Food and drink · County · Iowa
Bakeries and dessert shops in Dubuque County, IA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for bakeries and dessert shops in Dubuque County, IA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 50 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #923 of 1,889 scored counties
#26 of 47 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 33
- 10 chain locations (30%)
- Official establishments
- 31
- All snack bars and retail bakeries
- Household spending a year
- $160.8M
- On food away from home · $3,924 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.9M
- 18% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 8.1
- 17% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 99,381
- +0.1% since 2020
See the bakeries and dessert shops around any address in Dubuque 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 Dubuque 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 Dubuque County spend about $160.8M a year on food away from home, or $3,924 per household, 4% below the U.S. average. That is about $4.9M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 18% above the U.S. figure of $4.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only bakeries and dessert shops.
Dubuque County has 33 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 30% of them, against 35% across the U.S. That is 8.1 per 10,000 households, 17% below the U.S. rate of 9.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 31 businesses with payroll in Dubuque County classed as snack bars and retail bakeries. That is one for every 1,322 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 10 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $265K has gone to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Dubuque County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Dubuque County grew 0.1%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Dubuque County scores 50 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for bakeries and dessert shops, ranking #923 of 1,889 scored counties and #26 of 47 scored counties in Iowa.
How Dubuque 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.
| Measure | Dubuque County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 8.1 | 8.0 | 9.8 |
| Spending per listing | $4.9M | $4.8M | $4.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack bars and retail bakeries) | 1,322 | 1,583 | 1,369 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +52.2% | +24.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.1% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,924 | $3,880 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $77,630 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 50 | 53 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 16 → 31All snack bars and retail bakeries
- Employees, 2023
- 348
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $6.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 10All snack bars and retail bakeries with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 3310 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 39The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $265K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Dubuque 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 Dubuque County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 99,381+0.1% since 2020
- Households
- 40,989
- Median age
- 39.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 608 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 163
- Median household income
- $77,630+23.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $100,177
- Median home value
- $237,300
- Jobs located here
- 58,941
- Daytime population
- 105,695Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Dubuque 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 Dubuque 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 Iowa
Every Iowa market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Iowa for bakeries and dessert shops, numbered among those based in Iowa, with Dubuque County marked.
Top counties in Iowa
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Warren County, IA | 82 | 11 | 5.3 | $8.2M | +9.0% | #67 of 1,889 |
| 2Dallas County, IA | 80 | 32 | 7.5 | $6.3M | +17.8% | #89 of 1,889 |
| 3Jones County, IA | 74 | 5 | 6.1 | $6.1M | +2.9% | #184 of 1,889 |
| 4Madison County, IA | 74 | 5 | 7.5 | $5.6M | +3.8% | #190 of 1,889 |
| 5Buchanan County, IA | 66 | 5 | 6.1 | $6.2M | +1.3% | #360 of 1,889 |
| 6Boone County, IA | 63 | 5 | 4.6 | $8.8M | +0.4% | #433 of 1,889 |
| 7Muscatine County, IA | 63 | 10 | 5.8 | $6.4M | −3.0% | #439 of 1,889 |
| 8Pottawattamie County, IA | 62 | 27 | 7.2 | $5.3M | −0.7% | #469 of 1,889 |
| 9Polk County, IA | 61 | 184 | 9.0 | $4.7M | +4.8% | #515 of 1,889 |
| 10Mahaska County, IA | 60 | 5 | 5.7 | $6.3M | −1.2% | #531 of 1,889 |
| 26Dubuque County, IA | 50 | 33 | 8.1 | $4.9M | +0.1% | #923 of 1,889 |
Other business types in Dubuque County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes47
- Sit-down restaurants55
- Fast food and sandwich shops55
- Pizza51
- Coffee shops and cafes36
- 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 Dubuque County, IA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 33 bakeries and dessert shops in Dubuque County. 10 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. 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 10 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Dubuque County, IA spend on food away from home?
About $160.8M a year, or $3,924 per household. That is 4% below the U.S. average (an index of 96, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 33 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings, it comes to $4.9M 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 40,989 households in Dubuque County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Dubuque County, IA compare with the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops?
Dubuque County has 8.1 bakeries and dessert shops per 10,000 households, 17% below the U.S. rate of 9.8. Spending per shop is $4.9M, 18% above the U.S. figure of $4.1M. At the U.S. ratio of bakeries and dessert shops to household spending, Dubuque County would have about 39, against 33 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,322 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S.
How fast is Dubuque County, IA growing?
Population estimates put Dubuque County at 99,381 people in 2025, up 0.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 40,989 households. The median household income in Dubuque County is $77,630 a year, 4% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.2% 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. Dubuque County scores 50 for bakeries and dessert shops (upper middle), #923 of 1,889 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Dubuque 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 Dubuque County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Dubuque 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 Dubuque 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.