Food and drink · County · Maryland
Bakeries and dessert shops in Baltimore city, MD
The bakeries and dessert shops in Baltimore city, MD, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 36 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,433 of 1,889 scored counties
#19 of 24 scored counties in Maryland
- Listings
- 244
- 79 chain locations (32%)
- Official establishments
- 132
- All snack bars and retail bakeries · +3.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $905M
- On food away from home · $3,540 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.7M
- 10% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 9.5
- 3% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 569,997
- −2.3% since 2020
See the bakeries and dessert shops around any address in Baltimore city
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 Baltimore city. 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
The Groundwork market score for bakeries and dessert shops in Baltimore city is 36 (lower middle), #1,433 of 1,889 scored counties and #19 of 24 scored counties in Maryland. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 244 bakeries and dessert shops in Baltimore city. Of those, 79 are chain locations, or 32%, against 35% across the U.S. That is 9.5 per 10,000 households, 3% below the U.S. rate of 9.8.
At $3,540 per household (13% below the U.S. average), households in Baltimore city spend about $905M a year on food away from home. That works out to $3.7M per shop, 10% 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 132 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Baltimore city in 2023, up 3.9% from 2019. That is one for every 1,937 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. Since fiscal 2022, 10 SBA-backed loans worth $2.7M have gone to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Baltimore city. Population estimates put the population change in Baltimore city from 2020 to 2025 at −2.3%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Baltimore city compares
The same measures for Maryland 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 | Baltimore city | Maryland | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 9.5 | 9.5 | 9.8 |
| Spending per listing | $3.7M | $4.9M | $4.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack bars and retail bakeries) | 1,937 | 1,938 | 1,369 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +3.9% | +6.6% | +24.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.3% | +1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,540 | $4,604 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $62,177 | $103,678 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 36 | 73 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 127 → 132All snack bars and retail bakeries · +3.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,323
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $30.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 31All snack bars and retail bakeries with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 24479 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 218The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 10
- Amount
- $2.7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Baltimore city, 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 Baltimore city
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 569,997−2.3% since 2020
- Households
- 255,668
- Median age
- 37.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 48%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.1
- Land area
- 81 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 7,082
- Median household income
- $62,177+23.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $89,312
- Median home value
- $229,600
- Jobs located here
- 344,611
- Daytime population
- 667,322Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Baltimore city?
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 Baltimore city. 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 Maryland
Every Maryland market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Maryland for bakeries and dessert shops, numbered among those based in Maryland, with Baltimore city marked.
Top counties in Maryland
| 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 |
| 19Baltimore city, MD | 36 | 244 | 9.5 | $3.7M | −2.3% | #1,433 of 1,889 |
Other business types in Baltimore city
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes23
- Sit-down restaurants29
- Fast food and sandwich shops32
- Pizza30
- Coffee shops and cafes41
- Bakeries and dessert shops36
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 Baltimore city, MD?
Baltimore city has 244 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings as of September 2026. 79 of them (32%) are chain locations. The listings count bakeries, ice cream, donut and dessert shops, candy stores. Official counts show 132 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in 2023, up 3.9% 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 31 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Baltimore city, MD spend on food away from home?
About $905M a year, or $3,540 per household. That is 13% below the U.S. average (an index of 87, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 244 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings, it comes to $3.7M 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 255,668 households in Baltimore city and national spending patterns by income.
How does Baltimore city, MD compare with the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops?
Baltimore city has 9.5 bakeries and dessert shops per 10,000 households, 3% below the U.S. rate of 9.8. Spending per shop is $3.7M, 10% below the U.S. figure of $4.1M. At the national ratio of bakeries and dessert shops to household spending, Baltimore city would have about 218, against 244 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,937 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S. The official count rose 3.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.6% for the U.S.
How fast is Baltimore city, MD growing?
Population estimates put Baltimore city at 569,997 people in 2025, down 2.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 255,668 households. Median household income in Baltimore city is $62,177, 23% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 23.4%, 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. Baltimore city scores 36 for bakeries and dessert shops (lower middle), #1,433 of 1,889 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Baltimore city. 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 Baltimore city
Screening a site or an acquisition in Baltimore city?
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 Baltimore city. 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.