Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Iowa

Bakeries and dessert shops in Johnson County, IA

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for bakeries and dessert shops in Johnson County, IA, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 47 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,046 of 1,889 scored counties
#29 of 47 scored counties in Iowa

Listings
70
26 chain locations (37%)
Official establishments
50
All snack bars and retail bakeries · −3.8% since 2019
Household spending a year
$254.6M
On food away from home · $4,019 a household
Spending per listing
$3.6M
12% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
11.1
13% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
160,044
+4.6% since 2020

See the bakeries and dessert shops around any address in Johnson 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 Johnson 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

As of September 2026, map listings count 70 bakeries and dessert shops in Johnson County. 26 of them (37%) are chain locations, against 35% across the U.S. That is 11.1 per 10,000 households, 13% above the U.S. rate of 9.8.

At $4,019 per household (in line with the U.S. average), households in Johnson County spend about $254.6M a year on food away from home. That is about $3.6M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 12% 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 50 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Johnson County in 2023, down 3.8% from 2019. That is one for every 1,267 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 10 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $1.4M have gone to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Johnson County.

Population estimates show Johnson County grew 4.6% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Johnson County scores 47 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for bakeries and dessert shops, ranking #1,046 of 1,889 scored counties and #29 of 47 scored counties in Iowa.

How Johnson 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 Johnson County, IA compared with Iowa and the U.S.
MeasureJohnson CountyIowaU.S.
Listings per 10k households11.18.09.8
Spending per listing$3.6M$4.8M$4.1M
Households per official establishment (all snack bars and retail bakeries)1,2671,5831,369
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−3.8%+52.2%+24.6%
Population growth, 2020–2025+4.6%+1.5%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$4,019$3,880$4,070
Median household income$74,935$75,059$80,734
Groundwork market score4753

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
52 → 50All snack bars and retail bakeries · −3.8% over the period
Employees, 2023
718
Annual payroll, 2023
$12.4M
One-person businesses, 2023
10All snack bars and retail bakeries with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
7026 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
61The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
2
Amount
$1.4M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
160,044+4.6% since 2020
Households
63,341
Median age
34.5
Homes lived in by their owners
59%
Vehicles per household
1.7
Land area
613 sq. mi.
People per square mile
256
Median household income
$74,935+19.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$108,874
Median home value
$308,600
Jobs located here
88,327
Daytime population
171,516Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Johnson 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 Johnson 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 Johnson 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
29Johnson County, IA477011.1$3.6M+4.6%#1,046 of 1,889

Other business types in Johnson County

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

Questions

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

Johnson County has 70 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings as of September 2026. 26 of them (37%) are chain locations. The listings count bakeries, ice cream, donut and dessert shops, candy stores. Official counts show 50 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in 2023, down 3.8% from 2019. 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.

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

About $254.6M a year, or $4,019 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 99, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 70 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings, it comes to $3.6M 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 63,341 households in Johnson County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Johnson County has 11.1 bakeries and dessert shops per 10,000 households, 13% above the U.S. rate of 9.8. Spending per shop is $3.6M, 12% below the U.S. figure of $4.1M. At the national ratio of bakeries and dessert shops to household spending, Johnson County would have about 61, against 70 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,267 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S. The official count fell 3.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.6% for the U.S.

How fast is Johnson County, IA growing?

Population estimates put Johnson County at 160,044 people in 2025, up 4.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 63,341 households. Median household income in Johnson County is $74,935, 7% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 19.8%, 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. Johnson County scores 47 for bakeries and dessert shops (lower middle), #1,046 of 1,889 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Johnson 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 Johnson County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Johnson 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 Johnson 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.