Food and drink · County · Maryland
Bakeries and dessert shops in Washington County, MD
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for bakeries and dessert shops in Washington County, MD, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 43 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,202 of 1,889 scored counties
#17 of 24 scored counties in Maryland
- Listings
- 78
- 26 chain locations (33%)
- Official establishments
- 30
- All snack bars and retail bakeries · −14.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $230.7M
- On food away from home · $3,857 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3M
- 29% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 13.0
- 33% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 157,731
- +2.0% since 2020
See the bakeries and dessert shops around any address in Washington 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 Washington 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
At $3,857 per household (5% below the U.S. average), households in Washington County spend about $230.7M a year on food away from home. That is about $3M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 29% below the U.S. figure of $4.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only bakeries and dessert shops.
Washington County has 78 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 26 are chain locations, or 33%, against 35% across the U.S. That comes to 13.0 for every 10,000 households, 33% above the U.S. rate of 9.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 30 businesses with payroll in Washington County classed as snack bars and retail bakeries, down 14.3% from 2019. That is one for every 1,994 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. Official counts list 7 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $2.3M have gone to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Washington County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Washington County grew 2.0%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Washington County scores 43 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for bakeries and dessert shops, ranking #1,202 of 1,889 scored counties and #17 of 24 scored counties in Maryland.
How Washington 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 | Washington County | Maryland | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 13.0 | 9.5 | 9.8 |
| Spending per listing | $3M | $4.9M | $4.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack bars and retail bakeries) | 1,994 | 1,938 | 1,369 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −14.3% | +6.6% | +24.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.0% | +1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,857 | $4,604 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $77,747 | $103,678 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 43 | 73 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 35 → 30All snack bars and retail bakeries · −14.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 364
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $7.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 7All snack bars and retail bakeries with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 7826 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 56The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 5
- Amount
- $2.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Washington 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 Washington County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 157,731+2.0% since 2020
- Households
- 59,818
- Median age
- 41.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 458 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 340
- Median household income
- $77,747+27.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $99,335
- Median home value
- $296,100
- Jobs located here
- 66,246
- Daytime population
- 152,730Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Washington 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 Washington 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 Washington 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 |
| 17Washington County, MD | 43 | 78 | 13.0 | $3M | +2.0% | #1,202 of 1,889 |
Other business types in Washington County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes50
- Sit-down restaurants55
- Fast food and sandwich shops47
- Pizza50
- Coffee shops and cafes69
- Bakeries and dessert shops43
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 Washington County, MD?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 78 bakeries and dessert shops in Washington County. 26 of them (33%) are chain locations. The listings count bakeries, ice cream, donut and dessert shops, candy stores. Official counts show 30 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in 2023, down 14.3% from 2019. 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 7 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Washington County, MD spend on food away from home?
About $230.7M a year, or $3,857 per household. That is 5% below the U.S. average (an index of 95, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 78 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings, it comes to $3M 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 59,818 households in Washington County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Washington County, MD compare with the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops?
Washington County has 13.0 bakeries and dessert shops per 10,000 households, 33% above the U.S. rate of 9.8. Spending per shop is $3M, 29% below the U.S. figure of $4.1M. At the U.S. ratio of bakeries and dessert shops to household spending, Washington County would have about 56, against 78 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,994 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 Washington County, MD growing?
Population estimates put Washington County at 157,731 people in 2025, up 2.0% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 59,818 households. The median household income in Washington County is $77,747 a year, 4% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 27.8% 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. Washington County scores 43 for bakeries and dessert shops (lower middle), #1,202 of 1,889 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Washington 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 Washington County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Washington 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 Washington 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.