Food and drink · County · Missouri
Bakeries and dessert shops in Polk County, MO
The bakeries and dessert shops in Polk County, MO, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 58 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #605 of 1,889 scored counties
#18 of 57 scored counties in Missouri
- Listings
- 7
- 2 chain locations (29%)
- Official establishments
- 9
- All snack bars and retail bakeries
- Household spending a year
- $41.3M
- On food away from home · $3,426 a household
- Spending per listing
- $5.9M
- 42% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.8
- 41% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 33,604
- +6.3% since 2020
See the bakeries and dessert shops around any address in Polk 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 Polk 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 $3,426 per household (16% below the U.S. average), households in Polk County spend about $41.3M a year on food away from home. That works out to $5.9M per shop, 42% above the U.S. figure of $4.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only bakeries and dessert shops.
Polk County has 7 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings as of September 2026. 2 of them (29%) are chain locations, against 35% across the U.S. That is 5.8 per 10,000 households, 41% below the U.S. rate of 9.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 9 businesses with payroll in Polk County classed as snack bars and retail bakeries. That is one for every 1,340 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.
Population estimates show Polk County grew 6.3% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for bakeries and dessert shops in Polk County is 58 (upper middle), #605 of 1,889 scored counties and #18 of 57 scored counties in Missouri.
How Polk County compares
The same measures for Missouri 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 | Polk County | Missouri | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.8 | 8.1 | 9.8 |
| Spending per listing | $5.9M | $4.7M | $4.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack bars and retail bakeries) | 1,340 | 1,913 | 1,369 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +43.3% | +24.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +6.3% | +1.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,426 | $3,799 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $59,647 | $70,702 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 58 | 56 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 9All snack bars and retail bakeries
- Employees, 2023
- 25
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $418K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0All snack bars and retail bakeries with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 72 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 10The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Polk 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 Polk County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 33,604+6.3% since 2020
- Households
- 12,059
- Median age
- 39.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 636 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 51
- Median household income
- $59,647+30.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $80,496
- Median home value
- $205,800
- Jobs located here
- 10,220
- Daytime population
- 28,041Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Polk 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 Polk 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 Missouri
Every Missouri market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Missouri for bakeries and dessert shops, numbered among those based in Missouri, with Polk County marked.
Top counties in Missouri
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Lincoln County, MO | 93 | 7 | 3.1 | $13.2M | +11.4% | #6 of 1,889 |
| 2Christian County, MO | 85 | 18 | 5.1 | $7.8M | +8.3% | #46 of 1,889 |
| 3Jefferson County, MO | 81 | 51 | 5.8 | $6.9M | +2.7% | #73 of 1,889 |
| 4Newton County, MO | 80 | 12 | 5.4 | $6.6M | +6.1% | #87 of 1,889 |
| 5Cass County, MO | 79 | 28 | 6.5 | $6.5M | +7.1% | #100 of 1,889 |
| 6Callaway County, MO | 78 | 7 | 4.2 | $8.7M | +3.2% | #104 of 1,889 |
| 7Lawrence County, MO | 72 | 8 | 5.5 | $6.2M | +3.7% | #217 of 1,889 |
| 8Clay County, MO | 71 | 78 | 7.6 | $5.5M | +4.3% | #247 of 1,889 |
| 9St. Charles County, MO | 70 | 135 | 8.4 | $5.6M | +4.9% | #266 of 1,889 |
| 10Pettis County, MO | 67 | 10 | 5.9 | $5.7M | +2.9% | #334 of 1,889 |
| 18Polk County, MO | 58 | 7 | 5.8 | $5.9M | +6.3% | #605 of 1,889 |
Other business types in Polk County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes63
- Sit-down restaurants65
- Fast food and sandwich shops69
- Pizza44
- Coffee shops and cafes40
- Bakeries and dessert shops58
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 Polk County, MO?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 7 bakeries and dessert shops in Polk County. 2 of them (29%) are chain locations. The listings count bakeries, ice cream, donut and dessert shops, candy stores. Official counts show 9 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in 2023. The official count takes in all snack bars and retail bakeries, not only bakeries and dessert shops: coffee shops and cafes are counted too.
How much do households in Polk County, MO spend on food away from home?
About $41.3M a year, or $3,426 per household. That is 16% below the U.S. average (an index of 84, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 7 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings, it comes to $5.9M 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 12,059 households in Polk County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Polk County, MO compare with the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops?
Polk County has 5.8 bakeries and dessert shops per 10,000 households, 41% below the U.S. rate of 9.8. Spending per shop is $5.9M, 42% above the U.S. figure of $4.1M. At the U.S. ratio of bakeries and dessert shops to household spending, Polk County would have about 10, against 7 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,340 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S.
How fast is Polk County, MO growing?
Population estimates put Polk County at 33,604 people in 2025, up 6.3% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 12,059 households. The median household income in Polk County is $59,647 a year, 26% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 30.6% 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. Polk County scores 58 for bakeries and dessert shops (upper middle), #605 of 1,889 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Polk 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 Polk County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Polk 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 Polk 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.