Food and drink · County · Montana
Bakeries and dessert shops in Lake County, MT
The bakeries and dessert shops in Lake County, MT, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 45 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,118 of 1,889 scored counties
#8 of 15 scored counties in Montana
- Listings
- 11
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- 10
- All snack bars and retail bakeries
- Household spending a year
- $44.1M
- On food away from home · $3,509 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4M
- 3% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 8.7
- 11% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 33,392
- +6.9% since 2020
See the bakeries and dessert shops around any address in Lake 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 Lake 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 11 bakeries and dessert shops in Lake County. None of them are chain locations, against 35% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 8.7, 11% below the U.S. rate of 9.8.
At $3,509 per household (14% below the U.S. average), households in Lake County spend about $44.1M a year on food away from home. Spread across 11 bakeries and dessert shops, that is $4M per shop, 3% 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.
In 2023, official counts showed 10 businesses with payroll in Lake County classed as snack bars and retail bakeries. That is one for every 1,258 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. Another 3 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
Population estimates show Lake County grew 6.9% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for bakeries and dessert shops in Lake County is 45 (lower middle), #1,118 of 1,889 scored counties and #8 of 15 scored counties in Montana.
How Lake County compares
The same measures for Montana 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 | Lake County | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 8.7 | 7.9 | 9.8 |
| Spending per listing | $4M | $4.7M | $4.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack bars and retail bakeries) | 1,258 | 1,040 | 1,369 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +32.4% | +24.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +6.9% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,509 | $3,748 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $63,360 | $72,509 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 45 | 48 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 6 → 10All snack bars and retail bakeries
- Employees, 2023
- 52
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $813K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 3All snack bars and retail bakeries with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 110 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 11The 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 Lake 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 Lake County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 33,392+6.9% since 2020
- Households
- 12,576
- Median age
- 44.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 75%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.3
- Land area
- 1,491 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 22
- Median household income
- $63,360+29.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $90,243
- Median home value
- $421,800
- Jobs located here
- 9,693
- Daytime population
- 30,848Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Lake 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 Lake 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 Montana
Every Montana market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Montana for bakeries and dessert shops, numbered among those based in Montana, with Lake County marked.
Top counties in Montana
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Ravalli County, MT | 75 | 12 | 6.4 | $5.7M | +9.4% | #171 of 1,889 |
| 2Lewis and Clark County, MT | 66 | 19 | 6.1 | $6.4M | +5.8% | #357 of 1,889 |
| 3Gallatin County, MT | 53 | 53 | 10.3 | $4.2M | +7.7% | #826 of 1,889 |
| 4Cascade County, MT | 52 | 20 | 5.6 | $6.4M | +0.7% | #838 of 1,889 |
| 5Yellowstone County, MT | 51 | 61 | 8.7 | $4.5M | +4.5% | #892 of 1,889 |
| 6Missoula County, MT | 49 | 47 | 8.9 | $4.3M | +4.4% | #962 of 1,889 |
| 7Lincoln County, MT | 47 | 6 | 6.6 | $4.6M | +13.1% | #1,028 of 1,889 |
| 8Lake County, MT | 45 | 11 | 8.7 | $4M | +6.9% | #1,118 of 1,889 |
| 9Flathead County, MT | 45 | 44 | 9.9 | $3.8M | +10.1% | #1,119 of 1,889 |
| 10Park County, MT | 43 | 8 | 9.6 | $3.9M | +5.7% | #1,183 of 1,889 |
Other business types in Lake County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes37
- Sit-down restaurants40
- Fast food and sandwich shops68
- Pizza64
- Coffee shops and cafes31
- 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 Lake County, MT?
Lake County has 11 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations. The listings count bakeries, ice cream, donut and dessert shops, candy stores. Official counts show 10 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. Official counts list 3 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Lake County, MT spend on food away from home?
About $44.1M a year, or $3,509 per household. That is 14% below the U.S. average (an index of 86, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 11 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings, it comes to $4M 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 12,576 households in Lake County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Lake County, MT compare with the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops?
Lake County has 8.7 bakeries and dessert shops per 10,000 households, 11% below the U.S. rate of 9.8. Spending per shop is $4M, 3% below the U.S. figure of $4.1M. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of bakeries and dessert shops to household spending. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,258 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S.
How fast is Lake County, MT growing?
Population estimates put Lake County at 33,392 people in 2025, up 6.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 12,576 households. Median household income in Lake County is $63,360, 22% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.8%, 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. Lake County scores 45 for bakeries and dessert shops (lower middle), #1,118 of 1,889 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Lake 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 Lake County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Lake 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 Lake 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.