Food and drink · County · Massachusetts
Bakeries and dessert shops in Middlesex County, MA
The bakeries and dessert shops in Middlesex County, MA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 57 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #651 of 1,889 scored counties
#1 of 14 scored counties in Massachusetts
- Listings
- 675
- 267 chain locations (40%)
- Official establishments
- 704
- All snack bars and retail bakeries · +23.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $3.3B
- On food away from home · $5,261 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.9M
- 19% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 10.6
- 8% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,669,979
- +2.8% since 2020
See the bakeries and dessert shops around any address in Middlesex 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 Middlesex 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
Households in Middlesex County spend about $3.3B a year on food away from home, or $5,261 per household, 29% above the U.S. average. That is about $4.9M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 19% above the U.S. figure of $4.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only bakeries and dessert shops.
Middlesex County has 675 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 267 are chain locations, or 40%, against 35% across the U.S. That is 10.6 per 10,000 households, 8% above the U.S. rate of 9.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 704 businesses with payroll in Middlesex County classed as snack bars and retail bakeries, up 23.7% from 2019. That is one for every 901 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. Another 37 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 15 SBA-backed loans worth $3.1M have gone to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Middlesex County.
Population estimates put the population change in Middlesex County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.8%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for bakeries and dessert shops in Middlesex County is 57 (upper middle), #651 of 1,889 scored counties and #1 of 14 scored counties in Massachusetts.
How Middlesex 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 | Middlesex County | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 10.6 | 12.0 | 9.8 |
| Spending per listing | $4.9M | $3.9M | $4.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack bars and retail bakeries) | 901 | 931 | 1,369 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +23.7% | +14.8% | +24.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.8% | +2.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $5,261 | $4,685 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $130,847 | $103,960 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 57 | 42 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 569 → 704All snack bars and retail bakeries · +23.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 9,224
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $237.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 37All snack bars and retail bakeries with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 675267 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 805The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 15
- Amount
- $3.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Middlesex 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 Middlesex County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,669,979+2.8% since 2020
- Households
- 634,215
- Median age
- 40.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 61%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 818 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 2,003
- Median household income
- $130,847+27.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $178,065
- Median home value
- $727,800
- Jobs located here
- 949,767
- Daytime population
- 1,753,217Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Middlesex 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 Middlesex 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 Middlesex 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 |
Other business types in Middlesex County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes65
- Sit-down restaurants62
- Fast food and sandwich shops77
- Pizza66
- Coffee shops and cafes55
- Bakeries and dessert shops57
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 Middlesex County, MA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 675 bakeries and dessert shops in Middlesex County. 267 of them (40%) are chain locations. The listings count bakeries, ice cream, donut and dessert shops, candy stores. Official counts show 704 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in 2023, up 23.7% 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 list 37 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Middlesex County, MA spend on food away from home?
About $3.3B a year, or $5,261 per household. That is 29% above the U.S. average (an index of 129, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 675 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings, it comes to $4.9M 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 634,215 households in Middlesex County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Middlesex County, MA compare with the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops?
Middlesex County has 10.6 bakeries and dessert shops per 10,000 households, 8% above the U.S. rate of 9.8. Spending per shop is $4.9M, 19% above the U.S. figure of $4.1M. At the U.S. ratio of bakeries and dessert shops to household spending, Middlesex County would have about 805, against 675 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 901 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S. The official count rose 23.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.6% for the U.S.
How fast is Middlesex County, MA growing?
Population estimates put Middlesex County at 1,669,979 people in 2025, up 2.8% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 634,215 households. The median household income in Middlesex County is $130,847 a year, 62% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 27.5% 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. Middlesex County scores 57 for bakeries and dessert shops (upper middle), #651 of 1,889 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Middlesex 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 Middlesex County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Middlesex 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 Middlesex 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.