Food and drink · County · Nebraska
Bakeries and dessert shops in Dawson County, NE
The bakeries and dessert shops in Dawson County, NE, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 32 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,574 of 1,889 scored counties
#17 of 20 scored counties in Nebraska
- Listings
- 14
- 3 chain locations (21%)
- Official establishments
- 6
- All snack bars and retail bakeries
- Household spending a year
- $33.9M
- On food away from home · $3,707 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.4M
- 42% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 15.3
- 56% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 24,452
- +1.5% since 2020
See the bakeries and dessert shops around any address in Dawson 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 Dawson 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
Dawson County scores 32 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for bakeries and dessert shops, ranking #1,574 of 1,889 scored counties and #17 of 20 scored counties in Nebraska. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Household spending on food away from home in Dawson County comes to about $33.9M a year: $3,707 per household, 9% below the U.S. average. Spread across 14 bakeries and dessert shops, that is $2.4M per shop, 42% below the U.S. figure of $4.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only bakeries and dessert shops.
There are 14 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings in Dawson County as of September 2026. 3 of them (21%) are chain locations, against 35% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 15.3, 56% above the U.S. rate of 9.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 6 businesses with payroll in Dawson County classed as snack bars and retail bakeries. That is one for every 1,524 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 put the population change in Dawson County from 2020 to 2025 at +1.5%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Dawson County compares
The same measures for Nebraska 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 | Dawson County | Nebraska | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 15.3 | 7.9 | 9.8 |
| Spending per listing | $2.4M | $5M | $4.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack bars and retail bakeries) | 1,524 | 1,480 | 1,369 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +35.4% | +24.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.5% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,707 | $3,946 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $69,880 | $76,475 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 32 | 59 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 4 → 6All snack bars and retail bakeries
- Employees, 2023
- 54
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $686K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 3All snack bars and retail bakeries with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 143 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 8The 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 Dawson 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 Dawson County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 24,452+1.5% since 2020
- Households
- 9,145
- Median age
- 37.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.3
- Land area
- 1,014 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 24
- Median household income
- $69,880+30.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $92,897
- Median home value
- $166,200
- Jobs located here
- 12,382
- Daytime population
- 24,113Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Dawson 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 Dawson 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 Nebraska
Every Nebraska market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Nebraska for bakeries and dessert shops, numbered among those based in Nebraska, with Dawson County marked.
Top counties in Nebraska
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Saunders County, NE | 85 | 6 | 6.7 | $6.4M | +6.0% | #52 of 1,889 |
| 2Cass County, NE | 80 | 8 | 7.4 | $5.9M | +3.9% | #91 of 1,889 |
| 3Sarpy County, NE | 78 | 49 | 6.6 | $7M | +9.0% | #108 of 1,889 |
| 4Gage County, NE | 64 | 6 | 6.4 | $5.6M | +0.2% | #418 of 1,889 |
| 5Douglas County, NE | 60 | 200 | 8.4 | $4.9M | +3.6% | #541 of 1,889 |
| 6Dodge County, NE | 59 | 11 | 7.3 | $5.1M | +2.6% | #579 of 1,889 |
| 7Lancaster County, NE | 58 | 97 | 7.2 | $5.4M | +3.4% | #613 of 1,889 |
| 8Platte County, NE | 56 | 12 | 8.8 | $4.2M | +3.9% | #707 of 1,889 |
| 9Lincoln County, NE | 53 | 7 | 4.7 | $7.5M | −3.6% | #804 of 1,889 |
| 10Madison County, NE | 49 | 12 | 8.3 | $4.3M | +1.6% | #961 of 1,889 |
| 17Dawson County, NE | 32 | 14 | 15.3 | $2.4M | +1.5% | #1,574 of 1,889 |
Other business types in Dawson County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes34
- Sit-down restaurants40
- Fast food and sandwich shops36
- Pizza36
- Coffee shops and cafes34
- Bakeries and dessert shops32
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 Dawson County, NE?
As of September 2026, map listings count 14 bakeries and dessert shops in Dawson County. 3 of them (21%) are chain locations. The listings count bakeries, ice cream, donut and dessert shops, candy stores. Official counts show 6 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. Another 3 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Dawson County, NE spend on food away from home?
About $33.9M a year, or $3,707 per household. That is 9% below the U.S. average (an index of 91, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 14 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings, it comes to $2.4M 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 9,145 households in Dawson County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Dawson County, NE compare with the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops?
Dawson County has 15.3 bakeries and dessert shops per 10,000 households, 56% above the U.S. rate of 9.8. Spending per shop is $2.4M, 42% below the U.S. figure of $4.1M. At the U.S. ratio of bakeries and dessert shops to household spending, Dawson County would have about 8, against 14 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,524 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S.
How fast is Dawson County, NE growing?
Population estimates put Dawson County at 24,452 people in 2025, up 1.5% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 9,145 households. The median household income in Dawson County is $69,880 a year, 13% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 30.1% 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. Dawson County scores 32 for bakeries and dessert shops (lower middle), #1,574 of 1,889 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Dawson 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 Dawson County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Dawson 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 Dawson 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.