Food and drink · County · Maine
Bakeries and dessert shops in Knox County, ME
The bakeries and dessert shops in Knox County, ME, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 27 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,701 of 1,889 scored counties
#13 of 16 scored counties in Maine
- Listings
- 32
- 3 chain locations (9%)
- Official establishments
- 17
- All snack bars and retail bakeries
- Household spending a year
- $71.1M
- On food away from home · $3,849 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.2M
- 46% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 17.3
- 77% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 41,117
- +1.1% since 2020
See the bakeries and dessert shops around any address in Knox 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 Knox 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
For bakeries and dessert shops, Knox County has a Groundwork market score of 27 (lower middle): #1,701 of 1,889 scored counties and #13 of 16 scored counties in Maine. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
At $3,849 per household (5% below the U.S. average), households in Knox County spend about $71.1M a year on food away from home. That is about $2.2M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 46% below the U.S. figure of $4.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only bakeries and dessert shops.
There are 32 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings in Knox County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 9% of them, against 35% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 17.3, 77% above the U.S. rate of 9.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Knox County was 17 in 2023. That is one for every 1,087 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. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Knox County grew 1.1%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Knox County compares
The same measures for Maine 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 | Knox County | Maine | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 17.3 | 13.4 | 9.8 |
| Spending per listing | $2.2M | $2.9M | $4.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack bars and retail bakeries) | 1,087 | 963 | 1,369 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +19.2% | +24.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.1% | +3.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,849 | $3,835 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $74,096 | $74,733 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 27 | 26 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 11 → 17All snack bars and retail bakeries
- Employees, 2023
- 102
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 3All snack bars and retail bakeries with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 323 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 17The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Knox 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 Knox County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 41,117+1.1% since 2020
- Households
- 18,484
- Median age
- 49.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 79%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 365 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 112
- Median household income
- $74,096+28.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $99,101
- Median home value
- $324,900
- Jobs located here
- 16,342
- Daytime population
- 41,779Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Knox 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 Knox 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 Maine
Every Maine market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Maine for bakeries and dessert shops, numbered among those based in Maine, with Knox County marked.
Top counties in Maine
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Sagadahoc County, ME | 69 | 11 | 6.7 | $6M | +3.4% | #290 of 1,889 |
| 2Penobscot County, ME | 43 | 57 | 8.7 | $4.1M | +3.8% | #1,178 of 1,889 |
| 3Androscoggin County, ME | 40 | 46 | 9.8 | $3.6M | +4.8% | #1,301 of 1,889 |
| 4Piscataquis County, ME | 39 | 9 | 10.7 | $3.1M | +3.5% | #1,334 of 1,889 |
| 5Cumberland County, ME | 39 | 199 | 15.1 | $2.9M | +4.5% | #1,336 of 1,889 |
| 6Washington County, ME | 37 | 20 | 14.1 | $2.3M | +0.8% | #1,420 of 1,889 |
| 7York County, ME | 36 | 149 | 16.3 | $2.5M | +4.8% | #1,452 of 1,889 |
| 8Kennebec County, ME | 34 | 58 | 10.7 | $3.4M | +3.5% | #1,511 of 1,889 |
| 9Aroostook County, ME | 32 | 27 | 9.0 | $3.6M | −0.7% | #1,558 of 1,889 |
| 10Waldo County, ME | 32 | 24 | 13.7 | $2.6M | +2.6% | #1,573 of 1,889 |
| 13Knox County, ME | 27 | 32 | 17.3 | $2.2M | +1.1% | #1,701 of 1,889 |
Other business types in Knox County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes28
- Sit-down restaurants27
- Fast food and sandwich shops68
- Pizza57
- Coffee shops and cafes32
- Bakeries and dessert shops27
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 Knox County, ME?
As of September 2026, map listings count 32 bakeries and dessert shops in Knox County. 3 of them (9%) are chain locations. The listings count bakeries, ice cream, donut and dessert shops, candy stores. Official counts show 17 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. Official counts also show 3 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Knox County, ME spend on food away from home?
About $71.1M a year, or $3,849 per household. That is 5% below the U.S. average (an index of 95, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 32 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings, it comes to $2.2M 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 18,484 households in Knox County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Knox County, ME compare with the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops?
Knox County has 17.3 bakeries and dessert shops per 10,000 households, 77% above the U.S. rate of 9.8. Spending per shop is $2.2M, 46% below the U.S. figure of $4.1M. At the U.S. ratio of bakeries and dessert shops to household spending, Knox County would have about 17, against 32 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,087 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S.
How fast is Knox County, ME growing?
Population estimates put Knox County at 41,117 people in 2025, up 1.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 18,484 households. The median household income in Knox County is $74,096 a year, 8% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 28.3% 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. Knox County scores 27 for bakeries and dessert shops (lower middle), #1,701 of 1,889 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Knox 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 Knox County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Knox 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 Knox 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.