Food and drink · County · Maryland
Bakeries and dessert shops in Carroll County, MD
How Carroll County, MD 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 69 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #302 of 1,889 scored counties
#10 of 24 scored counties in Maryland
- Listings
- 65
- 26 chain locations (40%)
- Official establishments
- 29
- All snack bars and retail bakeries · +7.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $315.7M
- On food away from home · $4,910 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.9M
- 17% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 10.1
- 3% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 176,677
- +2.2% since 2020
See the bakeries and dessert shops around any address in Carroll 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 Carroll 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 65 bakeries and dessert shops in Carroll County. Of those, 26 are chain locations, or 40%, against 35% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 10.1, 3% above the U.S. rate of 9.8.
At $4,910 per household (21% above the U.S. average), households in Carroll County spend about $315.7M a year on food away from home. That works out to $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.
In 2023, official counts showed 29 businesses with payroll in Carroll County classed as snack bars and retail bakeries, up 7.4% from 2019. That is one for every 2,217 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 8 one-person businesses without payroll.
Population estimates show Carroll County grew 2.2% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Carroll County scores 69 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for bakeries and dessert shops, ranking #302 of 1,889 scored counties and #10 of 24 scored counties in Maryland. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Carroll County 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 | Carroll County | Maryland | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 10.1 | 9.5 | 9.8 |
| Spending per listing | $4.9M | $4.9M | $4.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack bars and retail bakeries) | 2,217 | 1,938 | 1,369 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +7.4% | +6.6% | +24.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.2% | +1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,910 | $4,604 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $118,211 | $103,678 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 69 | 73 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 27 → 29All snack bars and retail bakeries · +7.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 357
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $7.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 8All snack bars and retail bakeries with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 6526 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 76The 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 Carroll 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 Carroll County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 176,677+2.2% since 2020
- Households
- 64,285
- Median age
- 42.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 84%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 448 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 392
- Median household income
- $118,211+22.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $142,587
- Median home value
- $434,000
- Jobs located here
- 57,897
- Daytime population
- 147,678Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Carroll 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 Carroll 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 Maryland
Every Maryland market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Maryland for bakeries and dessert shops, numbered among those based in Maryland, with Carroll County 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 |
Other business types in Carroll County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes73
- Sit-down restaurants74
- Fast food and sandwich shops72
- Pizza67
- Coffee shops and cafes79
- Bakeries and dessert shops69
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 Carroll County, MD?
There are 65 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings in Carroll County as of September 2026. 26 of them (40%) are chain locations. The listings count bakeries, ice cream, donut and dessert shops, candy stores. Official counts show 29 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in 2023, up 7.4% from 2019. That count covers all snack bars and retail bakeries (coffee shops and cafes included), not only bakeries and dessert shops. Another 8 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Carroll County, MD spend on food away from home?
About $315.7M a year, or $4,910 per household. That is 21% above the U.S. average (an index of 121, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 65 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 64,285 households in Carroll County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Carroll County, MD compare with the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops?
Carroll County has 10.1 bakeries and dessert shops per 10,000 households, 3% above 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, Carroll County would have about 76, against 65 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,217 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S. The official count rose 7.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.6% for the U.S.
How fast is Carroll County, MD growing?
Population estimates put Carroll County at 176,677 people in 2025, up 2.2% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 64,285 households. Median household income in Carroll County is $118,211, 46% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 22.2%, 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. Carroll County scores 69 for bakeries and dessert shops (upper middle), #302 of 1,889 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Carroll 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 Carroll County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Carroll 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 Carroll 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.