Food and drink · County · Maryland
Bakeries and dessert shops in Charles County, MD
The bakeries and dessert shops in Charles County, MD, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 85 out of 100: High
Ranked #50 of 1,889 scored counties
#1 of 24 scored counties in Maryland
- Listings
- 46
- 22 chain locations (48%)
- Official establishments
- 24
- All snack bars and retail bakeries · −14.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $303M
- On food away from home · $4,977 a household
- Spending per listing
- $6.6M
- 59% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.6
- 22% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 176,593
- +5.9% since 2020
See the bakeries and dessert shops around any address in Charles 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 Charles 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, Charles County has a Groundwork market score of 85 (high): #50 of 1,889 scored counties and #1 of 24 scored counties in Maryland. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for bakeries and dessert shops.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 46 bakeries and dessert shops in Charles County. Chain locations make up 48% of them, against 35% across the U.S. That comes to 7.6 for every 10,000 households, 22% below the U.S. rate of 9.8.
At $4,977 per household (22% above the U.S. average), households in Charles County spend about $303M a year on food away from home. That is about $6.6M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 59% 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.
Official counts show 24 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Charles County in 2023, down 14.3% from 2019. That is one for every 2,536 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, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $144K has gone to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Charles County. Population estimates put the population change in Charles County from 2020 to 2025 at +5.9%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Charles 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 | Charles County | Maryland | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.6 | 9.5 | 9.8 |
| Spending per listing | $6.6M | $4.9M | $4.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack bars and retail bakeries) | 2,536 | 1,938 | 1,369 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −14.3% | +6.6% | +24.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +5.9% | +1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,977 | $4,604 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $122,816 | $103,678 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 85 | 73 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 28 → 24All snack bars and retail bakeries · −14.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 251
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $5.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 6All snack bars and retail bakeries with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4622 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 73The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $144K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Charles 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 Charles County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 176,593+5.9% since 2020
- Households
- 60,875
- Median age
- 39.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 82%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 458 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 372
- Median household income
- $122,816+22.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $141,768
- Median home value
- $428,500
- Jobs located here
- 37,884
- Daytime population
- 129,984Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Charles 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 Charles 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 Charles 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 Charles County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes82
- Sit-down restaurants87
- Fast food and sandwich shops70
- Pizza75
- Coffee shops and cafes92
- Bakeries and dessert shops85
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 Charles County, MD?
There are 46 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings in Charles County as of September 2026. 22 of them (48%) are chain locations. The listings count bakeries, ice cream, donut and dessert shops, candy stores. Official counts show 24 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in 2023, down 14.3% from 2019. That count covers all snack bars and retail bakeries (coffee shops and cafes included), not only bakeries and dessert shops. Another 6 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Charles County, MD spend on food away from home?
About $303M a year, or $4,977 per household. That is 22% above the U.S. average (an index of 122, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 46 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings, it comes to $6.6M 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 60,875 households in Charles County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Charles County, MD compare with the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops?
Charles County has 7.6 bakeries and dessert shops per 10,000 households, 22% below the U.S. rate of 9.8. Spending per shop is $6.6M, 59% above the U.S. figure of $4.1M. At the national ratio of bakeries and dessert shops to household spending, Charles County would have about 73, against 46 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,536 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S. The official count fell 14.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.6% for the U.S.
How fast is Charles County, MD growing?
Population estimates put Charles County at 176,593 people in 2025, up 5.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 60,875 households. Median household income in Charles County is $122,816, 52% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 22.8%, 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. Charles County scores 85 for bakeries and dessert shops (high), #50 of 1,889 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Charles 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 Charles County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Charles 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 Charles 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.