Food and drink · County · Michigan
Bakeries and dessert shops in Bay County, MI
How Bay County, MI 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 45 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,120 of 1,889 scored counties
#40 of 71 scored counties in Michigan
- Listings
- 41
- 8 chain locations (20%)
- Official establishments
- 13
- All snack bars and retail bakeries
- Household spending a year
- $156.3M
- On food away from home · $3,466 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.8M
- 8% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 9.1
- 7% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 102,123
- −1.6% since 2020
See the bakeries and dessert shops around any address in Bay 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 Bay 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 41 bakeries and dessert shops in Bay County. 8 of them (20%) are chain locations, against 35% across the U.S. That comes to 9.1 for every 10,000 households, 7% below the U.S. rate of 9.8.
At $3,466 per household (15% below the U.S. average), households in Bay County spend about $156.3M a year on food away from home. That works out to $3.8M per shop, 8% 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 13 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Bay County in 2023. That is one for every 3,469 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 5 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $639K have gone to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Bay County.
Population estimates show Bay County declined 1.6% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. Bay County scores 45 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for bakeries and dessert shops, ranking #1,120 of 1,889 scored counties and #40 of 71 scored counties in Michigan.
How Bay County compares
The same measures for Michigan 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 | Bay County | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 9.1 | 9.0 | 9.8 |
| Spending per listing | $3.8M | $4.3M | $4.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack bars and retail bakeries) | 3,469 | 2,015 | 1,369 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +16.5% | +24.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.6% | +0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,466 | $3,875 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $61,763 | $72,875 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 45 | 50 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 15 → 13All snack bars and retail bakeries
- Employees, 2023
- 117
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 5All snack bars and retail bakeries with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 418 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 38The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $639K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Bay 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 Bay County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 102,123−1.6% since 2020
- Households
- 45,103
- Median age
- 45.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 77%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 442 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 233
- Median household income
- $61,763+26.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $79,153
- Median home value
- $152,200
- Jobs located here
- 31,089
- Daytime population
- 93,442Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Bay 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 Bay 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 Michigan
Every Michigan market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Michigan for bakeries and dessert shops, numbered among those based in Michigan, with Bay County marked.
Top counties in Michigan
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Barry County, MI | 83 | 10 | 4.1 | $9.6M | +2.2% | #58 of 1,889 |
| 2Cass County, MI | 76 | 9 | 4.2 | $9M | +0.2% | #136 of 1,889 |
| 3Lapeer County, MI | 75 | 20 | 5.7 | $6.8M | +1.0% | #164 of 1,889 |
| 4Monroe County, MI | 75 | 38 | 6.0 | $6.6M | +0.7% | #165 of 1,889 |
| 5Allegan County, MI | 73 | 34 | 7.5 | $5.4M | +2.1% | #208 of 1,889 |
| 6Clinton County, MI | 72 | 22 | 7.0 | $6.1M | +1.6% | #218 of 1,889 |
| 7Ionia County, MI | 71 | 12 | 5.1 | $7.2M | −0.5% | #231 of 1,889 |
| 8Branch County, MI | 70 | 10 | 5.9 | $5.8M | +2.5% | #264 of 1,889 |
| 9St. Clair County, MI | 70 | 44 | 6.5 | $5.8M | +0.1% | #265 of 1,889 |
| 10Ottawa County, MI | 69 | 99 | 8.9 | $4.8M | +3.9% | #303 of 1,889 |
| 40Bay County, MI | 45 | 41 | 9.1 | $3.8M | −1.6% | #1,120 of 1,889 |
Other business types in Bay County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes54
- Sit-down restaurants57
- Fast food and sandwich shops47
- Pizza54
- Coffee shops and cafes63
- Bakeries and dessert shops45
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 Bay County, MI?
Bay County has 41 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings as of September 2026. 8 of them (20%) are chain locations. The listings count bakeries, ice cream, donut and dessert shops, candy stores. Official counts show 13 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in 2023. That count covers all snack bars and retail bakeries (coffee shops and cafes included), not only bakeries and dessert shops. Another 5 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Bay County, MI spend on food away from home?
About $156.3M a year, or $3,466 per household. That is 15% below the U.S. average (an index of 85, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 41 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings, it comes to $3.8M 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 45,103 households in Bay County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Bay County, MI compare with the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops?
Bay County has 9.1 bakeries and dessert shops per 10,000 households, 7% below the U.S. rate of 9.8. Spending per shop is $3.8M, 8% below the U.S. figure of $4.1M. At the national ratio of bakeries and dessert shops to household spending, Bay County would have about 38, against 41 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,469 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S.
How fast is Bay County, MI growing?
Population estimates put Bay County at 102,123 people in 2025, down 1.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 45,103 households. Median household income in Bay County is $61,763, 23% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 26.5%, 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. Bay County scores 45 for bakeries and dessert shops (lower middle), #1,120 of 1,889 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Bay 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 Bay County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Bay 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 Bay 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.