Market rankings · Maryland
Bakeries and dessert shops in Maryland
Markets across Maryland ranked by the Groundwork market score for bakeries and dessert shops, with competitor counts and household spending for each.
- Listings
- 2,241
- 1,066 chain locations (48%)
- Official establishments
- 1,219
- All snack bars and retail bakeries · +6.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $10.9B
- On food away from home
- Listings per 10k households
- 9.5
- 3% below the U.S.
- Spending per listing
- $4.9M
- 17% above the U.S.
- Rank among states
- #3 of 51
- Market score 73 · Upper middle
A site report maps the bakeries and dessert shops on map listings around any address in Maryland by name and distance, and the spending within reach.
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
As of September 2026, map listings count 2,241 bakeries and dessert shops in Maryland. Chain locations make up 48% of them, against 35% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 9.5, 3% below the U.S. rate of 9.8.
Households in Maryland spend about $10.9B a year on food away from home, or $4,604 per household, 13% above the U.S. average. Spread across 2,241 bakeries and dessert shops, that is $4.9M per shop, 17% above 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.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Maryland was 1,219 in 2023, up 6.6% from 2019. That is one for every 1,938 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 24.6% over the same years. The official count takes in all snack bars and retail bakeries, not only bakeries and dessert shops: coffee shops and cafes are counted too. Since fiscal 2022, 89 SBA-backed loans worth $31.8M have gone to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Maryland.
Among the 50 states and DC, Maryland ranks #3 for bakeries and dessert shops, with a Groundwork market score of 73 (upper middle). Of the 6 scored metro areas in or partly in Maryland, the Lexington Park metro area scores highest (84). Of the 4 scored small-town markets in or partly in Maryland, the Cambridge area scores highest (75).
Every market in Maryland for bakeries and dessert shops
Download the ranking (CSV)Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in Maryland, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.
Metro areas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Lexington Park, MD | 84 | 54 | 7.1 | $7.1M | +2.1% | #2 of 387 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 75 | 2,192 | 9.2 | $5.6M | +3.3% | #17 of 387 |
| 2Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | 62 | 1,072 | 9.6 | $4.7M | +0.4% | #100 of 387 |
| 3Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV | 60 | 123 | 10.4 | $3.7M | +7.1% | #123 of 387 |
| 4Salisbury, MD | 48 | 55 | 11.3 | $3.3M | +2.9% | #219 of 387 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 45 | 2,711 | 11.0 | $4M | +1.4% | #247 of 387 |
Small-town markets
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Cambridge, MD | 75 | 7 | 5.2 | $6.7M | +3.4% | #30 of 507 |
| 2Easton, MD | 44 | 22 | 13.4 | $3.1M | +2.0% | #320 of 507 |
| 3Cumberland, MD-WV | 43 | 35 | 9.1 | $3.6M | −1.3% | #328 of 507 |
| 4Ocean Pines, MD | 35 | 126 | 52.2 | $780K | +3.7% | #413 of 507 |
Counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Charles County, MD | 85 | 46 | 7.6 | $6.6M | +5.9% | #50 of 1,889 |
| 2Calvert County, MD | 83 | 26 | 7.8 | $6.8M | +1.7% | #62 of 1,889 |
| 3Cecil County, MD | 80 | 30 | 7.4 | $5.7M | +3.2% | #92 of 1,889 |
| 4Prince George’s County, MD | 78 | 231 | 6.6 | $6.8M | +0.5% | #110 of 1,889 |
| 5St. Mary’s County, MD | 77 | 28 | 6.6 | $7.5M | +2.4% | #126 of 1,889 |
| 6Queen Anne’s County, MD | 73 | 20 | 10.0 | $4.8M | +8.8% | #212 of 1,889 |
| 7Frederick County, MD | 72 | 118 | 11.3 | $4.5M | +11.0% | #227 of 1,889 |
| 8Dorchester County, MD | 71 | 7 | 5.2 | $6.7M | +3.4% | #236 of 1,889 |
