Food and drink · County · Iowa
Bakeries and dessert shops in Polk County, IA
How Polk County, IA compares with other counties and the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 61 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #515 of 1,889 scored counties
#9 of 47 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 184
- 73 chain locations (40%)
- Official establishments
- 142
- All snack bars and retail bakeries · +63.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $856.7M
- On food away from home · $4,172 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.7M
- 12% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 9.0
- 8% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 516,546
- +4.8% since 2020
See the bakeries and dessert shops around any address in Polk 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 Polk 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 Polk County spend about $856.7M a year on food away from home, or $4,172 per household, 2% above the U.S. average. That works out to $4.7M per shop, 12% above the U.S. figure of $4.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only bakeries and dessert shops.
There are 184 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings in Polk County as of September 2026. Of those, 73 are chain locations, or 40%, against 35% across the U.S. That is 9.0 per 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 9.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Polk County was 142 in 2023, up 63.2% from 2019. That is one for every 1,446 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. Another 22 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 6 SBA-backed loans worth $1M have gone to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Polk County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Polk County grew 4.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Polk County scores 61 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for bakeries and dessert shops, ranking #515 of 1,889 scored counties and #9 of 47 scored counties in Iowa.
How Polk 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 | Polk County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 9.0 | 8.0 | 9.8 |
| Spending per listing | $4.7M | $4.8M | $4.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack bars and retail bakeries) | 1,446 | 1,583 | 1,369 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +63.2% | +52.2% | +24.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.8% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,172 | $3,880 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $83,576 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 61 | 53 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 87 → 142All snack bars and retail bakeries · +63.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,748
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $31M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 22All snack bars and retail bakeries with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 18473 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 207The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 6
- Amount
- $1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Polk 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 Polk County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 516,546+4.8% since 2020
- Households
- 205,358
- Median age
- 37.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 573 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 879
- Median household income
- $83,576+23.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $109,398
- Median home value
- $262,100
- Jobs located here
- 309,340
- Daytime population
- 566,731Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Polk 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 Polk 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 Polk 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 |
Other business types in Polk County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes55
- Sit-down restaurants56
- Fast food and sandwich shops66
- Pizza59
- Coffee shops and cafes53
- Bakeries and dessert shops61
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 Polk County, IA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 184 bakeries and dessert shops in Polk County. 73 of them (40%) are chain locations. The listings count bakeries, ice cream, donut and dessert shops, candy stores. Official counts show 142 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in 2023, up 63.2% 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. Official counts list 22 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Polk County, IA spend on food away from home?
About $856.7M a year, or $4,172 per household. That is 2% above the U.S. average (an index of 102, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 184 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings, it comes to $4.7M 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 205,358 households in Polk County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Polk County, IA compare with the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops?
Polk County has 9.0 bakeries and dessert shops per 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 9.8. Spending per shop is $4.7M, 12% above the U.S. figure of $4.1M. At the U.S. ratio of bakeries and dessert shops to household spending, Polk County would have about 207, against 184 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,446 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S. The official count rose 63.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.6% for the U.S.
How fast is Polk County, IA growing?
Population estimates put Polk County at 516,546 people in 2025, up 4.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 205,358 households. The median household income in Polk County is $83,576 a year, 4% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.6% 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. Polk County scores 61 for bakeries and dessert shops (upper middle), #515 of 1,889 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Polk 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 Polk County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Polk 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 Polk 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.