That count covers all snack bars and retail bakeries (coffee shops and cafes included), not only bakeries and dessert shops. Official counts list 4 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Black Hawk County, IA spend on food away from home?

About $198.7M a year, or $3,641 per household. That is 11% below the U.S. average (an index of 89, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 50 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings, it comes to $4M 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 54,563 households in Black Hawk County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Black Hawk County, IA compare with the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops?

Black Hawk County has 9.2 bakeries and dessert shops per 10,000 households, 6% below the U.S. rate of 9.8. Spending per shop is $4M, 4% below the U.S. figure of $4.1M. At the national ratio of bakeries and dessert shops to household spending, Black Hawk County would have about 48, against 50 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,760 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S. The official count fell 6.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.6% for the U.S.

How fast is Black Hawk County, IA growing?

Population estimates put Black Hawk County at 131,532 people in 2025, up 0.4% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 54,563 households. Median household income in Black Hawk County is $66,417, 18% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 24.1%, 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. Black Hawk County scores 44 for bakeries and dessert shops (lower middle), #1,147 of 1,889 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Black Hawk 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 Black Hawk County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Black Hawk 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 Black Hawk 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.