| 9Montgomery County, MD | 69 | 331 | 8.5 | $6.2M | +1.3% | #288 of 1,889 |
| 10Carroll County, MD | 69 | 65 | 10.1 | $4.9M | +2.2% | #302 of 1,889 |
| 11Howard County, MD | 67 | 126 | 10.4 | $5.3M | +1.9% | #339 of 1,889 |
| 12Harford County, MD | 67 | 96 | 9.4 | $5M | +2.0% | #343 of 1,889 |
| 13Anne Arundel County, MD | 65 | 223 | 9.9 | $5.1M | +1.7% | #391 of 1,889 |
| 14Caroline County, MD | 58 | 9 | 7.2 | $4.9M | +2.5% | #617 of 1,889 |
| 15Baltimore County, MD | 58 | 298 | 9.0 | $4.8M | −0.7% | #618 of 1,889 |
| 16Wicomico County, MD | 53 | 45 | 11.1 | $3.4M | +3.2% | #835 of 1,889 |
| 17Washington County, MD | 43 | 78 | 13.0 | $3M | +2.0% | #1,202 of 1,889 |
| 18Talbot County, MD | 40 | 22 | 13.4 | $3.1M | +2.0% | #1,309 of 1,889 |
| 19Baltimore city, MD | 36 | 244 | 9.5 | $3.7M | −2.3% | #1,433 of 1,889 |
| 20Allegany County, MD | 33 | 28 | 10.2 | $3.2M | −1.6% | #1,535 of 1,889 |
| 21Kent County, MD | 33 | 13 | 15.3 | $2.6M | +2.3% | #1,549 of 1,889 |
| 22Worcester County, MD | 30 | 126 | 52.2 | $780K | +3.7% | #1,632 of 1,889 |
| 23Somerset County, MD | 24 | 10 | 12.0 | $2.8M | +1.7% | #1,758 of 1,889 |
| 24Garrett County, MD | 18 | 21 | 16.7 | $2.2M | −1.5% | #1,838 of 1,889 |
Questions
How many bakeries and dessert shops are in Maryland?
Maryland has 2,241 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings as of September 2026. 1,066 of them (48%) are chain locations. The listings count bakeries, ice cream, donut and dessert shops, candy stores. Official counts show 1,219 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in 2023, up 6.6% 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 230 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Maryland spend on food away from home?
About $10.9B a year, or $4,604 per household. That is 13% above the U.S. average (an index of 113, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 2,241 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings, it comes to $4.9M 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 2,362,928 households in Maryland and national spending patterns by income.
How does Maryland compare with the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops?
Maryland has 9.5 bakeries and dessert shops per 10,000 households, 3% below the U.S. rate of 9.8. Spending per shop is $4.9M, 17% above the U.S. figure of $4.1M. At the national ratio of bakeries and dessert shops to household spending, Maryland would have about 2,626, against 2,241 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,938 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S. The official count rose 6.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.6% for the U.S.
Which market in Maryland has the highest market score for bakeries and dessert shops?
Among 6 scored metro areas in or partly in Maryland, the Lexington Park metro area scores highest, at 84 (high). Among 4 scored small-town markets in or partly in Maryland, the Cambridge area scores highest, at 75 (high). Among 24 scored counties in Maryland, Charles County scores highest, at 85 (high). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.
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. Maryland scores 73 for bakeries and dessert shops (upper middle), #3 of the 50 states and DC.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Maryland. 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.
Bakeries and dessert shops in other states
All 51 states
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Top markets for bakeries and dessert shops across the U.S. · All business types in Maryland
Related business types in Maryland
- Restaurants and cafes22,605 listings
- Sit-down restaurants13,270 listings
- Fast food and sandwich shops2,853 listings
- Pizza1,746 listings
- Coffee shops and cafes1,792 listings
Screening a site or an acquisition in Maryland?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
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.