Food and drink · County · New Hampshire
Bakeries and dessert shops in Merrimack County, NH
The bakeries and dessert shops in Merrimack County, NH, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 50 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #929 of 1,889 scored counties
#2 of 10 scored counties in New Hampshire
- Listings
- 62
- 18 chain locations (29%)
- Official establishments
- 58
- All snack bars and retail bakeries · +28.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $266M
- On food away from home · $4,368 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.3M
- 4% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 10.2
- 4% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 158,078
- +2.6% since 2020
See the bakeries and dessert shops around any address in Merrimack 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 Merrimack 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 62 bakeries and dessert shops in Merrimack County. Of those, 18 are chain locations, or 29%, against 35% across the U.S. That is 10.2 per 10,000 households, 4% above the U.S. rate of 9.8.
Household spending on food away from home in Merrimack County comes to about $266M a year: $4,368 per household, 7% above the U.S. average. Spread across 62 bakeries and dessert shops, that is $4.3M per shop, 4% above 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 58 businesses with payroll in Merrimack County classed as snack bars and retail bakeries, up 28.9% from 2019. That is one for every 1,050 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 list 4 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $518K has gone to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Merrimack County.
Population estimates put the population change in Merrimack County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.6%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For bakeries and dessert shops, Merrimack County has a Groundwork market score of 50 (upper middle): #929 of 1,889 scored counties and #2 of 10 scored counties in New Hampshire.
How Merrimack County compares
The same measures for New Hampshire 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 | Merrimack County | New Hampshire | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 10.2 | 14.2 | 9.8 |
| Spending per listing | $4.3M | $3.2M | $4.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack bars and retail bakeries) | 1,050 | 980 | 1,369 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +28.9% | +14.3% | +24.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.6% | +2.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,368 | $4,493 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $97,004 | $99,031 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 50 | 34 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 45 → 58All snack bars and retail bakeries · +28.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 783
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $14M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 4All snack bars and retail bakeries with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 6218 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 64The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $518K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Merrimack 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 Merrimack County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 158,078+2.6% since 2020
- Households
- 60,901
- Median age
- 43.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 933 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 167
- Median household income
- $97,004+28.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $123,673
- Median home value
- $367,600
- Jobs located here
- 83,058
- Daytime population
- 159,180Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Merrimack 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 Merrimack 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 New Hampshire
Every New Hampshire market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in New Hampshire for bakeries and dessert shops, numbered among those based in New Hampshire, with Merrimack County marked.
Top counties in New Hampshire
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Sullivan County, NH | 51 | 18 | 10.8 | $3.6M | +2.1% | #907 of 1,889 |
| 2Merrimack County, NH | 50 | 62 | 10.2 | $4.3M | +2.6% | #929 of 1,889 |
| 3Hillsborough County, NH | 46 | 212 | 12.6 | $3.7M | +2.5% | #1,087 of 1,889 |
| 4Strafford County, NH | 44 | 60 | 11.5 | $3.7M | +3.0% | #1,155 of 1,889 |
| 5Rockingham County, NH | 40 | 201 | 15.8 | $3.1M | +3.0% | #1,308 of 1,889 |
| 6Belknap County, NH | 36 | 36 | 13.7 | $3.1M | +2.1% | #1,446 of 1,889 |
| 7Cheshire County, NH | 36 | 49 | 16.0 | $2.5M | +2.3% | #1,454 of 1,889 |
| 8Coos County, NH | 36 | 19 | 13.6 | $2.4M | +0.4% | #1,455 of 1,889 |
| 9Carroll County, NH | 32 | 65 | 29.8 | $1.4M | +5.0% | #1,577 of 1,889 |
| 10Grafton County, NH | 30 | 70 | 18.9 | $2.2M | +2.2% | #1,627 of 1,889 |
Other business types in Merrimack County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes64
- Sit-down restaurants67
- Fast food and sandwich shops76
- Pizza64
- Coffee shops and cafes46
- Bakeries and dessert shops50
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 Merrimack County, NH?
There are 62 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings in Merrimack County as of September 2026. 18 of them (29%) are chain locations. The listings count bakeries, ice cream, donut and dessert shops, candy stores. Official counts show 58 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in 2023, up 28.9% from 2019. That count covers all snack bars and retail bakeries (coffee shops and cafes included), not only bakeries and dessert shops. Official counts also show 4 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Merrimack County, NH spend on food away from home?
About $266M a year, or $4,368 per household. That is 7% above the U.S. average (an index of 107, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 62 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings, it comes to $4.3M 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 60,901 households in Merrimack County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Merrimack County, NH compare with the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops?
Merrimack County has 10.2 bakeries and dessert shops per 10,000 households, 4% above the U.S. rate of 9.8. Spending per shop is $4.3M, 4% above the U.S. figure of $4.1M. At the national ratio of bakeries and dessert shops to household spending, Merrimack County would have about 64, against 62 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,050 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S. The official count rose 28.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.6% for the U.S.
How fast is Merrimack County, NH growing?
Population estimates put Merrimack County at 158,078 people in 2025, up 2.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 60,901 households. Median household income in Merrimack County is $97,004, 20% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 28.1%, 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. Merrimack County scores 50 for bakeries and dessert shops (upper middle), #929 of 1,889 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Merrimack 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 Merrimack County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Merrimack 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 Merrimack 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.