Food and drink · County · Massachusetts
Bakeries and dessert shops in Barnstable County, MA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for bakeries and dessert shops in Barnstable County, MA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 31 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,604 of 1,889 scored counties
#12 of 14 scored counties in Massachusetts
- Listings
- 219
- 52 chain locations (24%)
- Official establishments
- 164
- All snack bars and retail bakeries · +3.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $474.5M
- On food away from home · $4,486 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.2M
- 48% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 20.7
- 2.1 times the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 233,539
- +2.4% since 2020
See the bakeries and dessert shops around any address in Barnstable 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 Barnstable 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, Barnstable County has a Groundwork market score of 31 (lower middle): #1,604 of 1,889 scored counties and #12 of 14 scored counties in Massachusetts. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 219 bakeries and dessert shops in Barnstable County. 52 of them (24%) are chain locations, against 35% across the U.S. That is 20.7 per 10,000 households, 2.1 times the U.S. rate of 9.8.
Households in Barnstable County spend about $474.5M a year on food away from home, or $4,486 per household, 10% above the U.S. average. That works out to $2.2M per shop, 48% 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 164 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Barnstable County in 2023, up 3.8% from 2019. That is one for every 645 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, 9 SBA-backed loans worth $1.4M have gone to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Barnstable County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Barnstable County grew 2.4%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Barnstable County compares
The same measures for Massachusetts 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 | Barnstable County | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 20.7 | 12.0 | 9.8 |
| Spending per listing | $2.2M | $3.9M | $4.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack bars and retail bakeries) | 645 | 931 | 1,369 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +3.8% | +14.8% | +24.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.4% | +2.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,486 | $4,685 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $95,241 | $103,960 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 31 | 42 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 158 → 164All snack bars and retail bakeries · +3.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,394
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $44.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 10All snack bars and retail bakeries with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 21952 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 115The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 9
- Amount
- $1.4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Barnstable 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 Barnstable County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 233,539+2.4% since 2020
- Households
- 105,777
- Median age
- 53.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 81%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 394 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 588
- Median household income
- $95,241+28.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $134,349
- Median home value
- $629,000
- Jobs located here
- 87,424
- Daytime population
- 221,377Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Barnstable 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 Barnstable 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 Massachusetts
Every Massachusetts market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Massachusetts for bakeries and dessert shops, numbered among those based in Massachusetts, with Barnstable County marked.
Top counties in Massachusetts
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Middlesex County, MA | 57 | 675 | 10.6 | $4.9M | +2.8% | #651 of 1,889 |
| 2Norfolk County, MA | 52 | 333 | 11.8 | $4.5M | +2.2% | #852 of 1,889 |
| 3Hampshire County, MA | 52 | 65 | 10.5 | $4M | +10.4% | #862 of 1,889 |
| 4Worcester County, MA | 51 | 367 | 10.9 | $4.1M | +3.7% | #902 of 1,889 |
| 5Hampden County, MA | 47 | 150 | 8.1 | $4.6M | +0.2% | #1,025 of 1,889 |
| 6Plymouth County, MA | 45 | 270 | 13.3 | $3.7M | +3.5% | #1,126 of 1,889 |
| 7Essex County, MA | 43 | 396 | 12.6 | $3.7M | +2.3% | #1,192 of 1,889 |
| 8Suffolk County, MA | 37 | 407 | 12.4 | $3.6M | +0.1% | #1,401 of 1,889 |
| 9Bristol County, MA | 37 | 313 | 13.4 | $3.1M | +2.9% | #1,414 of 1,889 |
| 10Nantucket County, MA | 34 | 17 | 32.4 | $1.7M | +3.6% | #1,522 of 1,889 |
| 12Barnstable County, MA | 31 | 219 | 20.7 | $2.2M | +2.4% | #1,604 of 1,889 |
Other business types in Barnstable County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes36
- Sit-down restaurants35
- Fast food and sandwich shops69
- Pizza55
- Coffee shops and cafes37
- Bakeries and dessert shops31
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 Barnstable County, MA?
Barnstable County has 219 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings as of September 2026. 52 of them (24%) are chain locations. The listings count bakeries, ice cream, donut and dessert shops, candy stores. Official counts show 164 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in 2023, up 3.8% 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 10 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Barnstable County, MA spend on food away from home?
About $474.5M a year, or $4,486 per household. That is 10% above the U.S. average (an index of 110, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 219 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings, it comes to $2.2M 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 105,777 households in Barnstable County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Barnstable County, MA compare with the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops?
Barnstable County has 20.7 bakeries and dessert shops per 10,000 households, 2.1 times the U.S. rate of 9.8. Spending per shop is $2.2M, 48% below the U.S. figure of $4.1M. At the national ratio of bakeries and dessert shops to household spending, Barnstable County would have about 115, against 219 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 645 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S. The official count rose 3.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.6% for the U.S.
How fast is Barnstable County, MA growing?
Population estimates put Barnstable County at 233,539 people in 2025, up 2.4% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 105,777 households. Median household income in Barnstable County is $95,241, 18% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 28.1%, 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. Barnstable County scores 31 for bakeries and dessert shops (lower middle), #1,604 of 1,889 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Barnstable 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 Barnstable County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Barnstable 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 Barnstable 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.